Tag Archive | Father

He’s a Good God!

Jul13

Overdrew your account and bounced five checks before you got the funds to cover it and all those overdraft charges cost you a small fortune?

Your brother heisted an old jalopy, swiped some candy bars, stole a few cartons of smokes, drove off without paying for a tank of gas, ran a red light, was chased down by the cops and arrested? After all was said and done, young Billy is in prison, and you’re going to tell me that God did this to straighten him out?

Oh puhhhleeese! Your foolish little brother got busted for his stupid, careless and dishonest behavior; these are called natural consequences.

You steal – you go to jail.

You lie – you lose trust.

You cheat – you suffer consequences.

You stick your finger on a hot skillet, you get burned.

God does NOT do bad things!!

Repeat after me: “God. Does. Not. Do. Bad. Things”.

(You fill in the blank: God does not _________”).

How do I know this? I know this because He is a LOVING God. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. You may insist on YOUR own way and get into tons of trouble, but He is always there. He is with you always. He sent His Son to die for us so that we may have eternal life when we deserved to die.

Back in the day, God knew, even then, that some well meaning, self-righteous person would suggest that God put little brother Billy in jail, “to teach him a lesson”. Think about it: Today, if an earthy father put his child’s finger on the stove “to teach her a lesson”, that would be deemed CHILD ABUSE! Why then do we say that God is cruel like this? He addressed such foolishness in the book of James, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” (James 1:13). Why is it so hard to believe we serve a LOVING God?

When little brother Billy was sent to prison, he began to see the error of his (foolish, stupid) ways and THEN, he turned to a loving God. This young man made some very bad choices, and he landed in the pokey. But God met him where he was. God’s goodness is attractive!

My former pastor taught that God meets us where we are. If life has beaten you to pulp, God is there in the midst; turn to Him. He has never left you, and He never will.

Abba Father,

As I go about my day, thank you that you are always here, always with me. Please guide me to                     make the right choices, but when I don’t, please remind me to come back home.

I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

All scripture is taken from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

© 2015 Cat Brennan

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Apr22

This past weekend saw and celebrated the most important event in the Christian world; the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The account of this event never ceases to move me.

Did you know this event was foretold in the book of Isaiah more than 700 years before it happened?  The entire sordid and graphic event is recorded in this book and it’s not pretty. But then, death is not pretty – ever. Read the chapters for yourself: Isaiah 52 and 53.

We needed the sacrifice that Jesus made so that we may one day have eternal life with The Father. Jesus was the propitiation for our sins, and now sits at the right hand of the Father constantly interceding on our behalf.

I attended an Easter play this weekend with many of my family members. The church rehearsed for several months and then offered three performances. I saw two of them.  The basic story, of course, never changes – the story in this case begins in the garden with Adam and Eve and finishes with the Risen Savior. In addition to the biblical reenactments, the play also dramatizes current events and challenges that we all face today; peer pressure, drugs, alcoholism, financial stress or death of a loved one.  

The scriptural message reminds us that He is always with us. Hebrews 13:5 reads, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  That’s crystal clear.

The Easter story is consistent and salvation is there for whomever will accept it. There is no charge, no cost, and you need NO ONE to go to the Father for you. Jesus already did that.

On the cross before he died, Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  The same is true for us today.  We sin and Jesus still petitions the Father to forgive us when we accept His sacrifice. But, make no mistake. There is NO other way to heaven – to eternal life. In John 14:6, we read, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  No amount of money, no amount of good works, no cute little statue or large gaudy presentation will open the doors of Heaven. ONLY Jesus has made a way.

Won’t you please stop now wherever you are and whatever you’re doing and go to the Father with these simple words:

     Dear Lord, I know I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me. I believe that Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the third day, and became sin, so that I may have eternal life with You. Thank you for what you did for me, Jesus, and I now ask you to be my Lord and Savior.  Amen.

If you prayed that prayer in Faith, believing, you’re a Christian.

Easter isn’t an annual event! It’s a life event, and I pray you choose Life.