Tuesday Day 152 3-15-11
1 John 4:8
God is love.
"Why would a loving God send people to hell? Why would a God who loves, let bad things happen to good people? The God in the Old Testament and the God in the book of Revelation doesn't sound very loving to me."
I've heard these questions and comments countless times. The answer is able to be understood, but is deep and complicated (for me, at least). I will do my best to explain.
Think about this:
It only took God seven days to create the Earth. But He took an entire nine months to create you!
What does that say to you about God's love for us? To me it says that we are more precious to Him than anything else He created. I can just imagine His excitement right before creation began. "I am going to save man for last, because he's the best of all!"
Colossians 1:16 says He created everything for His enjoyment. So if the waterfalls were made because He likes them, how much more does He like and love us?!
Psalm 139:13 says
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
God loves us so much, that He took 38x more time to create us than He did to make the world.
I heard someone today refer to the judgments in Revelation as "speed bumps to Hell". It's so true. You guys, God doesn't want us to go to Hell! It is out of His love and kindness that the judgments in Revelation happen! He very well could just flood the whole place again, He really could! But He doesn’t because #1, He promised He wouldn't. And #2 He will do all that He can to make sure as many people will be with Him in eternity. In the end times, God gives seven years and 21 judgments for people to turn to Him! That, to me, speaks of His kindness is such great measures!
God doesn't send people to Hell. People choose to go there. Psalm 20:4 says that God gives us our hearts desires. So if someone says, "I don't want anything to do with God." He replies, "Ok, but that means eternity without Me." A lot of people have the mindset that God is a mean God who pounces on the opportunity to send someone to Hell. But in reality, when that's the route someone chooses, His heart is broken (Genesis 6:6).
God doesn't just have the feeling or emotion of love, He is love. He is the definition of Love. In order to understand the things He does, we need to understand Him; and He is Love. We think we know what love is, but honestly, our little human brains will never be able to fully understand Love until we are with Him in eternity.
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not demand His own way. Love keeps no record of wrong. Love never gives up on us. Love will last forever.
What kind of God is this, that He would love us, mere mortals, like He does?
What kind of God is this, that He would give us chance, after chance, after chance over and over again to run back to Him?
What kind of God is this that He Himself would become a Man, only to then die a horrendous death, so that we could be with Him forever?
These are the questions that we should be asking.
Thursday Day 154 3-17-11
Lamentations 3:55-57
But I called on Your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, "Listen to my pleading! Heart my cry for help!" Yes, You came when I called; You told me, "Do not fear."
I read Lamentations tonight and it is one of my new favorites. Most people who read it would get the idea that God is angry and mean. But what I see is a jealous God who is deeply in love with His people. God is not angry at us. He is jealous for us. Much like what a husband would feel when a wife is either being attacked or unfaithful (2 Corinthians 11:2). But then it shows the unending mercy and faithfulness of God.
I love this passage. No matter how deep the pit, no matter how long it took for us to dig the pit, He still hears our weak cry for help. It took me a year and a half to dig the pit I was in, but even though He is still wiping me clean of the mud and grim, it only took an instant for God to pull me out. I can imagine Him saying "Don't be afraid" and comforting us, much like a Father would to a scared child, or a shepherd to a lost sheep.
The jealousy of a husband, the love of a Father, the comfort of a shepherd…
Who is like our God?
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