“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
— John 3:17
Jesus did not come to point out your weaknesses or any issues you may have. He came to “save” you. God doesn’t hate you even though sometimes you may hate yourself. Religion says you are too ugly for God to love you and you think “no one would love me as I am”. Then you come to this amazing God and find that He loves what we call “ugly”.
Many verses in the Bible say Jesus was a friend of sinners – tax collectors condemned by the religious leaders and forever damned to hell. They named them “bad sinners outside the reach of religion”, yet Jesus sat down and ate with them. Never ever would you do that! Eating with someone was a form of covenant where you were binding yourself to them. This is the reason Jesus told the story of the prodigal to the tax collectors. He wanted them to know they are loved by God – no restrictions.
We can’t manipulate God, can’t control Him. However, religion says you have to make God love you so you need to make promises to live better and behave better. After awhile we start doing better and we like ourselves better for the moment. Then we begin to feel that we are a little better than others and we start saying God won’t love them until they do better. We begin thinking that it is because of who we are that makes God who He is. Absolutely not! God loves you and me because of who He is, not because of who we are!
God’s essence is love. That will never change! Jesus shows that God would rather die than be without you. With this realization, all the formulas and ways to find out how to control God are wasted.
So how do you respond to love, instead of condemnation? The Bible says to respond with faith – receiving this incomprehensible LOVE. You must trust in the revelation that God is love and came to us in Jesus. Even though you can’t understand it, our part is to trust and believe. You can’t think this through. God says and then shows – that He is Love and that will never change.
Look into who God says He is! Receive and Rest in His LOVE. There you find peace and joy!
“Wrapped in His love, you know whose you are and who you are.”
Know Who God Is; Find Your Identity