The love of God is misunderstood by those who have not experienced His grace. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 NKJV). This is no doubt the most quoted verse in the world, and yet, many do not fully understand it. Some might say, “If God loves everyone, then why does He send anyone to Hell?” This is a terrible misunderstanding, because the truth is, God sends no one to Hell. People go there by their own choice. Let me explain. You see, God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all (I John 1:5 KJV). There is no in-between. Jesus made that very clear when He said in Revelation 3:16, Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth (NIV). What does this mean? It all has to do with the holiness of God; with light and darkness. We choose one or the other. They do not mix.
When we choose the Light, who is Jesus, then we are Heaven bound. Jesus said in John 12:46, I have come into the world as a Light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (NIV). Notice the preposition “in.” Being a Christian is far more than simply believing there is a God. Satan knows for certain there is a God, but he is not bound for eternal life in Heaven. Look again at John 3:16. It reads, whoever believes in Him. The preposition “in” is important. You see, when we truly accept Jesus as our Savior, knowing in our hearts that He died for our sins, then we truly repent, desiring to turn away from those sins, He forgives us of all our sin; thereby, cleansing us thoroughly from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9 paraphrase mine). When we come to Jesus with this heart attitude, something immediate happens. What happens? To understand we must again focus on that “in” preposition. We find the definition in Colossians 3:3, For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God (NLT). Did you notice the “in” preposition? Do you see the absolute joy expressed here? When we become a child of God, then from that moment, we are in Christ and Christ is in God. There is no safer place to be. All the demonic forces of Hell cannot penetrate through the Father and the Son to get to us. In our Father’s hand is Jesus, and in the hand of Jesus are we.
We are safe and secure for eternity. Is it the love of God that saves us? Let us refer back to John 3:16, that well known, but misunderstood verse in which some wonder why a God of love doesn’t take everyone to Heaven. The love of God does not save us. The love of God sent His Son to pay the penalty for the sins of every person, but it is the grace of God that saves us when we receive His precious Son into our lives. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (NLT).
Salvation is every person’s choice, to receive it or not to receive it; to choose eternity in Heaven or eternity in Hell. God in His love sent His Son; but it is His grace that saves anyone who chooses to leave the darkness and turn to the Light of the world. Jesus Himself said in John 8:12, I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life (ESV).
There is no greater joy than to truly experience the love of God because of His grace — and it is for eternity,
When Jesus was speaking to His disciples in John 15:9, He says to them, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you (NIV). When we take time to meditate upon the meaning of those words, we realize the fullness of its meaning. To know God loves us is comforting. In our limited thinking, we humans at times, attempt to measure God’s love, and we measure it according to the scales of our feelings, but that is a mistake.
When we are on mountaintops of great joy, we tell ourselves how wonderful is God’s love, but when we have slipped into valleys of sorrow, we question, where is God’s love, because we do not feel it. The truth is this: Jesus loves us the same as His Father loves Him. He has told us this; therefore, it is true because God does not lie, not ever. So, when the enemy shoots demonic fiery arrows of doubt, causing us to question God’s love, we can remind ourselves, Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38 NLT).
When situations are calm in our lives, we can easily declare the certainty of God’s love for us, but when we are led through rivers of pain and fear, His love is just as certain. He will not leave us in difficult times nor ever abandon us to find our own source of comfort because God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 KJV).
When we feel misunderstood and falsely accused by others, it is our Father’s love that will sustain us. We need not fear nor be caught in traps of anger because, God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you (II Thessalonians 1:6 NIV). When others deliberately seek to destroy our joy, mocking our faith, the love of God swoops down to cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection (Psalm 91:4 NLT).
When we are sick in heart or body, The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted: He rescues those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:17-18 NLT). Does He heal everyone who asks healing of Him? Our inner spirits are renewed daily from disease of fear and anger and worry when we cry out to Him. Our bodies may or may not be healed on earth according to his perfect will for us, but ultimately, perfect healing comes when we see Him face to face. In that place He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4 NLT). Even when the moment of death knocks on our door, we are so filled with the the heights of God’s love wrapping around us, that we invite it with longing to see Him because The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams (Psalm 23:1-2 NLT).
