God Really is Love!

As I move fully into this new semester and new year (well, I still write 2016 sometimes, but that's beside the point), I've had some time to reflect on the semester and year I just finished. There were lots of ups and downs, sometimes both at the same time. And that's normal.

Today, however, I want to tell you all about one of those downs. If you know me well, you probably already know this, but last semester was rough. Really rough. One of those semesters when you truly wonder if you're going to survive.

But the beautiful thing is, on this side of it, I have learned and grown so much from that time. At a time when I didn't have time for myself, let alone give God the time He deserves, I could see Him reaching out to me. With a thousand things vying for room on my plate, God didn't fight me for my time. He was just there.

And I think we over-complicate that. I caught myself the other day basically making myself a mental checklist of everything I need to balance, and one of the pieces stressing me out was having a decent devotional time.

I did a double-take.

Does God want to be another item on my checklist that stresses me out or makes me feel guilty if I don't get around to it?

I mean, I always kind of knew that He doesn't, but it didn't hit home for me until recently. We talk about how "God is love" and "Jesus loves you" and "We are God's children" and then we act like reality is anything but that.

Now, don't take from this that you don't need to spend time with God, please. That's not what I'm trying to say.

What I want us to see is that, if God is love (and He is, FYI), then His love is not going to be limited by the feeble efforts we can put into the relationship. We'll never measure up to His expectations of us, short of the righteousness of Christ. So if you feel like you're not doing enough or that you're failing in your relationship with God, don't despair. He loves you despite it.

But the biggest thing that really struck me is just how much God loves me. He could have chosen to sit back and wait for when I was able to come back and really devote time to Him, and even that would have been more than I'll ever deserve. But He didn't stop there.

God showered me with love.

Sure, it was a hard four months. Yes, I had overwhelming stress. And I didn't always think I was going to make it with my sanity intact.

But, whenever I thought I'd hit breaking point, the right song would come on the radio. Or someone would text me with encouragement. Or I'd just have a random good moment. It wasn't anything bigger than that, really. But they were all little things that reminded me that God was still there. That He was still taking care of me when I couldn't even do that.

I am living proof that our God is not a God of checklists or conditions. He is not a God of limits or pettiness. He is not a God who gives up.

He is a God of unconditional love. Of limitless grace. A God who pursues us even when we don't know where we're running.

Even if it doesn't feel like He is there, God is still with you. Even if your problems don't seem to be going away, God still loves you. Stop...and let God show you just how much.

Because if God can chase me down and love me after my crazy semester, He can catch you too.

There's No Peach Pass to Heaven

There's this thing in Georgia called a Peach Pass. It lets you ride in a special lane, just for people who have this pass, and if there is a lot of traffic on the interstate, it can help you get where you're going a lot faster. To get it, you either pay for it or you register that you're carpooling with other drivers. But the point is, it makes your trip a lot easier.

I think a lot of people have the impression that Christianity is a lot like a Peach Pass. You put your faith in Jesus and everything gets easier. The troubles you dealt with before just go away, and your life becomes a walk in the park.

As if you got a Peach Pass through life on your way to Heaven.

But if you've been a Christian for a while, or if you know Christians, then you know that a Christian's life is not a picnic. Sometimes, it even seems to be harder, because on top of weathering life's storms, a Christian has to be faithful to God and obey His commands.

This is really confusing to some people. After all, if a Christian's life is supposed to be better, and then it isn't, people wonder if it's some kind of scam.

The truth is, there is no Peach Pass to Heaven. Christianity is not an easy life. In Psalm 73, David asks God why his life is so difficult while the wicked prosper. It seems to him that the righteous actually get the raw side of the deal.

Scripture repeats this theme over and over. As you read through the Old Testament, you'll find plenty of time where a godly man or woman is obeying God but their life is plagued with troubles and trials (like Joseph or Job or Daniel). And in the New Testament, Jesus tells His disciples that the world will hate them because it hated Him (John 15:18-25).

So if life is going to be hard either way, and even harder if you follow Jesus, then what's the point? If the wicked have the better life, why would we put ourselves through the extra challenge of being a Christian?

Because our hope is in another world.

It's that simple. If life was all about this world, and once you die, it's over, then yes, we'd be the losers. We'd have all the hard parts of life and no enjoyment, and in the end, we'd end up just as dead as the rest of the world.

BUT

This world is not all there is. It is a temporary stopping place on our way through life. Once we leave this world, however, everything will change. Those who put their faith in Jesus will go on to live with Him in eternity, and eternity with Jesus is what will make all this difficult life worth it.

Because He will be worth it all.

But we're still stuck here, for now. How are we going to get through all the challenges of living as a Christ-follower in a world that hates Him?

Jesus told us.

 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33b)

Take heart, friends.