Someone asked an elderly pastor to summarize the Bible in one sentence. He said, “God loves you and isn’t mad at you!” That’s nothing new or profound, but God used it to speak deeply to my heart. I know those truths in my head and have been teaching and preaching them for years. But do I really believe He loves me? Yes, I do. And do I really believe He isn’t mad at me? Well……. Maybe not angry angry, but disappointed in me? I’m disappointed in me. I think I should be a lot further along spiritually by now, but I’m not. If I’m disappointed in myself, I assume He must be disappointed in me as well. God used that short statement to reassure me that He isn’t mad at me. What a great feeling it is to know and remember that truth!
I think many Christians go around feeling God is disappointed with them, maybe even a bit angry at them. Maybe you are one of them. Maybe God will speak to you through this as He has to me. I was living under a cloud of gloom and didn’t realize it until it was gone! It took away my joy and peace, and it kept me focusing on myself instead of Him. Letting that familiar truth sink down from my head to my heart/feelings made all the difference!
Now I need to keep that truth in my heart. I need to keep reminding myself He loves me and isn’t mad at me. I need to allow myself to accept that truth and drop the load of self-condemnation I can so easily pick up. Yes, I do fall short – far short. But rejecting His love and mercy doesn’t help bring me closer, it just drives me further away from Him.
Remember, if it is discouraging you from going to your Father, then it is not of Him. His arms are always open to His children. (April 5, 2021 Doylestown, PA)
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Do you go through life thinking God is angry at you or displeased with you? What makes you think that? How do you reconcile that with what the Bible says about God not being angry at you?
INDIA UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST:
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
Copyright © 2021