4/17/2011
9:29 AM
48°F
Little York Pattenburg Rd
I believe God cares very much for man. We grew up
being taught that if we do wrong God comes against us. And so we live with a
constant struggle to come to Him. We live with a constant consciousness that
we’re not pleasing before Him therefore cannot behold Him. And yet on the other
hand, God has died for our sins, made a way at the cross for our reproaches so
that we may freely come to Him. The Bible said our reproaches were put upon Him
and by His stripes we are healed.
I believe we need to overcome our insecurities about
how God must feel about us. I believe churches have done more damage to us than
God had ever intended. Churches have pounded us to come back to God but has
never given us the confidence, the assurances, that we are loved. Until our
spiritual leaders show us that love and forgiveness really do exist, how can
we, the sinners and the saints of God, ever can believe that God loves us too
and forgives us?
Unfortunately too many saints themselves feel that
they can penance themselves to their salvation. Many saints can make themselves
look good, even believe a lie that they are good, so that they can continue to
go to church and make themselves look good and show others that God must love
them. But to an honest, searching heart, this is not enough. To look good, to
attend church religiously, and to keep yourself from obvious “sins” aren’t
enough. To me, God is always watching. He knows more what others know of my
heart, my thoughts and my desires. And what good is my goodness going to prove
to Him? My righteousness is but a filthy rag before God’s eyes.
But preachers and saints alike love to condemn
people in the pulpit. There are just so many saints out there who go to church
that cannot love other people. They just can’t. They have these religious ideas
that if you don’t approve with their beliefs God cannot possibly approve of you
and so they mustn’t either!
All my life I’ve been taught to love God but
disapprove of those who do not love Him. Especially those who do not approve of
what I believe in.
But now, I have deviated from the reality of the God
I was taught to believe. Now, I believe God wants a relationship. If a church
brings it, good. If it doesn’t, woe to those who have offended the seeker. God
wants us all to come to Him. If an establishment or a saint have caused that
you or I ran away from God, then woe to that establishment or to that saint.
They haven’t done His will.
I believe, anywhere, anytime, you and I can reach
out to our heavenly Father and find forgiveness and acceptance. I believe He is
and the heavenly host above us understand the struggle we go through of our
desires to please God and to do His will. More than anything in this life, His
desire is for us to talk to Him with the full assurance that He loves us and
accepts us. And whatever we’ve done He will forgive and forget. And whatever we
do again, He is willing to again and again forgive and forget. He is not about,
“Do this…and do that…or else”.
God is more than a wonderful friend. Think of any
wonderful friend you can come up with and you can go ahead and freely imagine
God to be that person and more. So much more to you.
Imagine a friend who never reproaches you but you
can be so brutally honest with and he the same with you and yet love you still
so very much. That is God. He will never reproach you. He will never put you
down. He will never demean or make you ever feel inferior. He is a good friend,
not a bad friend.
But churches would have us think God is the most
awful friend around. Who wants Him?
I hate those churches who makes me feel horrible
about myself with God. God is not into making us feel horrible. God is into
making us feel wanting Him more, wanting more to be like Him and loving others
more. If a church doesn’t inspire you to do these, leave that church!
Wouldn’t it be ironic if half of the church going
people today and in the past history end up in hell because of their self
righteousness? Unless we repent, we shall all likewise perish. The problem is,
a saint of God can be so long in the church that he can make himself believe he
doesn’t need to do anything more. He doesn’t need to repent after he’s scorn a
sinner away or in his heart said, “Humph, these young people these days are
filthy, unclean and have no hope.” And in his heart verily believe they should
go to hell. Or a saintly woman of God conjured in her heart to condemn a
visitor who in her heart is seeking for acceptance to God. This well meaning
saint of God judges the visitor, looks at her up and down, and says in her
heart, “Humph, she sure won’t be my friend if she sticks around here. I don’t
want to be ever get contaminated by her!” And then these two wonderful saints
of God, who love their brethren in the Lord (in the open) never for once in
their church going lifetime repents and asks the Lord for forgiveness for
condemning or judging or scorning another human being, whom God loves and died
for, simply because they don’t look or act or talk as they expect them to act,
talk or look. So have mercy upon us all. So help me God and in my heart cleanse
myself from all these self-righteousness and find forgiveness and grace in You.
I believe we are the church. Our body is the temple
of the Living God. Where we are, we can find God. In our hearts, in our minds,
and in our souls. All we need to do is to reach out to Him and to communicate
with Him, using our hearts, our minds and our souls.
God knows how to reveal Himself to us. He doesn’t
need a church building to reach out to people. He doesn’t need you to go to
church so that a screaming preacher can tirade you out of your faith and make
you become insecure of the love God has for you. (And I don’t understand why
preachers scream anyway. The Bible said Jesus TAUGHT. Seems to me Jesus only
used loud, angry voice to the Pharisees and Sadducees. These screaming preachers
– they have no understanding at all about entreating a sheep, talking to a
lamb, leading them to God. They like to scare the wits out of us all.) God can
send someone to you, if need be, to help you and encourage you to walk with Him
and trust in Him. And you yourself can hear the voice of God. He can tell you,
walk here, walk there. You can hear His voice from within, behind you, in front
of You. He is a constant companion in your heart, your mind – your thoughts,
and in your soul. God can fill you within and without, you just need to ask Him
to do so. The Bible said no one has to tell you to know God. God can show You
Himself how to know Him if you with all your heart and soul seek after Him.
I see God always hovering above us and the host of
angels and spirits up above us, witnessing the daily struggle we go through. He
knows who has a desire for God. He knows when you messed up, when you’ve hidden
yourself from Him because of your shame, and He knows when you’re reaching out
to Him again in your heart. When you go in and out of your house He knows you,
He sees you. When you lie down at night, He knows when your heart is aching and
is reaching out to Him. Don’t ever get discouraged and believe He doesn’t know
you or that He is far away or that He doesn’t care. God can never get tired as
other earthly friends you have do. God is always there and remember is better
than any best friend you can ever meet in this life. That is God. A friend that
loves you through and through and so much deep within and who desires a constant
communion with you.
Remember what saint John said, “God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved.”
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