Tuesday 2 May 2017

God is Good

God is Good
The Psalmist writes,
“For the LORD is good 
and his love endures forever; 
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
                                                                                                Psalm 100:5.
Over the years I’ve sadly seen God portrayed as someone with a big stick ready to bash us over the head if we do something wrong. Making it worse, over those same years I’ve seen so called “fire and brimstone” preachers depicting God as someone who is quick to punish and send anyone to hell anyone who did not obey Him.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Perhaps the most well known Bible verse John 3:16 tells us this. It reads,
“For God so loved the world 
that he gave his one and only Son, 
that whoever believes in him shall not perish 
but have eternal life.”
                                                                                  John 3:16.
The following verse John 3:17 goes on to say,
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
 but to save the world through him.”
                                                                                          John 3:17.    
The apostle John records Jesus as saying,
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  John 10:14,15.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans tells us,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
I believe the above scriptures show how much God loves mankind.
When God created mankind he gave man a freewill to do as he wished. That included not believing in God and not following God’s precepts. Thus mankind in general wandered away from God.
Over the centuries God sent his messengers such as the Jewish prophets to point man to God but sadly men did not listen. Thus God in the form of His one and Only Son Jesus Christ entered the world to point man to heaven. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3  
What I believe this means is God loves us and all that we have to do in order to get to heaven is in faith believe in the saving grace of Jesus. The apostle Paul stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  
not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                            Ephesians 2:8,9
The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 
and certain of what we do not see.”  
                                                                             Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 
                                                                                                 Hebrews 11:6.
Please think about it.

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