Thursday July 7 2011

Read 2 Peter 3:5-9

I marvel at how great God is, don’t you? Don’t you often meditate about God and His ways and just throw your hands up in adoration saying ‘Wow! You are AWESOME Lord!’ As I read today’s passage that is my response!

I look at the world, I look at the evil people in the world, I look at the murderers and rapists and thieves and conmen and child abusers and I despair. Sometimes I even pray God’s vengeance upon them. But then I read 2 Peter 3:9!

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Tim 2:4 tells us that God

... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

God sees the evil, the pain and the hurt and has sent Jesus to die as a curse for the

sins of the world. He sent His one and only Son to redeem the world and to bring the world back to Himself. God’s heart is for those sinners and evil doers to repent and to come to Himself in loving worship. Wow! Doesn’t that blow you away? Doesn't that just change your perception of God?

As I ponder God’s character I have to rethink how I approach the people of the world. Do I have a heart that yearns for them to come to God in adoration and worship? Do I yearn to see more people repenting and believing in Christ? Do I want those people around  me, in my world, to find Jesus and to honour God with their lives? Do I want it like God wants it? Would I willingly suffer and give as God gave to remove the sins of the world?

If my heart is reaching out in love to people, I will have a great impact in my little world. People see the heart. The world has seen hypocrisy and two faced cunning in church people for long enough to spot a fake a million miles away. But they haven’t seen love in action. They haven’t seen grace. They haven’t seen sacrificial other centeredness! But they will as you go forward with the heart of Christ, shining the light of love and grace. The world will see Jesus as you give your life to save them, as you ‘become all things to all men to bring them to Christ’.

Christian victory is not just about getting my life and my mind in order. Christian victory is taking that love of Jesus out into the world and willingly carrying the cross for sinners, for God haters and doing everything in our power to save them. Christian victory is seeing others come into the faith. Christian Victory is putting our lives on the line so that the kingdom of God will grow and flourish as more people bow the knee and confess Him as Lord.  Christian Victory is taking on Jesus’ mission as our own mission. Christian Victory is letting Jesus live in us and through us.

Prayer:

V Pray for the men’s ministry that they will be able to reach out to the men in the local community and that they will be able to encourage and support each other through the challenges facing them in day to day life.