"A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of" (John 10:10).
Some people fear worshiping God because they wrongly think that means they have to become judgmental and legalistic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life (see John 10:10).
It is Satan who wants to "steal and kill and destroy" your freedom and your joy (John 10:10).
Often well-meaning and misguided people can cause us to avoid God because of their fanaticism. Here are the types of religious fanatics I've observed over the years:
Freddy the Pharisee: Rigid, narrow-minded, and legalistic, he has a rule for everything. His favorite word is "don't." And it's only natural for some people to fear they may become just like that if they become a Christian. But Jesus called people like Freddy the Pharisee "blind guides," saying, "You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:24).
Susie Self-Righteous: Holier-than-thou attitude and judgmental of others, her favorite phrase is "Thank God, I'm not like you!" Am I going to become like that if I become a Christian? If I get to know God? Yet, Jesus told the story of two men praying; one self-righteous and one humbled by his failures: "I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
Billy Bible-Thumper: He's an obnoxious and overzealous crusader. His favorite phrase is "Turn or burn!" Yet, God's plan for bringing us home to Him is full of love, grace, and sacrifice: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17).
Pauline Praise-eluia: She can't speak without religious clichés. Everything is a miracle or the Devil did it. She's put her brain on the shelf. But God doesn't want you to stop thinking when you become a Christian; in fact, He wants to give you the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
These are stereotypes, but they represent people who have abandoned their relationship with God to instead embrace a religion. Jesus says, "I have come that you might have life [not religion] and have it to the fullest!" (John 10:10).
It is Satan who wants to "steal and kill and destroy" your freedom and your joy (John 10:10).
Often well-meaning and misguided people can cause us to avoid God because of their fanaticism. Here are the types of religious fanatics I've observed over the years:
Freddy the Pharisee: Rigid, narrow-minded, and legalistic, he has a rule for everything. His favorite word is "don't." And it's only natural for some people to fear they may become just like that if they become a Christian. But Jesus called people like Freddy the Pharisee "blind guides," saying, "You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:24).
Susie Self-Righteous: Holier-than-thou attitude and judgmental of others, her favorite phrase is "Thank God, I'm not like you!" Am I going to become like that if I become a Christian? If I get to know God? Yet, Jesus told the story of two men praying; one self-righteous and one humbled by his failures: "I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
Billy Bible-Thumper: He's an obnoxious and overzealous crusader. His favorite phrase is "Turn or burn!" Yet, God's plan for bringing us home to Him is full of love, grace, and sacrifice: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17).
Pauline Praise-eluia: She can't speak without religious clichés. Everything is a miracle or the Devil did it. She's put her brain on the shelf. But God doesn't want you to stop thinking when you become a Christian; in fact, He wants to give you the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
These are stereotypes, but they represent people who have abandoned their relationship with God to instead embrace a religion. Jesus says, "I have come that you might have life [not religion] and have it to the fullest!" (John 10:10).
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint—"Do anything I want to do; say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me 'Yes' or 'No.'" Like the song "My Way": "Everybody got burned by me, but I did it my way!" "I left five marriages behind but I did it my way!" Total selfishness! "I had my freedom!"
Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: "If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free" (John 8:36).
Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You're free to quit pretending because you're free to be yourself.
How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18).
When you realize how much God loves you, you'll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that "God is love." It is an act of worship to agree that He is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can "rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16).
Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: "If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free" (John 8:36).
Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You're free to quit pretending because you're free to be yourself.
How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18).
When you realize how much God loves you, you'll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that "God is love." It is an act of worship to agree that He is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can "rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16).
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:18-19).
We worship God when we realize just how much He loves us; by seeking to understand "how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is" (Ephesians 3:18).
The width of God's love extends across the entire world and includes all people, everyone He has created: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:17, emphasis mine). God loves the whole world (John 3:16).
God never made a person that He didn't love. He made you; He loves you; and God doesn't make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very, very, very, very much.
Everybody matters to God; in fact, we see in the life of Jesus that He even loves the unlovely, and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks.
Because God loves you, there's no need to prove your self-worth. We don't need props anymore to make us feel good about ourselves. We don't have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we're okay, or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don't need status symbols anymore.
