God's wrath is coming

The wrath of God is coming. To what do you attribute all the wickedness and suffering you see in the world? It is the sinfulness of man. Man apart from God. Mankind rejecting God. 

Do you believe there is a God? Do you know the story of the flood when God wiped out every living creature on earth except for Noah, his family, and 2 of every animal? God has not changed. He still hates sin. God is holy. And everything belongs to Him.

There is a God and He made you. If you do not bow to Him before you die you will be eternally separated from Him. It is not enough to say you believe in God. It is not enough to say a prayer now and then when you want something. You must learn who He is and what He requires of you. He created humanity but He does not call everyone His child. 

Eternity is real. But not everyone will spend eternity with God. How will you learn of God? How has He revealed Himself to us? 

I spent many years seeking my own way. Trying to fashion God into an image I could be comfortable with. An image that was more inclusive. More palatable. Trying to rationalize that a God of love would not send people to hell. Rationalizing a lot of things simply because I did not want to surrender my will to His. 

I guess that would all be well and good if I was the author or the story. But I'm not. Neither are you. And if I was just going to die and no longer exist in any form. But that is not the case. 

God is the author of the story. And there is only one true story. Because God is the author of creation and everything that exists. He created the earth, the universe, and all that is in it and He has a purpose. He will follow through on His purpose and His plans will not be thwarted. 

I will die. That is, this earthly body I inhabit will die. But God has told us there will be a resurrection and all souls will be judged and held accountable for what they did with the knowledge of God. Those who have placed their faith and trust in the Savior Jesus Christ will be judged according to His righteousness and will be judged according to His righteousness.  Those who have rejected the knowledge of God and the salvation offered by Christ will be left uncovered, so to speak, with no payment to offer for their sin (the greatest sin being the rejection of God their creator).

Yes, God loves you. But if you do not love Him you will be shut out from His kingdom for all eternity. Your earthly life is your opportunity to learn of God, see what He requires of you and surrender to Him. We all have the same purpose for our lives -- to join with God in His purpose. If you are not aligned with this purpose you are off track.

If we present God to you only as the God of love, will you surrender? If we present Him as a God of wrath, will you surrender? Will you sit in judgment of God?  God is both -- and so much more. He is holy. And He is love. And He has wrath against all unholiness.  He will not forever tolerate the rebellion of His creatures.

There are things we want to believe and there are things we don't want to believe. So how, then, do we seek Truth? There is a God, and it is not me, and it is not you. To him who uses his eyes for seeing, more will be given. But for the one who refuses to see, even what he has will be taken away.

This world is on a limited trajectory. The wrath of God is coming. Jesus is coming back to claim His brothers and sisters, the children of God, from this earth. Once God's children are gone from the earth, literally all hell will break loose. You don't want to be here for that. 

But for His children, God has prepared an inheritance so far beyond what any human mind can imagine. No pain, no sorrow, no suffering, no death. Forever living in the very presence of God, where we will see Him face to face. 

I have lived 64 years in this body and I thank God for the mercy, love, and patience He has given me that my eyes would be open to Him and my heart receptive before I die. Death can come at any time. The great patience and love of God! Our years on this earth are like the snap of the fingers compared to all eternity. None of us knows the moment of our death or the day Jesus will return. 

Decide right now to seek the Lord. Be reconciled to your Creator and line up with His plan and His purpose. Do not go into eternity without the Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Thoughts on suffering

Reading and reflecting on some verses in the book of Hebrews regarding the suffering of Jesus...
All passages are from the New International Version (NIV). Italics are mine. 

Hebrews 2:10  "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."

Hebrews 2:17, 18  "...he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Years ago, when I first read these verses, I remember being astonished that Jesus had to be made perfect through suffering. I thought Jesus was already and always perfect... past, present, and future. And yet these verses appear to teach that, during his time on earth in the flesh, even Jesus was (dare I say...??) incomplete or not yet perfect. 

And how was that accomplished? Through suffering. 

Suffering. Certainly seems plentiful lately.

I have lots of questions about suffering and not too many answers.  But the first one I am compelled to ask is this. What is it about suffering that is necessary for perfection? Jesus was made perfect through suffering. What about us? Are we made perfect through suffering? Stated another way, can suffering help to develop in us a more mature faith?

How are we affected by suffering? Seems to me it is physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. A truly holistic ordeal.

What follows here are simply my ponderings on this topic. Just the things that popped into my head as I thought about it. As you read, what questions (or answers) come up for you?

Here we go...

If there was no sickness or suffering among mankind, how would we develop mercy or compassion? Would compassion and empathy even be necessary if there was no suffering? What kind of people would we then be? 

It is good to know our weakness and vulnerabilities, isn't it? Since we are mortal beings, it's good for us to be aware of our mortality. And it is good for us to not take pleasant times and good health for granted. 

How are we when we are not suffering? When there's no struggle? 
When are we most aware of our needs (that is, our truest needs)? 
How do we become aware of our need for God? Our need to seek God? Our need to lean on God? 
How do we realize when we have reached the end of man's ability to help us and our ability to help ourselves?

Seems a necessary factor to keep in mind when pondering these questions is that we are pondering the suffering of man (humanity). Therefore, we must understand some things about the nature of man.

Do we want God to take away all suffering? Or just certain kinds of suffering? Or just certain people's suffering? 

If God removed all diseases of the body, wouldn't there still be all the suffering we inflict on one another by our greed, our anger, our lust, our hatred and selfishness and envy (et cetera)??

How much of the suffering in the world is caused by these? Do we ask God to take these causes of suffering away? do we ask God to take these away from others? Do we ask God to take them away from ourselves (greed, anger, hatred, selfishness, etc)? Do these not cause suffering? And yet, we hold on to them.

What is our part in all of it? How much suffering are we willing to take responsibility for?