The Forgiveness of God
The war in Afghanistan is now America’s longest war. Not long ago it surpassed our length of involvement in Vietnam. There are a number of things at stake. Among them is a way of life. Islamic extremists hate the freedom of the West and seek to impose man-made rules upon the people and enforce the keeping of those rules through threats of imprisonment, torture, and even death. Life for them is about rigid adherence to rules, regulations, and laws.
Most Americans are very quick to point out all the things wrong with Islamic extremism, the Taliban, and that particular way of life, however we often impose extra rules and regulations on ourselves and others all in the name of our religious beliefs. Often it is nothing more than tradition and cannot be substantiated through God’s Word.
There is a tremendous freedom which comes through knowing Christ as Savior. The world may consider itself free, however it has never known “true” freedom therefore it is in no position to judge. It is kind of like a fish in a fish bowl not realizing how big the house is, nor the neighborhood, nor the state, nor the world! In fact, the fish does not even know what those places are! His existence is confined to one very specific realm.
Non-believers are confined, or “enslaved” to the realm of sin until God sets them free. They have absolutely no concept of the extent of His love and forgiveness. They merely swim around in the fishbowl that is this world! All-the-while assuming that all that exists outside the fishbowl is more of the same.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died to set us free from the bondage of sin and eternal death. When we place our faith and our trust in Him, He forever changes us. Not from the outside in, but from the inside out! He does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He delivers us!
Often we see people with problems who have no clue that they even have a problem. They go about life thinking that the things they deal with are just normal. Have you developed a new hobby at some point in your life? Some hobbies become “passions” to some people. Maybe it is an activity or interest that has been available to you all along, it is just that you never realized how enjoyable it could be. When you decided to get involved you were surprised at how much joy it brought. With God it can be quite similar for many people. Their concept of God is that He will somehow cramp their fun. They believe that somehow He has nothing “good” to offer them only rigid rules. In other words God is a sort of “cosmic killjoy!” But, it is only in their minds – minds that have been negatively influenced by Satan’s lies.
Reality is that God wants to bless you with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus! He wants you to experience the fullness of belonging to Him. He wants you to know the joys of being a part of His kingdom. While the world wanders in darkness. God is at work in the lives of His people. Be encouraged today, if you are a believer, that God does care about you. In fact, He cared so very much that He sent the best He had – His own Son, Jesus – to die for you! Let us celebrate Him today!
In Christ,
Pastor Allen Raynor