The Lord can love you no more nor any less than He does right now. It is perfect. It is complete. It is with you for eternity. Whether in good times or trouble, look to your Heavenly Father, for His love is ever present, perfect in strength and protection. His love will never, never, never be gone from you. When you are walking close to Him, His love rejoices over you. When you have sinned and turned away, His love beckons you back, and when you turn again to Him, His love rejoices all over again.
May you rejoice and bask in His love today.
I know the story of Noah’s Ark very well; no doubt, you do, too. I’ve read it many times in my life, but this week I saw something as if I had never read it before. That’s one of the amazing things about God’s Word. There’s always something more to discover, something fresh to bring encouragement when we are weary, uncertain, or fearful. It was the dove that captured my attention..
We read in Genesis that the earth had been flooded. Noah had warned of the judgement to come, but no one believed him except his own family. He was laughed at for building an ark, but then water began dropping from the sky. It didn’t stop. The ground was immersed in water. Rivers were bursting its banks. The oceans swelled to overflowing. In time the entire earth was covered in nothing but water. What tragedy for those who refused Noah’s warning. What tragedy awaits those who refuse Jesus today.
As we read chapter 8:1-2 it is written that God sent wind to blow across the earth, and the flood waters began to recede (NLT). In verse 8 we see that Noah released a dove to see if the water had receded enough to find dry ground. But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside (NLT). Do you see what happened there? The dove had been flying, but finding no place to land, it was obviously tired so it flew back to safety. Noah had to be watching because as the dove neared, Noah held out his hand. The dove didn’t simply fly through the window of the Ark. The exhausted dove landed on Noah’s hand and Noah brought him back into the boat.
This same thing happens to us. We go out and about into the world, taking care of our business, running errands, going to work, attending school, shopping, visiting friends, going to church. Somewhere along the way we have grown weary from our tasks. Perhaps we have encountered unpleasantries along the way. Maybe Satan has blatantly thrown temptations in our path. Maybe illness has harmed us or someone we love. There could be danger of a job being lost. The waters of life are often choppy, offering us no rest, no tranquility to ease our fears.
Being already weary from trying to keep your head above troubled waters; now you’re sinking in fear of drowning in your burdens, but you cry out, “God help me!” In an instant we see Father’s steady hand. He has outstretched it. Yes! You may go to Him, landing safely in His arms. Then He will bring you safely to Himself, comforting, guiding, protecting. Thankfully, we heed Jesus’ words, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:29 ESV).
Just as Noah cared for the dove, how much more does our Heavenly Father care for us, offering us safety in His arms? Those strong, loving arms are always ready to take us unto Himself in peace and strength.
For many years I didn’t fully understand the verse in Matthew 7:1, Judge not that you be not judged. It was a bit confusing to me. I thought it was saying to pretend one didn’t notice the sin in another because no one is without sin. Of course, that’s not what it means at all. We are never to ignore sin, but to recognize it, and reach out to help and encourage each other, for all God’s children are at inner war between the carnal and the holy natures within us. Judge not that you be not judged goes deeper. It reveals our prejudices, opening our hearts and minds to examination by the Holy Spirit. Then we may repent of those prejudices and move on, loving each other as Christ loves us.
I came to a deeper understanding of, Judge not that you be not judged, years ago, all through a person with red hair. You see, when I was much younger I had an unpleasant confrontation with a red headed person. I remember thinking that I had heard that red headed people had fiery tempers. This confrontation was proof enough for me. It was from that moment that I began judging people with red hair. I would meet someone or see them from afar; my first thoughts? Beware that person! Avoid if at all possible! It sounds silly now, and it is silly, but I had listened, and taken to heart, the demonic lie that people with red hair were best left alone. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit led me into truth so I could repent of my prejudice. Since then I’ve had lovely friendships with red headed people.
