Good morning -
God needs better PR. He too often is mistaken as an angry, vengeful God ready to mete out wrath at the slightest misstep. Granted, he is a holy God who ultimately demands punishment for wickedness, but He is patiently loving and merciful. Consider what He says about Himself:
"Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23)
"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live." (Ezekiel 18:32)
Judgment and punishment are necessities but not pleasures for our Creator. His greatest desire is that we change our minds and lives and pursue the better path that He sets before us.
To "repent and live" is ultimately to respond to the call of God's Son, our Lord Jesus. He would have us change our minds and reorient our lives around God's great purpose, the kingdom of God:
"Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
The reality of God's greatest plan is realized in His Son. The Kingdom begins with the appearance of the King; it becomes both "now" and "later". To change our minds and be open to the possibility of the present "mystery phase" of the Kingdom as we await the future fulfillment of it is to step into an amazing realm. Eternity begins to break through into the present; the incredible power that will be the norm in the future kingdom begins to flow down into our lives today. We begin to experience the life of the Age to Come now!
To be sure, there WILL be a future day of judgment and a destructive lake of fire for the wicked, but God's gracious kingdom invitation continues to be extended at the present moment. It is our great privilege to choose - and choose again - to live within the realm of God's great plan. Changing our thinking and reorienting our lives around God's great purpose, realized in Christ, is the pathway to incredible joy and blessings.
May the Kingdom realm be yours in abundance today.
Pastor Steve
God needs better PR. He too often is mistaken as an angry, vengeful God ready to mete out wrath at the slightest misstep. Granted, he is a holy God who ultimately demands punishment for wickedness, but He is patiently loving and merciful. Consider what He says about Himself:
"Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23)
"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live." (Ezekiel 18:32)
Judgment and punishment are necessities but not pleasures for our Creator. His greatest desire is that we change our minds and lives and pursue the better path that He sets before us.
To "repent and live" is ultimately to respond to the call of God's Son, our Lord Jesus. He would have us change our minds and reorient our lives around God's great purpose, the kingdom of God:
"Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
The reality of God's greatest plan is realized in His Son. The Kingdom begins with the appearance of the King; it becomes both "now" and "later". To change our minds and be open to the possibility of the present "mystery phase" of the Kingdom as we await the future fulfillment of it is to step into an amazing realm. Eternity begins to break through into the present; the incredible power that will be the norm in the future kingdom begins to flow down into our lives today. We begin to experience the life of the Age to Come now!
To be sure, there WILL be a future day of judgment and a destructive lake of fire for the wicked, but God's gracious kingdom invitation continues to be extended at the present moment. It is our great privilege to choose - and choose again - to live within the realm of God's great plan. Changing our thinking and reorienting our lives around God's great purpose, realized in Christ, is the pathway to incredible joy and blessings.
May the Kingdom realm be yours in abundance today.
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 9:57 AM
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