If you don't have a good understanding of the bible, that is exactly what it looks like.
He flooded the earth and saved only one family.
He allowed the Israelites to become slaves in Egypt.
He made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years to make a short (by comparison) trip.
He allows people to go to hell.
He allows suffering and pain, death, sickness, cancer.....
I mean that makes for one mean sounding God, trying to force people into obedience and worship.
Then I started really studying, digging into the Word and it finally dawned on me, well more or less smacked me upside the head.
Deuteronomy 31:24-26
24And it came to pass, when Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25That Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
26Take
this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant
of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.
That got me to digging deeper and slowly, over time, the Spirit opened my eyes.
The bible is full of God chasing people. To repent, to turn back, to worship the only living and true God. To turn from worshiping : Deuteronomy 4:28
the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
He sent prophets, he left His word, written in a book, he raised a whole nation to teach and lead by example. And being sinful humans, we, as a whole, took advantage.
He didn't sit back and say Ok, I created you, when you screw up enough, I'll punish you. He warned, He gave time for correction, He tried again and again to make them see that He was the only true God who could save them.
The bible has been around, in one form or another for thousands of years, is sold more every year than any other book, has changed lives, touched hearts and been a witness to the good and the bad.
We don't have prophets anymore, God doesn't speak to us through human mouths anymore, He gave us the Spirit to guide us through that Book. To open our eyes and hearts to passages that bring light and understanding about a God who only wants to be loved as He loves. Who wants to be blessed by blessing.
Once you come to the understanding that God is your loving Father, not just your Creator, but your Father, loving, caring, and correcting, you start seeing the discipline in the bible in a whole new light.
If you are a parent who has ever had a difficult child, you probably have more understanding than most about how God looks at His children.
You love that child, you don't want anything bad to happen to that child, and sometimes, you have to discipline that child. You warn, you put off, you wait and see if they are going to figure it out, but eventually, you have to make them realize that their constant bad behavior is going to reap bad circumstances. You do it so that when they grow up they are better people. You do it so they will learn to be productive, caring, responsible, self sufficient adults. And if we as humans do what we must for our children, how much more will He for His children.
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Deuteronomy 8:5
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.
Psalm 94:12
Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
Does bad stuff happen to good people? Yes, all the time, and sometimes it seems that it happens to good people more than bad people, but it is how we walk on that path that determines our course.
I could be wrong in this and I am sure more studying and the Holy Spirit will open my heart and my eyes if I am, but at this moment, I believe that death is not a big deal to God, he knows us and loves us on either side. From our human outlook, without faith, death is a HUGE deal, it means you will never see that person again. They are gone from you forever. Even as a person of faith, death is a hard thing to deal with, we are still here on earth, we miss them. And then you have doubts, what if there isn't anything after? what if you really never see them again? Those doubts when dealing with the death of a loved one are normal I would imagine, but if you are a believer, they are also Satan's way of getting a foothold on your faith. Even in the face of death we have to stand firm, lean on the One who showed us that death is not a permanent sentence. Have faith that everything is in God's will and serves His purpose.
Goodbye is not forever
Goodbye is not the end.
It simply means I'll miss you
Until I see you again.
Just a little something our Pastor quoted that I really liked, and yes, wrote down in my bible.
The whole point is, the bible is full, from the first book...
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
...to the last...
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord
God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the
things which must shortly be done.
....of God chasing us.
Giving us wisdom and knowledge through the Holy Spirit, and the ability to carry out all He has planned for us.
He has made sure that the Bible has made it through all these trials and tribulations to always be here as a witness, against the Israelites, but also for Him, to show how long suffering He is, how far He will go to save us...
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Do more than read a chapter a day, or take a curious glance through a verse that is being taught.
Pray for the Spirit to open up the words that are locked in there, pray that the Spirit would open your heart, then read, like you're reading one of you're most treasured novels.
Because you are.
Because you are.
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