It is an act of worship when you accept that God's love is wide enough to include everyone, including you!
The width of God's love extends across the entire world and includes all people, everyone He has created: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:17, emphasis mine). God loves the whole world (John 3:16).
God never made a person that He didn't love. He made you; He loves you; and God doesn't make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very, very, very, very much.
Everybody matters to God; in fact, we see in the life of Jesus that He even loves the unlovely, and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks.
Because God loves you, there's no need to prove your self-worth. We don't need props anymore to make us feel good about ourselves. We don't have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we're okay, or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don't need status symbols anymore.
It is an act of worship when you accept that God's love is wide enough to include everyone, including you!
"I know that Your love will last for all time, that Your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky" (Psalm 89:2).
Human love wears out; that's why we have so many divorces. Love wears out. I know a lot of people who are not divorced but they don't love each other anymore. There's a limit to human love; it dries up.
That's why you have to have God's love in your marriage—in all your relationships—if they are going to last. God's love never wears out. God's love is patient, persistent, and persevering.
Isn't it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, His love never gives up. It's wide enough to include everybody and it's long enough to last forever.
God will never love you any more than He does right now. But He also will never love you any less than He does right now.
He loves you on your good days; He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love and His love is given freely. It cannot be earned and it is not undeserved. Accept His love and worship Him, knowing that His love is long enough to last for all time: "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully" (Ephesians 3:18-19).
That's why you have to have God's love in your marriage—in all your relationships—if they are going to last. God's love never wears out. God's love is patient, persistent, and persevering.
Isn't it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, His love never gives up. It's wide enough to include everybody and it's long enough to last forever.
God will never love you any more than He does right now. But He also will never love you any less than He does right now.
He loves you on your good days; He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love and His love is given freely. It cannot be earned and it is not undeserved. Accept His love and worship Him, knowing that His love is long enough to last for all time: "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully" (Ephesians 3:18-19).
"The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; He pulled me out of the deep waters" (Psalm 18:16).
There are times when we all think, "I'm going under for the last time! I'm about to sink!" No matter how deep you are, God's love is there; He can pull you out of the deepest waters.
No matter what problem you have, God's love is deeper than your problem. You may be in deep despair, deep trouble, under deep stress. You may have deep problems - emotional problems, physical problems, financial problems.
Yet, God's love is deeper still.
Corrie ten Boom and Betsy ten Boom were Christians who lived in the Netherlands during World War II. They hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis. When they were discovered, not only were the Jews taken to the concentration camp but Corrie and Betsy were taken as well, and they spent the rest of the war there.
After watching one atrocity after another, Corrie told Betsy, "This place is the pit of hell!" Betsy replied, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper."
In the last few months, you may have hit bottom. Perhaps you're at the bottom financially and you think, "I am going broke!" Or you've hit bottom emotionally, or your marriage has hit bottom, or you're having health problems. You're frustrated and you think, "I'm going under."
Where is God when you hit bottom? He's right there underneath you. He is "your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you" (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Drop into His arms of love. Let Him catch you and support you when you have nowhere else to go.
No matter what problem you have, God's love is deeper than your problem. You may be in deep despair, deep trouble, under deep stress. You may have deep problems - emotional problems, physical problems, financial problems.
Yet, God's love is deeper still.
Corrie ten Boom and Betsy ten Boom were Christians who lived in the Netherlands during World War II. They hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis. When they were discovered, not only were the Jews taken to the concentration camp but Corrie and Betsy were taken as well, and they spent the rest of the war there.
After watching one atrocity after another, Corrie told Betsy, "This place is the pit of hell!" Betsy replied, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper."
In the last few months, you may have hit bottom. Perhaps you're at the bottom financially and you think, "I am going broke!" Or you've hit bottom emotionally, or your marriage has hit bottom, or you're having health problems. You're frustrated and you think, "I'm going under."
Where is God when you hit bottom? He's right there underneath you. He is "your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you" (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Drop into His arms of love. Let Him catch you and support you when you have nowhere else to go.
PurposeDriven.com by Rick Warren
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