I believe God cares very much for man. We grew up being taught that if we do wrong God comes against us, so we live with a constant struggle to come to Him. We live with a consciousness that we’re not pleasing before Him therefore cannot behold Him. Yet on the other hand, God has died for our sins and 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 have 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 feel that they can penance themselves to their own salvation. Many saints can make themselves look good, even believe a lie that they are good. That way 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 than others know of my heart, my thoughts and my desires. 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 from 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 agree 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 agree with what I believe.
But now, I have deviated from the picture 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 has caused you or I run away from God, then woe to that establishment or to that saint. They haven’t done His will.
I believe that anywhere, anytime, you and I can reach out to our heavenly Father and find forgiveness and acceptance. I believe He and the heavenly host above us understands the struggle we go through in 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. 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”, but he seeks a repentant heart to come to Him and ask for, and receive forgiveness. {Psalm 51:17}
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.
Imagine a friend who never reproaches you but you can be brutally honest with. He can be 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 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 scorned 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 good conscience is seeking for acceptance from God. The 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!” 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. A person 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. Help me God and in my heart cleanse me from all 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 the 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. You yourself can hear the voice of God. He can tell you, “walk here, walk there.” {Isaiah 30:21} 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.{1 John 2:27} 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. {Hebrews 12:1} 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. {Psalm 34:18} 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 will. God is always there, and remember He is better than any best friend you can ever meet in this life. {John 15:13} That is God. A friend that loves you through and through, and so much deep within, 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.” {John 3:17}
