Trying to Love Better Than God Does

This is one I think we can all be guilty of at times, even with the best of intentions.

Sometimes God’s laws can seem harsh, or exaggerated… & we can be tempted to tone them down or sugarcoat them “for Him.”

But what we fail to recognize when that happens, is that we cannot out-love God. God loves us more than anyone ever could… & every single one of God’s laws were made for our good… not our harm.

I know there are certain things that we can deem safe that God calls sin. There are certain desires we may have that we cannot fathom how they could possibly harm us… so when God says “NO,” we can be tempted to think we know better than the One Who made us.

Well, we don’t. Not once. Not ever.

God Sees It All, Knows It All, Hears It All, & Understands It ALL

God knows literally everything there is to know. Imagine the vastness of space—He sees it all at once. Imagine all the thoughts in the minds of all the people all over the world—He hears them clearly, individually all at once. Imagine knowing every consequence, every ripple effect throughout all of time—He knows them all.

Imagine that ick feeling you have in the back of your mind or heart… that pit in your stomach that you keep trying to convince yourselves & others isn’t there… that you blame on others for not accepting you “as-is.“

God knows where that comes from better than you do. He warns us against the very things that cause it….

That is why obedience to God is not only the very thing He deserves in us… but is also designed to be for our very best interests.

That Doesn’t Define You…

You may think you need to cling to something that you feel defines you, only to give it up to trust God’s ways & realize that the inner confidence He replaces that with is far superior to what you had been clinging to all that time.

That your identity is actually in His design… not in what you do or feel about yourself.

We need to stop affirming the sins of people whom God loves & whom He sent His Son to die for… the sins Jesus died for.

Affirming sins only makes comfortable the prison in which they reside.

The truth will set them free. (John 8:32) It is the only thing that will set them free. Jesus is the truth. The way… The truth… The life…. (John 14:6)

No one comes to the Father God except through Jesus. (John 14:6)

Because not a single one of us deserves it. Only by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ.

What Is Considered More Loving to You?

Imagine a little child who has never before noticed a stovetop. While you’re cooking, it begins glowing a beautiful, bright red color. The child is fascinated by this & reaches out to touch it. A mere moment from their fingers touching the burning surface, you notice the impending peril… do you risk seeming harsh & lunge toward them to swat their hand out of the way? Or do you stand by them & affirm their right to decide?

Which would you consider more loving?

Do you risk coming off as harsh in order to protect them? Or try to seem nice by affirming their rights & their choices, letting them get burned?

Which is more loving?

When God is harsh, it is ONLY because He knows on an intimate, all-knowing level how much damage it will cause you… not because He’s mean… but because He loves you enough to tell you the truth… even if that truth hurts…

… even if that truth is not what you want to hear.

Sin Eats Away at Us Like Leprocy… Even When We Don’t See the Marring Damage Right Away

Sin is often compared to leprosy. Slowly eating away at us, disfiguring us… destroying us. And for good reason.

We may not see it. We may think our choices are our choices… but while God lets us make those choices… we cannot choose the results of those choices.

Sin destroys everything it touches… which is why God forbids & punishes it so harshly.

Teaching the Gospel to Kids

One thing I go over with the kids I teach the gospel to, is “Who gets to make the rules for what is considered sin & what is not? Shouldn’t I get to decide what is right for me if it’s my life?”

Their answer is always a resounding “noooo.” I ask “why not… why does God get to decide what I do with MY life?”

“Because He made the world!” “Because He has all the power!” “Because He is the King!” “Because He made me!” “Because He knows EVERYTHING!”

I say, “That’s right! Did I make the world? Do I have all power? Am I in charge of the world? Did I make myself? Do I know everything? Do YOU?”

Their answer to each is “No!!!”

And I follow it up with, “you’re right… I didn’t do any of that… I CAN’T do any of that… & neither can you… & neither can any other person… that’s why ONLY God gets to make the rules.”

“What Does John 3:16 Tell Us?”

I say, “but with all these rules… we keep messing up, don’t we? We make wrong choices sometimes… we say bad things sometimes… sometimes, we have bad thoughts—like me when I am grumpy in the mornings & I just want to go to bed & not do anything, but then I say sorry to God for my bad attitude & ask for His help. We ALL mess up, don’t we?”

When they all agree with me, I say, “But did God say, ‘well, that’s YOUR fault, isn’t it? Now GO TO HELL!!” They yell, “NO!”

“What did God do instead?” Them–“He sent Jesus!” Me–“What does John 3:16 tell us??” (They all know this verse by heart because I work at a Christian school.)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“Who Does God Love?”

“For God so WHAT?” “Loved!” “Loved only me? Loved only our pastor? Loved only Americans?”

“NO!! The WORLD!!”

“He so loved us that He WHAT??”

“Gave His only Son!”

“Who is that?”

“JESUS!”

“And what did Jesus do for us?”

“He died on the cross for our sins!”

“So that we could go to Heaven & not have to go to Hell!”

That’s right. In all of our filth. In all of our unworthiness… Jesus gave it all & all to Him I owe!

God Gets to Make the Rules… Not Me… & Thank GOD for That!!

I don’t know everything there is to know. I haven’t existed since before time began. I didn’t make myself or this world. I am not all powerful.

God makes the rules because He made us… because He alone is GOD… I am not.

God didn’t make rules to be a HARSH or limiting God, for the sake of testing us or forcing us into obedience or subservience.

God made them because He loves us TOO MUCH to KEEP SILENT about what will give us life versus what will DESTROY US FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

God Made a Way Even! We CanNOT Out-Love God!

But He did not leave it at just telling us the TRUTH.

He sent is Son JESUS to DIE for OUR sin for when we screw it all up anyway!

PRAISE GOD!

So, do not… DO NOT… think that you can ever out-love God by keeping silent about God’s law… His truth… His rules. Do NOT think that sugar coating them is loving… that affirming sinful lifestyle is loving.

SLAP THAT HAND AWAY FROM THE STOVE & DETERMINE ABOVE ALL ELSE TO PROTECT THE ONES YOU LOVE WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.

And make sure you let them know that it is God’s LOVE FOR THEM that compels Him to tell us the truth so directly, seemingly so harshly. Because He does not want to add pain to their life… only goodness.

And that goodness can only come from Him. His Truth = LOVE. True love.

(Twu wuv.)

You Cannot Out-Love God–So Stop Trying

So do not ever be tempted to water down the Word of God or skip over ANYTHING that may seem harsh. Jesus paid too high a price for it to be watered down, ignored or justified as “okay.” Jesus demonstrated His love for us by dying for that. (Romans 5:8) So, don’t you dare downplay it.

But don’t you dare leave out the love of God for anyone who may want to cling to what He warns against. He doesn’t stop loving them. EVER. Even if they reject Him ’til their dying breath. They won’t get to taste the grace of God in Heaven if they reject it (He never forces Himself on us.) But He will love them through their every breath, calling them home, pleading with their souls.

You cannot out-love God–so stop trying. Pray for boldness & the compassion for others that leads you to tell them the truth.

Speak Truth, in Love

Share that Jesus died for them, too. Because “God so loved the world” includes them too.

Speak the truth. In love. (Ephesians 4:13-15)

And SHINE HOPE by telling people the truth, in LOVE… because God loved them enough to send Jesus to die for their sins–for grace–for a clean slate in Him.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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Unity Necklace-Silver, Handcrafted in India!

Create fair-paying, dignified jobs for women in India when you shop the Unity Necklace. This silver-tone interlocking chain necklace is stunning to style alone or layer with other necklaces. This necklace is a symbol of the unified force we create each day when we work together to create dignified jobs for women around the globe.

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