We Stand the Chance of a Better Love

We Stand the Chance of a Better Love

By Joy W.

We are judgmental and analytical as humans even believers. In the part of the world where I come from it is a disciplinary action for a child to be punished when he or she does something wrong. We believe that by so doing that child would not do such a thing again. In this view it is also believed that whatever befalls anybody good or bad by virtue of their actions is a form of reward or punishment to that person. This reflects in all aspects of religious believes, Islamic, traditional and Christianity.

If you are in my part of the world this is what you will experience. People believe that we reap what we sow as the bible says and every action has its own consequences.

In all the various religions here, they believe that if you wrong the god you believe in, you receive punishment for your actions. In the cultic and other spiritual groups this is greatly practiced. Instant judgement as they call it; you instantly receive punishment for your wrong actions, for breaking their laws and going contrary to their precepts and beliefs. These punishments many times are death but one may ask “how can the dead turn away from his wrong”? This clearly indicates that the devil only comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10) as the bible says. He is only interested in your soul. He can’t worship you? He needs you to worship him forever even in death. Let me just chip this in, in genesis when God created the world and everything there is within he made man ruler over everything. He assigned man the ruler ship duty because he had made us in his likeness and Satan himself was under man. Satan in order to turn things round deceived man into eating the fruit and in that way man loses his power because then, the nature of God in man was gone.

The book of Jonah talks about a man who tried disobeying god but eventually had a change of heart and mind. It amazes me to realize in that passage how God even in punishing us shows us some love as Christians. In Jonah 1 when things were going bad and the men called to him, he answered. He not only hear us his children but even those around us. When it was perceived that throwing Jonah overboard was the only way, God could have allowed him to drawn and die but he didn’t, rather he sent the whale to swallow (Jonah 1: 17) him and safely bring him to shore.

God doesn’t easily give up on us, as a matter of truth and fact he doesn’t give up at all. In punishing us he still shows us love. Even in punishing Jonah he saved him. When you are going through challenges God is there. It could be school, friends, family issues and even consequences of actions taken; God is not dead. With each step he wants us to learn, to gain insight to take us to the next level, to learn something to strengthen and tighten us to face the rather tough challenges. Isaiah 48: 10 says that “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Malachi 3:3 also says that he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the lord an offering in righteousness. What you become after all the struggles is your offering to God because when you are going through the afflictions you are being purged and purified.

When we know that our lives is God and is woven around him, nothing will press us down, no situation will demoralize us because the power of God in us is greater than the pressure of troubles around us.

In the wilderness he will make away and in the desert water will flow. You will go through waters but it will not bewailed you, you will go through fire but it will not consume you because you are precious to him and dear to his heart. He will never leave you. He has redeemed you. Imagine!! And that’s why in Romans 8: 8 we read that nothing can separate us from his love, absolutely nothing. You are loved my dear. Like Jonah did in 2:2 “I called out to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of sheol I cried, and you hear my voice”. And Jeremiah 33: 3 says “call on me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things thou knowest not”. He again admonishes us that we should ask anything in his name and he will do it. He says before you call I will answer, isn’t that amazing? Only believe and give it a try. Cloth yourself in his blood and allow yourself to be loved. I love him so much because he first loved me. He loved me even when I was still a sinner. And he loves you as well more than you can imagine. For this reason he left his kingdom above, came down, took our whips and bore our sins on the cross that you and I will be saved forever.

One of the great blessings of Easter. Jesus loves you and i. you are not far from his saving grace. What an amazing grace.