Saved from Wrath

On May 1, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

1 Thessalonians 5: 9

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It surprises me that there is still confusion over God’s feelings towards us. Even people who have John 3: 16 memorized still talk about God’s wrath and about how He is going to pour out His wrath upon us. Well, this verse would seem to lay aside that perspective in favor of a God who loves us and intended to save us, even to save us from Wrath.

God is love (1 John 4: 8) and everything He does is from the vantage of love. Our crimes demanded punishment but because He wanted to spare us from our just due, He sent Jesus to take all of the punishment, all of the wrath upon himself. We have been pardoned. The jail cell doors are thrown open wide. We are free. We are excused from the prison cell and invited into the throne room. God saved us from the sentence levied against us by condemning Jesus. Therefore, we are no longer destined to or for wrath but rather our destinies are salvation, love, hope and peace through the grace of our Father and the triumph of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Love is in the house. Love demands kindness, not wrath. Love demands gentleness. Let’s get a revelation of our Father. He is gentle and kind, not angry. Any anger He had, He poured out on Jesus. Sometimes I think we do “Him” a disfavor by attributing the male pronoun to Him because the Bible reveals that He is male and female. Were we able to comprehend Him in His fullness, I think it would be easier for us to attribute His nurturing nature to His every thought and gesture. He is the strong warrior who protects us from the storm but He is every bit the tender soul who cuddles us in warmth and affection. He is the most emotionally expressive person you will ever meet. In fact, He is so effusive with His declarations of love that He will embarrass you.

You were not destined to endure anger or wrath. You were and are destined for greatness in Christ Jesus through the love and salvation bought for you at the cross and in truth, at the dawn of time. You are destined to sit on your heavenly parent’s knee and receive comfort and the outpouring of incomprehensible love. Receive love and abandon fear of wrath. Receive the fullness of Salvation.

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Good God!

On February 3, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 63: 7

I shall make mention of the lovingkindness of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His compassion and according to the multitude of His lovingkindness.

I am involved with a group of believers who are exploring God’s goodness through the revelations of Bill Johnson as shared in his book, God is Good. This prompted a conversation with a minister friend. Together we agree that if our ministries can lead people to the understanding that God is good, then we will have been successful. As you attempt to communicate God’s goodness, you find that words fail. Just look at Isaiah’s paragraph above. How many ways and how many times does he have to say God is good for us to get it? It seems like Isaiah just can’t say it well enough or big enough to suit himself. He uses the words: lovingkindness, great goodness, compassion and the multitude of His lovingkindness. Can you see how he struggles to convey the great kindness and love of God? Why is this so difficult to convey and to receive?

I remember as a small child we used to say a very simple prayer and believe it, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for this food.” God is great! God is good! You know, some adult had to teach us that prayer. Do you think the adult believed the words? Why do so few adults, particularly Christian adults believe these words now? Weren’t we taught that God is good? How is there even space in the Christian world for Bill Johnson to write a book on God’s goodness? Shouldn’t we all be so steeped in this very basic principle as to make his book unnecessary? I wish! By the way, it is a good book and I am enjoying it. I just don’t like that there is any revelation here for any of us.

How is this hard? God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son . . . (John 3: 16). We sure can quote this verse and make signs and placards bearing its words but miss its message. If your personal theology has no other linchpin that this one, let it be that God loves you. Grasp with your heart, mind and soul that He is all good all of the time. He only has good plans in mind for you. Well, now I sound like Isaiah. There are not words enough to satisfy the communication of His great goodness. Maybe it’s best if I defer to the Apostle John who said it best, “God is love” (1 John 4: 8)

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Good News

On June 17, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 16: 15        (NIV)

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
This passage is from when Jesus commissioned his disciples after his death and resurrection. He told them to go and preach the “good news” to all creation. Sometimes as Christians we forget how Jesus phrased this and we lose sight of our commission. He did not tell us to go into all the world and correct others and criticize their life styles. He did not tell us to go and preach fire and brimstone on them until they repent. He told us to tell them the good news; that he, Jesus, came that they might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10: 10). We are supposed to preach that he came into the world so that all could be saved and can enter into a personal relationship with the Father of all creation. He breached the gap between people and God so that we could be reconciled to Almighty God as our own father. This world needs love. People everywhere suffer from a lack of love. We need to tell them that our Father is love and that he loves them. Don’t preach John 3: 16 and skip the word love. Preach it the loudest.

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Gospel of Good News

On April 19, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 16: 15

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Glory to God, the message of God, the message of the cross is good news. Did you know that “gospel” means good news? In fact, many Bibles translate this passage with the use of the words “good news” instead of “gospel.” One example is the Common English Bible which reads, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature”. The story of Christ, his coming and his ultimate victory is good news indeed. Think about this also, what are the first four books of the New Testament called? The gospels, right? They are the good news about Jesus, the Messiah.

