Pain is an illusion, you are eternal!
This is the quote I read stenciled across the window of someone's car recently.
I thought, "No, pain is real and you can't give hope to people unless you recognize this first!"
Maybe you think our disagreement with the Doctrine of Eternal Hell means we don't believe in any "sharp edges." That we have produced some "loving God" out of touch with the truths of the Bible. On the contrary, the accuracy of the Bible and the immutability (unchanging character) of God is crucial to our hope!
Men and Women across our nation daily reap what they have sown. They face difficulty of all kinds. In addition, many who we would consider upright suffer through incredible challenges, facing hardships from sickness to economical disaster. Pain is real! But so are the works of our creator, bringing judgment that leads us with love (Hosea 11:4), and refining trials that make us pure, (I Peter 1:6-7)...and expressing love that is stronger than death (Romans 8:35 & 36).
Into this nation, into this world of pain, we bring a God sized hope! We point to Christ, His love and eternal purposes. We offer this breath of life, this moment of joy to the hurting lost sheep (and the hurting "not so lost" sheep) who struggle to grasp or aggressively resist all truth. We don't hold their lives by a thread over the fires of hell to try to scare it (that is, hell) out of them. I suspect that many of them are already experiencing these fires right here!
Pain is real. The blessed hope is real.
In some limited measure, we offer "heaven" right now, right here. Correction: Jesus offers heaven. The gift of God (Jesus!) is for all men, women and children right here, right now.
Come to Jesus, He has a great healing ointment for that cut or bruise you've taken.
This is the quote I read stenciled across the window of someone's car recently.
I thought, "No, pain is real and you can't give hope to people unless you recognize this first!"
Maybe you think our disagreement with the Doctrine of Eternal Hell means we don't believe in any "sharp edges." That we have produced some "loving God" out of touch with the truths of the Bible. On the contrary, the accuracy of the Bible and the immutability (unchanging character) of God is crucial to our hope!
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."
Gal 6:7
Gal 6:7
Men and Women across our nation daily reap what they have sown. They face difficulty of all kinds. In addition, many who we would consider upright suffer through incredible challenges, facing hardships from sickness to economical disaster. Pain is real! But so are the works of our creator, bringing judgment that leads us with love (Hosea 11:4), and refining trials that make us pure, (I Peter 1:6-7)...and expressing love that is stronger than death (Romans 8:35 & 36).
Into this nation, into this world of pain, we bring a God sized hope! We point to Christ, His love and eternal purposes. We offer this breath of life, this moment of joy to the hurting lost sheep (and the hurting "not so lost" sheep) who struggle to grasp or aggressively resist all truth. We don't hold their lives by a thread over the fires of hell to try to scare it (that is, hell) out of them. I suspect that many of them are already experiencing these fires right here!
Pain is real. The blessed hope is real.
In some limited measure, we offer "heaven" right now, right here. Correction: Jesus offers heaven. The gift of God (Jesus!) is for all men, women and children right here, right now.
Come to Jesus, He has a great healing ointment for that cut or bruise you've taken.
1 comment:
Refreshing words to me. Enjoyed reading!
P.S. I tried posting this comment but was rejected twice. Do you think that others might be having difficulty commenting? Or are we the only ones reading this blog?
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