I’m not normally one who’s big on bumper stickers, but I have a bumper sticker on my truck that reads: “God loves you whether you like it or not”. Some bumper stickers are meant for humor, some to sell a product, and still others tell others where your politics lie. There are also bumper stickers that can let others know your beliefs. This “Post-Christian” culture in which we live isn’t too keen on hearing your beliefs if they’re different from the politically correct norm. They say the two taboo topics to talk about are politics and religion. It seems as though the atheists that I know lash out angrily at Christian ideals, sentiments and the like. And to a certain extent I sadly agree with much of what they are angry about. People that call themselves “Christian” but very little about them is “Christ-like”. It bothers me too when someone that claims to be a follower of Christ says something hateful, or condemning, or judgemental. We who claim to want to be more and more like Jesus need to remember that people are watching. It brings me pain when I hear about a pastor accused of some sort of indiscretion. I cringe when a good Christian friend says something harsh.Yes we have to answer to God and if we are sincere in our confession to Him, He will forgive us. However. the watching world is not so forgiving. Screw up just 1 time, and you will have a hard time getting someone to hear your good news and take it seriously. The more public your mistake, the more scorn and ridicule gets heaped on you…and God. Unfortunately no matter how hard we try, we are all guilty of being human. Some – like me – are more faulty than others.
Now, I’m not trying to heap a bunch of guilt on anyone. But if we really know Jesus as Savior, we should be moving toward a place where we want to see everyone come to faith in Christ. We need to have a heart for the lost. We should honestly want to see everyone accept Jesus as Savior. We who are”saved” were once lost and someone told us of the grace of God even though someone somewhere made up their mind that we didn’t deserve it. Believe me: if we met enough people that knew everything about us somebody somewhere would find enough fault with us to say that we don’t belong in the Kingdom of God. We Christians are an odd sort. We say that ideally, yes, everyone should accept Jesus as Savior and get to go to heaven. But after we’ve been saved for a while, we sort of forget the joy of the Lord. We pretty much know that we’re going to heaven. We have our “Eternal Fire Insurance” as it were, and to hell (quite literally) with everyone else. That’s not exactly fair, now is it? I know this isn’t everyone’s view, but most people (Christian or not) are very quick to condemn the most vile of offenders and say that they should rot in hell for what they’ve done. I’m gonna throw a few scenarios out here and tell me that I’m wrong.
In prison, Michael vick gave is life to Christ and repented of his wrongdoing. He served his time, got connected with good people and has been a model citizen since. However there are good, kind hearted people I know begin spewing vile and filth at the mere mention of his name. Yes: Michael Vick did some unconscionable and despicable things. Yes: His sentence may have been a little (or a lot) short. Mind you, I am by no means condoning any of the heinous things that he did. I cheered with everyone else when he went to prison. Justice was served! The spoiled rich kid got what he deserved. But isn’t that the way our system works? you do wrong, you get caught, you go to trial, you get sentenced, you do your time, if you’re still alive, you get out. start over. Maybe some probation. But, in a lot of people’s minds, Vick should still be rotting in jail or even should have gotten the death penalty (even though they don’t normally believe in the death penalty). Fair?
Jeffrey Dahmer also reportedly gave his life to Christ while in prison and became a model citizen. He was never going to get out of prison, but he began to work in the prison as a janitor. He was assauled by some other inmates and died from his injuries. Most people I know were pleased with that.
These are two extreme examples to be sure, but I bring them up to make my point. Who decides who should get to go to heaven? Who decides who should go to hell? The idea that these places exist is a debate for another day. For this exercise, we will just figure on their existence.
The answer may surprise you. You do. You decide your own fate. Jesus made His point pretty clearly: If you follow Jesus, truly follow Jesus, you need not worry about your fate. If you choose to not follow Jesus, you also have chosen your eternal home. You do not, however, get to choose the fate of others. Romans 3:23 says that “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God“. Not some, not everybody but you, ALL. God’s standard is perfection. I am certainly not perfect. I’m pretty sure that if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see that you’re not perfect either. You make mistakes, you say and do things that you may not be proud of. And you’ve probably broken all 10 commandments. Ok, maybe you haven’t actually murdered someone. Jesus said that if you’ve hated someone you’ve murdered. Sound harsh? Can be.
I don’t know where you are in your relationship with God. You may be tight. You may be just acquaintances, or you may have set yourself up as a bitter enemy. You may not even think there’s anyone to have a relationship with. That’s fine. Just remember this: God loves you whether you like it or not. You may ask, “How do you know?”
If you’re a parent, you love your kids. In a manner of speaking you “created ” them. You feed them and help them learn as they grow. You set boundaries and rules because you love them and you want what’s best for them. When they break the rules or go outside the boundaries, there are consequences ( I hope ). We are all God’s children He created us all individually and with a purpose. (grab a Bible and read Psalm 139.) Verses 19 through 22 sound confusing, and that’s ok. I’ll cover that another time. God created you with a specific combination of gifts and talents that no one has ever had or ever will have. You are the only you that there will ever be. I like that thought. It tells me that there is at least someone that loves me and cares for me, even when it feels like no one else does. I don’t know. I just don’t understand getting comfort from the idea that we are all the product of some cosmic accident. We’re here just purely by chance. The more research that’s done, the more intricate that they’re finding life to be. How each cell is a miniature factory that has to work in a very specific way or it will cease function. Honestly I have a hard time believing that all of this evolved like we’re taught. There’s just too much that doesn’t make sense.
I work on the premise that the Bible is true. God created everything. Whether it’s a literal 6 days or not, I don’t know. I do know that there is evidence that the earth isn’t billions of years old. I also know that God created each one of us with a specific purpose in mind. Like a parent, God created us and loves us. But the thing that separates God from our genetic parents is that he gives us a choice. The choice to follow Him or not. He allows us to try to make it on our own. To live apart from Him and see how we do. Some people like that choice. Some people thrive in this world without Him. They accumulate lots of stuff, have lots of money, power, friends, and such. But if you were to take all of that stuff away, would they still be “happy” if they’re REALLY happy in the first place. I’ve never had any large amount of stuff, and I’m at this point pretty content. My life is currently in upheaval and uncertainty, but I’ve also never been more content. I’ve learned in the last few years that God really is better than stuff, and that He is as faithful as can be imagined. The nuts and bolts of the last 3 years will be the subject of a future blog when the time is right. All I know is, that God not only exists, but is very concerned with even the smallest details of our lives. He Made each one of us and knows every detail about you. He cares. I promise He does. I don’t know why this makes some people angry. But the facts are the facts. If you don’t want to acknowledge it, that doesn’t change it. God really does love you, whether you like it or not. Blessings, grace and peace to you.
Leif P Gjellestad's Blog 