I have a great exercise for you and I think it will change some passages for you and maybe even the context of the New Testament. Go to your Bible, if it has a concordance, or a search engine like www.Biblegateway.com and search the gospels in the New American Standard for the word “gospel.” It produces 20 verses. Then read that list substituting the word “gospel” with the words “good news.” I believe you are going to feel good after you do this little exercise.

Here is the point I really wish to make though. People talk about a vindictive God. I hear them saying how God took their loved one, caused some bad thing to happen or other doom and gloom pronouncement. I think not. If He is such a vindictive and harsh God then why is His news good news? We have good news to take to people. When humanity was in its fallen state from its own actions, God sent a savior. This good news savior came to rescue us from the pit and restore our earthly and eternal lives to ones of glory and joy. That is good news brother.

I wrote in yesterday’s Word of the Day on Isaiah 52: 7 that beautiful and blessed are the feet of those who bring good news. I also posited that this idea is the perfect evangelistic model. Read today’s verse again. Jesus did not tell us to go into all the world and tell people that they are sinners and that they are doomed to hell. He said to tell them that a savior has come. I saw a car in my hometown which was plastered with damnation messages and it grieved my heart. Really? Is that the love of God on display? Is that the love that put Jesus on the cross for us when we were full of sin and rebellion? Is that the message that saved you? How do we read John 3: 16 and manage to miss out on the word “love?” “For God so loved the world . . . .”

Go into all the world or, everywhere you go, tell the good news of Jesus, our Christ and our beloved. Give away the joy of the Lord. He is not damning people to hell, He is saving them. Glory to God!

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Rewarder

On April 12, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 11: 6

He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

People are so worried about God being a judge but the truth is that He is a rewarder. It is a perverted generation that calls God a harsh judge, a critical appraiser. He is the lover of our souls. If was for this reason that he sent Jesus here to die, because he loves us. John 3: 16 tells us so plainly that God sent Jesus so that we would be saved. What kind of logic extrapolates from this that He saved us just to subject us to harsh judgment. He already knew what He was getting when He sent Jesus. Had He not watched the decrepit nature and acts of humanity before he sent Jesus? 

It was precisely because God saw and knew how lost we were that He sent Jesus here to be our savior. Now He is able to just love us. God has always loved us, even when we were unlovely. He wants to pour out that love on us and He can because Jesus removed the sin that stood between us. God is the giver of good gifts. He is like a grandparent, He just gives us good things because He loves us. We don’t have to earn them. His love is all it takes to make us worthy. 

When Jesus comes back in all his glory he is bringing rewards, he is bringing prizes. “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” Matthew 16: 27 (NIV). The judgment is that the light came into the world and people rejected the light (John 3: 19), but not you. You love the light and have made him the Lord of your life and now he has rewards for you. When he comes, he is bringing you presents.

Isn’t that just like a grandparent too? Grandma doesn’t ask if you’ve been good before she buys you that prize. And we know it too! We just run up to our grandparents and ask, “What did you bring me?” It never crossed our minds to ask ourselves if we were worthy? 

God is a rewarder and Jesus is bringing presents when he comes. They both just want to bless you, not judge you. Go crawl into Dad’s lap and receive His blessings.

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Loving You

On February 10, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 3: 16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

While this is a very familiar passage of scripture, it is good for us to have a look at it sometimes and remind ourselves about our faith. We must grasp and retain that this is a love thing. The whole basis of Christianity is right here. Out of a driving force of love, God sent his only son into this earth to be the sacrificial lamb so that all might be cleansed and renewed. God sent and Jesus came out of their super-abundant, overflowing love for us. We need to understand that it all begins, ends and revolves around this precept. God gave everything out of his deep and abiding love for us. He loves you with all that he is and all that he has. Everything you have ever seen him do or read about him doing is all because he loves you. He wants you to be reconciled to him and be able to live in victory and freedom because he wants all of the best for you every day. He didn’t send Jesus into this earth for us to serve him or for us to learn to obey a rigid list of laws. He sent his dear child so that we might be free and happy. He, Father God, is love and He so loves that He will do anything for you that is good for you. He longs to be a Father to you and to shower you with His love. Will you please let Him?

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Say It!

On November 18, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 107: 2

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

So, my question is, what is it that the redeemed of the Lord are supposed to say. We have to look at verse one for the answer: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” That is what the redeemed of the Lord are supposed to be saying. You know what I hear often though? I hear things like “God gave me this cancer to make me strong” or “God took my loved one to heaven”. That is deception folks. God is all goodness. His expression is always lovingkindness (loving + kindness). He only gives that which is good. In fact, he doesn’t even have bad stuff in heaven to give to people. “For everything created by God is good” (1 Timothy 4: 4). Heaven is filled with goodness. That makes sense, right?

When bad things happen, they are not authored by God. God isn’t giving and taking away. He is giving. “God so loved the world that he gave” (John 3: 16). We need to get our language in synch with God’s Word. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” Amen!! God is good. Even little children know that. “God is great, God is good . . . .” Let us, each and everyone, allow the truth of God’s goodness to fill us even at the sub-atomic level. God is good and we say so!

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