At one time or another, we’ve all heard preachers who make God sound like Attilla the Hun.
Fire and brimstone, judgment and damnation, death and destruction all await the poor soul who doesn’t measure up to this cruel God’s standards.
Admittedly, the Bible is full of instances where the wrath of God is stirred and he lowers the boom on wicked men and nations. But is it fair to type-cast God as a cosmic thunderer looking for an excuse to hammer somebody?
The judgment of God comes because of gross, unrepentant transgression. God has always reached out in mercy and sent prophets to warn a people who were falling into sin and setting themselves up for judgment. Only after people have time and again rejected God’s warnings has he, as a last resort, brought judgment upon them.
God takes no delight in the death of the wicked. He desires that all people would turn to him and be saved. Micah 7:20 declares: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”
He is indeed a God of judgment when his efforts to turn people back to him have failed. But judgment is not what God desires. He desires repentance. God wants us to wake up and realize that without his guidance and blessing we are wasting our lives and spoiling his creation.
Many people have difficulty comprehending the love of God. He seems so far away and beyond our reach. In all of this vast creation, some wonder, how much could God care about any one person’s life?
One of the many reasons that Jesus had for coming to this earth was to give us a living, human example of God’s personality. He told the disciple Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
Jesus spent a great deal of time ministering to people one on one. He cared deeply about his personal relationships. He told his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15)
The heart of the Gospel is this: Jesus Christ, our God and creator, came to our sinful world to live among us, teach us, and most importantly, to die as a sacrifice for our sins. To seal the deal, and to prove His claims, He rose from the grave and returned to heaven 40 days later.
Jesus is still there today. He sits at the right hand of the Father, and He calls to you daily through the Holy Spirit. The only thing keeping you from a loving, secure relationship with God Almighty is your stubborn heart.
I'll be the first person to admit that this whole Gospel story sounds pretty far-fetched. Why would God choose to work in such strange and hard-to-imagine ways? I cannot answer that, but I can tell you that once you place your trust in him, and Jesus introduces himself to you, you will know the joy of being on the good side of the God who created you.
Once you have met the eternal God who cannot lie, you can rest in the knowledge that He understands more than you can ever comprehend, and that is okay. You can't figure it all out, and you don't need to; all you really need to know is that you belong to him.
And with knowing him will come the richness of his blessings. Knowing him means you can find your purpose in life. It means you can enjoy an inner peace that you cannot now imagine. It means that you have God’s guarantee of an eternal citizenship in heaven.
Your alternative? Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Live your life apart from God, restless and insecure. Worry about your uncertain future. Squander your few years upon this earth living without a purpose. And when you die...well, you won’t be spending eternity with God in heaven. The only other option is hell, and you will have all of eternity to regret having sent yourself there.
Don’t be afraid of God. He is the kindest person you will ever meet. Like the father waiting for the prodigal son, his arms are open wide. He wants you to come home. He wants you to join his family. A prayer like this one can bring you to peace with God right now:
“God, I have my doubts. Please heal my unbelief. I know I don’t deserve your mercy, and I’ve spent my life sinning against you. Jesus, I give up! I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me and heal my heart. I want to know your love and your friendship. I give you my life today, Lord, and I ask you to bring me into your family. I want to live my life doing what you created me to do.”Once you’ve given your heart to God, you need to find companionship in a good local church where other believers can help you grow in faith and understanding. You will a baby Christian, freshly born again, and you will have a lot to learn.
Babies are ignorant and messy, but they sure are cute and lovable! Come to Jesus now and He will love on you just like a proud father with a new-born infant.
