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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #445 March 17, 2002 I’m a Nice Guy I don’t need God. I’m okay; after all, I’m a good person. When judgement day comes I’ll be all right because I’ve done more right than wrong. These are common attitudes today. Even as Christians, we can fall into the trap of thinking this person or that person is probably okay because they are "nice" people or do lots of "good" things. This line of thinking misses the mark entirely. Not because it’s not important to be nice or do good things, but that’s not the benchmark. The benchmark is 100%. To get into heaven and be with a righteous and holy God we need 100%, no mistakes, no flaws, no sin. Yet He knows that we can’t do that. What kind of a callous God would expect 100%, especially when He knows we can’t do it? One to whom our score is less important than our relationship with Him. He is far more interested in having a personal relationship with us than our test scores. That’s why He sent His Son, so we could re-enter into a relationship with Him. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation Romans 5:6-11 NIV That relationship is your ticket. Big time sinners (at least in our eyes) go to heaven, and nice people go to hell, out of their own choosing. They chose to accept Jesus or reject Him. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20 NIV He loves us enough to respect our choice. It wouldn’t be love to take those who reject Him in life and force them to spend eternity with Him. It breaks His heart but He accepts our choice to reject. He rejoices when we accept His unconditional love. Until next time, may you rejoice that He values your love more than your "test scores" and your relationship with Him more than perfection. Hallelu Yah Kevin It’s time to stop worrying about being rejected by God. He’s already done His bit by giving up His Son. He doesn’t care what you have done or what people have said about you and He won’t be fooled by your attempts at being "nice". He is waiting with open arms for you to accept His love. Do it now. Email me and I’ll share some Bible verses that explain why a personal relationship with Jesus is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. Or simply begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of: Dear God: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer let me know and I will direct you to some free non-denominational resources that will help you grow in that newfound relationship. To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. or write us at : Gleanings From The Word 114 Oak Street Sherwood Park, AB Canada, T8A 0V8 At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential. If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website
© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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