Most
God-haters live under the weight of some immense pain that they blame on God.
They rage over the hurt they feel, but they excuse the pain they inflict upon
others. They consider themselves morally superior to God and speak
disparagingly of Him with no respect for His holiness. Many people live outside
of the boundaries of their own seared conscience and contrary to the ways of
God; yet, then they blame God when they reap the destructive consequences of
their own behavior.
We
hesitate to give God the benefit of our doubt, but we readily accuse Him
falsely without a moment’s hesitation. We blame injustice on God, but we fail
to live within the realm of His justice, and we even rail against Him for
maintaining His justice. God’s judgment is His loving attempt to draw us away
from sin and back to Himself. God never sends judgment without a warning. He
always gives people every opportunity to repent and to turn to Him before He
brings His justice to bear.
At
this time in God’s economy, He chooses not to rule with His power and
authority. He allows mankind the freedom of choice. God gives us the power to
love, but also the freedom to hate. We can take the high road and gain honor
and blessing for our choices, or we can prefer to live the low life and reap
the negative consequences. Many heartaches experienced on this earth can be
traced to rebellion against God’s will on someone’s part. However, God is full
of tender mercy. He gathers our tears in His bottle and writes the cause of
them in His book. He will exact revenge for each one of them, if we leave it in
His hands (Romans 12:19).
The
power of our choices is infinite in either bringing good or abuse to our life
and to the world around us. Some people choose to trust God through their grief
and to forgive those who hurt them, just as Christ did while hanging on the
cross. Others hang onto grudges for years, and end up hurting no one but their
self. God’s desire is for no one to perish in darkness, but that everyone will
live for eternity in His Light (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:19). All of our transgressions
nailed Jesus to the cross. He paid the penalty of our sin, which His
righteousness demanded. He did this because God longs to bring us blessings and
not suffering all the days of our life.
Prayer:
Father
God, in Your economy even the emotion of hate is as heinous to You as murder,
and lust is equivalent to the crime of adultery (1 John 3:15; Matthew
5:27-28). You
lived the perfect life in Christ’s bodily form, which was necessary to atone
for mankind’s rebellion against You throughout centuries of time (John
8:56-59; 17:5). You
practiced what You preached by feeding the multitudes, living a life of
poverty, turning the other cheek when struck, experiencing the mangling of Your
physical body without retribution, and ultimately forgiving Your persecutors.
We thank You for suffering in our place, and for ultimately ending all
suffering in Your Kingdom to come.
Thought
for the Day:
God put His laws into place in order to protect us,
not to restrict us.