Oh, The Magnitude!

"We cannot earn Him."

SATAN CONVINCED Eve she’d misunderstood God, and all of mankind has formed wrong visions of Him ever since. I once heard a lecture by a great man of God who described the steps of history which formed the Christian church. Fascinating. He ended by pointing out the tens-of-thousands of denominations we have now. This set me back. I have come to realize, since that date, how easy it is for one group of believers to alienate themselves from another. This goes against all that God is.

There is only one character of God. He has only one method of working in men’s hearts. His nature is consistent. He is as He has always been. His perspective has never changed, nor how He reacts to people, nor what He desires of men. He has the same principles He’s always had. He is complete Truth and knows all things. That said, He is patient and kind, gentle and the ultimate example of self-control. He is Lord, but there is no ego involved, no selfishness. He gives and gives and gives of Himself. His desire is for us to learn about Him, to know Him fully.

It will never be said that God has changed but that, once again, we have misunderstood Him. He sees all of our misunderstandings, from the source of them to our present state of spiritual maturity, and He isn’t flummoxed by any of it. We do not confuse Him. But He allows us to be wrong. He does not want fake believers, nor people forced to repeat certain words, as if at gunpoint. If men insist on what they believe, no matter how wrong it is, His love for them never changes nor His will, He will continue to seek them, but at the same time, they can persist and have the choice of their will. We think this is heartless because it means men and women will die in their sins, but in saying that, we show do not truly know the extent of His grace.

Sin cannot be redefined. The church has over-defined it, making sins of things that are not sinful. There is actually no personal appearance choices that are sin. You heard me. Instead, for those things that are most bizarre, it is the thoughts and intents of the heart that God sees (Hebrews 4:12). Aberrant behaviors all have a source. Our job as the church is not to judge them but to know Jesus, and Jesus is looking at that person through His death and Resurrection. He’s not counting tattoos or criticizing clothing. The thief on the cross was as damaged, as unclothed, as He was and he’s in heaven.

We’ve made sin of cultures, of skin colors, of careers. Foul language isn’t pleasing to God, but He’s heard it all and knows the reason for it all. He isn’t damaged by it nor discouraged in reaching someone’s heart. To shake your fist in the air and give Him “a piece of your mind” will not cause Him to look away but to come closer. To have no faith and be unsure what you believe about salvation, about healing, about prosperity, about physical knowledges – science, genetics, genders – will not cause Him to be unmerciful. Instead, those are the reasons why He pours out mercy.

We cannot earn Him.

Salvation is a free gift of His great love for us. Healing is a free gift of His great love for us. Having enough food to eat, a roof over our heads, and enough money to purchase things is a free gift of His great love for us. Never worrying about any of these things is a free gift of His great love for us. Any other doctrine is wrong and a misunderstanding of who He is. God desire for us is peace in everything – peace at home in our marriage and our families, peace in our jobs and our finances, peace in our free time with what interests we have, peace in our bodies. Any other ending which says to “give up” and that “this isn’t working,” anything that teaches failure and an angry or disinterested God is not Truth.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 BSB)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV)

Anxiety doesn’t come from God. Fear doesn’t come from God. Confusion doesn’t come from God. Suicide is never, ever from God. His plans for you will never fail. His love for you will never reach its limit. He never tires of pouring out wisdom and giving revelation. His heart is for you to be so close to Him that you can see heaven. Not just heaven on earth, having a good day now and then, but visions of actual heaven. He wants there to be no misunderstandings of His nature, of what salvation provided, of what Jesus did. He wants there to be no difference between Jew and Gentile, except for the beauty that is earth. He didn’t separate peoples into nations and languages in order to create conflict but to make a tapestry of who He is. Think of it in this manner: He didn’t create one tree, but hundreds of thousands of types of trees on different terrains with different water needs. He gave them various ways of reproduction: some flower, some don’t. Some change colors in the fall, some shed their leaves in the winter. It is His variety that shows His beauty, and it is His beauty that reflects on our faces.

It is meant to be His goodness that grows in our hearts and His love that enables us to believe.

“Oh, the magnitude of the worth and value of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How infinite is his intelligence; and his method of governing is beyond the ability of humans to reproduce! “What created being can know what God is thinking? Who would ever presume they could share with God wisdom or insights that he doesn’t already know? “Who has ever provided God with something that didn’t come from him to begin with? Who could ever have God indebted to them?” For it is from God that all things exist. To him be glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36 Remedy)

Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com