Think About It

What if God isn't as interested in judgement as some believe?
What if the Father made a decision in the Son to deal with us differently than what we deserve?
What if we were meant for mercy, for grace, and for love?
Would it change the way you think?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discover that the Bible continually reveals that GOD is different than we have imagined. In Jesus, we discover just how wrong we were. So often GOD is basically seen through the lens of so many other "deities." The anger, the thirst for blood and sacrifice, and the indifference towards humanity is found in pagan religions. The Father that Jesus reveals is amazingly different. He is the One who allows it to rain upon the just and unjust. The One who has chosen to deal with us according to His love, not according to our issues.

I say all of that because I detest all of the proclamations of doom that come out of churches. The declarations of judgement against America (or any nation for that matter) due to a small minority of the population is not only unbiblical, it is Anti-Christ. Even Abraham interceded for Sodom. He pleaded for the 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, even the 10 (more likely narrowing it down to family who lived in the land). The point being that even if there were only 10 righteous in the land, it is worth preserving. Many modern day "prophets" are operating in the spirit of Jonah rather than Abraham. They would rather see a display of God's "fiery wrath" than His benevolence. They seem to be so upset over the fact that the Father has set His love upon us.

The blog post for today will not be long, but I do hope that it stirs us to think differently. Why is America more deserving of judgement than any other nation (or vice versa)? On the other hand, why would we be more deserving of His blessing? When we talk about the Abba of Jesus we are not talking about a nationalistic deity. We discover in Him the Father of us all. We also discover in Jesus, not only the Creator of life, but the One who sustains it. The media in America often allows us to see all that is wrong in our world. But to think that things are so much worse now than in some golden era of righteousness is absurd. The reality is that many of the ills of the world have been around for centuries. The difference is that with 24 hour news coverage we know about it now. We cannot hide from these things. However, we can make a difference.

There isn't a need to pronounce judgement. What there is, is a need to declare our reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Paul did not say that the Apostles were ministers of condemnation but reconciliation. The Good News that in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself. A done deal. Something finished. All judgment against sin dealt with in Jesus. It's our joy to share this message with the world and say, "Since you have been reconciled, be reconciled."

As a nation, we are imperfect. Including those of us within the church. We should be a testimony to the fact that MERCY triumphs over judgement. The embodiment of the One who HAS NOT dealt with us according to our sins or our offenses. This does not mean I have to embrace every lifestyle choice. However, it does mean that I embrace the Father's heart for all people.

I'm not looking for a great judgement to come against the Earth.
I'm looking for the Kingdom of God to manifest on Earth.
That should be our focus, the joy of our faith, and the endeavor of every believer.
God is not fatalistic. He has chosen to partner with us to see this come to pass.
Enjoy the journey!