1 John 4: 7 - 11 NKJV
We've had a few conversations lately as to why people stick to their old traditions when it comes to God. Throughout much of christianity, God is seen as a jealous and overbearing God {Exodus 34:14}. This is the belief in which I grew up in. That fire and brimstone which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was all too real to me. This was the basis for our good behavior, or so we were taught to believe. For if we were to fall, and we all too often did, then the Lords jealousy would be directed towards us. Maybe not in biblical fire and brimstone, but in other ways. I would often find my questioning God when roadblocks would pop up in my own life. What have I done for me to deserve you to do this to me, Lord? So I prayed, tried my hand at fasting and I tithed. I did all those things that the local pastor told me to do. See, if God was allowing such things into my life then obviously I had done something to warrant His anger. After all, God was a jealous God right? Since we were all sinners, it was but a matter of time before my own screw ups would bring my Lords wrath upon me {Romans 3:23}. There were times when I saw the cross of Christ as a starting line and not a finishing point. Despite the fact that my Lord and Savior had given Himself that I would be saved, I constantly was told that I needed to do better in order to stay in Gods good graces. Even though my sins were now forgiven, I needed to pray each and every day for my Lords forgiveness. Yes, I would often question this belief, but the teaching told me what I needed to do as a good christian soldier. God was weeding out the good christians from the bad so it seemed. It seems I needed to fight like hell to hold onto that gift which was given to me through my heavenly Fathers love and grace {Ephesians 2:8-9}. I was in the performance of my life.
9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4: 9 - 11 NKJV
If there was ever one that shook the belief system I had been living under for so long it was a freind of mine who showed me the other sid eof God. That side of my heavenly Father which showed His own true nature. It was VERY different from the way I had always seen Him. For far from being that jealous, vengeful God I had been performing for all those years, the God which was now revealed to me was a God of...love. What? You mean that all of this time that God had loved me for me? Despite all of my dog and pony show performances and desperate prayers which I had been told would bring me closer to Gods good graces? Could it be that my heavenly Father had loved me, His child, all along? This was indeed a culture shock for me. Don't get me wrong, I was relieved that finally I had found my Lords love and affection which I had sought for so long. But why had I fought so long and hard to find something that had always been mine to begin with? That will remain a mystery for the ages I'm afraid. Not only is love the true nature of God, but He is by no means selfish in whom He loves. My salvation is not based upon how well I perform in my christian life, but on my heavenly Fathers love for me! He loved me enough to save me in spite of myself. He loved me enough to make me one with Him {Galations 2:20}. He loved us before we were even a thought in someones mind. That is His nature...God is Love.
19We love Him because He first loved us.
John 4: 19 NKJV
~Scott~
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