Christian, God’s not mad at you.

I run into so many Christians who are convinced God is mad at them. They will say “oh this happening because I did this and God is punishing me”, or “I haven’t been walking with the Lord and my life is a mess”. Admittedly, I have had similar thoughts. I have worried that I haven’t attended church enough or read my Bible enough or prayed enough or served enough and on and on. The reality is God loves us. God created us with a desire to have relationship with us. God sacrificed His own son so that the relationship between Him and us would be full and unencumbered. Think about it, would God really do all that He has done to reconcile mankind to Him so that He could be mad at them. It doesn’t make sense.

But don’t take my word for it, here’s His.

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

What the Apostle Paul is explaining to us is that those who are followers of Jesus have a transformed relationship with God. We are no longer on the outside of God’s grace, we are no longer the objects of God’s wrath or anger. Simply, God is not mad at us.

I think the challenge for most of us is to let go of the way we understand how relationships work. For many of us we think that we have to act a certain way and do certain things to be accepted in relationships. We are keening aware of what to do and what not to do to make sure those we are relating to are happy with us or not mad at us. We can’t apply this formula to God. We have to look at all He has done out of love for us and learn to rest in the fact that there was nothing we did, good or bad, to cause Him act that way.

Finally, if I am powerless to cause God to love me, how could I somehow have the power to cause Him to be angry with me? Like I said before. It doesn’t make sense. Christian, God is not mad at you.

Father, thank you so much for your love and grace. Thank you Lord Jesus for your work of reconciliation and your example. Help me rest in the reality of your love and peace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Saturday Morning Poll – Do You Believe in Heaven and Hell

Hell has been a hot topic lately. No pun intended :) ! Here is a pretty good video that sums up the current debate on the topic in evangelical Chrisitianity. There is a poll below. Let me know what you think!

The Poll:

 

Ministers of Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

There was popular song in the 1990s by the band R.E.M called “Everybody Hurts”. It was a melancholy tune that set forth the idea that in this life there is no way to escape pain and suffering. I especially like the lyric below:

‘Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don’t throw your hand. Oh, no. Don’t throw your hand
If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

Notice how this this lyric closely mimics today’s verses from 2 Corinthians 1. Reading these verse this morning I was struck at what the Apostle Paul was saying. I think many times I grasp the ideal that just as Jesus suffered that we must also suffer, but what I fail to grasp is just as Jesus was comforted so too shall we be comforted. What is truly interesting and what the R.E.M. song captures is that the comfort we receive when we are suffering will often come from those who have suffered before us. Notice how the Apostle Paul lays it out in verses 3-4:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God

He says the Father comforts us in our affliction, so that we may comfort those who are in any affliction. This is power stuff in that it demonstrates our position as ministers one to another. God has not abandoned to an isolated life of pain and suffering. He has put those of us in Christ into a harmonious union where we are able through our sufferings to comfort each other.

So what’s the application? For me the application is that I need to establish a correct view of the suffering I experience in my life. I need to understand that as I share in the sufferings of Christ I also share in the comfort that comes through that suffering. I need to be more attuned to my ability to minister comfort to others. I also need to be more receptive to others who are ministering comfort to me.

Brothers and sisters in Christ we have an obligation to take care of one another. We do not suffer in isolation. Let us be on the lookout for those who need ministering to and may we be the vessel through which the suffering are reminded of the comfort and peace that comes from our great God and Father through Jesus Christ.

Father, thank you for this day and this opportunity to examine your Word. Father, I pray that you would open our eyes to those suffering around us. Empower us and motivate us to be ministers of your comfort. Help us in times of suffering to endure knowing that suffering allows us to minister comfort. Thank you for many blessings. We offer you praise. In Jesus name, amen.