I was reminded of the above in my own life when, I too, became the subject of someone else’s prejudice. Earlier this week i was told about another American who had exhibited very bad behavior. Therefore, the person told me, I am “complicit” to this person’s sin because I’m an American, too. There was a time in my life that such a comment would have angered me, but I thank the Lord, not so this time. You see, I already know how easy it is to slip into unjust judging. It’s one of Satan’s most common tactics. I have been unwittingly tricked. So have you. No one is beyond the demonic deception of prejudice.
I had a friend who was prejudiced against construction workers. On her way to work she had to walk past a construction site. She had to endure rude comments shouted at her from jeering and sneering construction workers. Like me with red heads, for years when she knew someone worked in construction, she inwardly bristled. She judged them as unkind, without scruples, to be avoided at all costs. Even in church, knowing of a Christian who worked construction, she sought the nearest exit rather than engage in any conversation. In time, the Holy Spirit led her to seeing and repenting of the prejudice in her heart.
The person who judged me this week because I’m an American is someone who loves the Lord. Of this there is no doubt. The Holy Spirit will lead, and open their eyes to truth. I feel certain about this. We are all susceptible to judging the innocent to be guilty because of their skin color, nationality, color of their hair, occupation, education, location of living, etc. Jesus knew how easy for us to judge unfavorably. That is why He warned His followers, judge not that you be not judged. In others words, don’t judge the innocent to be guilty, lest we be judged guilty for doing so.
God does not hold one person accountable for another person’s sins. Let us hold the same attitude. Instead, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God (I John 4:7 NLT). Prejudice is never from God. Let us beware at all times, lest the innocent fall prey to our unjust judging, receiving unwarranted stones of mistrust thrown by our guilty hand.
Once in a while when I’m out walking with our dog, Jack, I inwardly smile as some dog owners see us coming, then quickly get to the other side of the street. I see the slight panic on their faces as they seek to protect their smaller dog from their perceived big, black, brute of a dog named Jack. I am not offended. They don’t know Jack. They don’t know that he would love to run and play with their dog in a field somewhere together. They don’t know how he melts when someone tickles him under the chin. They don’t know his kind nature to both humans and animals. They don’t know his heart, but as they have judged him on appearance, they turn away. They are taking caution to protect their own fur baby. It’s totally understandable when we judge a dog’s appearance, then take caution accordingly, but why do we do this with people?
I was once visiting a church where I was the speaker that morning. As I greeted various church members who walked over to welcome me, I heard one say to another, “There’s a visitor. Shall we go say hello?” The other woman looked and said, “Oh no, he looks grumpy.” I watched as they retreated back to their own seats.
When the service was over, I stood at the door with the pastor as people came by to shake our hands, to thank me for coming. Then “Mr. Grumpy” came. He shook my hand and then the pastor’s hand. The pastor said, “Welcome, I hope you’ll come back.” The man answered, “I will. I just moved to town and am looking for a church. Everyone here is so friendly.” I smiled and whispered a, “thank you, Lord” for the ones who dared to speak to him in spite of his non-smiling face at the time. When we were in the church hall a bit later, sharing lunch, I saw the visiting man. He was seated, engaged in animated conversation with those at his table. He certainly wasn’t a Mr. Grumpy.
We must take care with all the unsmiling faces we see in life. We can’t know the inside of a person. One may be hurting, in grief, shy to meet strangers, self-conscious at initiating conversation. Most important, suppose they are feeling like life has no real meaning. What if they are searching for the One who can give them purpose like they never knew before — Jesus. God is able to look into the heart of man. We can’t do that, but we surely can say, “welcome”, or “how are you?” May we be quick to have a smile and a kind word to everyone we meet. We never know, but our warm greeting could lead to one coming to know Jesus. Won’t that be fun when we all get to Heaven, and someone says, “I looked for Jesus just because you spoke kindly and were friendly to me.”
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another (for having grumpy faces) even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV – parentheses mine).
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