Some people portray God as solely to be feared, as though He is constantly angry with us, ready to reject or destroy us at any given moment, for any given reason -- that His wrath is always at the ready, only to be appeased by constant good works and praise. What they neglect to see in such passages is that Jesus Himself tells us that we are valuable to the Father, that we are loved deeply by the Father.
God is holy and just, and there will be a day when we must all must stand before His throne to give account of ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:10). However, as it is written, "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9)."
This is the will of God concerning you -- “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17)."
Do you walk in fear of His wrath, or in the knowledge that you are loved and valued by the Father?
Consider the words of 1 John 4:16-19:
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.”
How have you responded to such love?
In Christ,
Pastor Joe
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