Day 2350 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


1 Timothy 2:4 NIV

While we're all busy focused on what we want, what God wants is easily overlooked and forgotten. It's far more convenient to think this is all about us. These are our lives. This is our time. It's our right to do whatever we want to do. It's our freedom to choose that makes us free. Whatever makes us happy has to be right. We have lived under this world's twisted version of truth for so long that we don't even know that it's wrong. We don't remember that God calls us to a much higher standard than the one this world has settled for. In fact, some may have never known that there is another truth.

That's why we're here! We're here to share that message with everyone we can. We're here to tell people about Jesus and what He did for them. We're here to help break down those walls that the evil in our world has built up to keep people trapped in sin and shame. We're here to warn people about the very real danger of sin and the horrible eternity that awaits those who don't take that truth seriously. We're here to serve Christ and share His truth. Not the flimsy version the world sells. Not the comfortable version that sinners choose to believe because it allows them to continue doing as they please. No, those aren't good enough!

The fact is that sin will lead us to eternal suffering. Sin separates us from God and points us on a trajectory toward a place that no one in their right mind would ever choose to go. But that's the problem. Sin doesn't keep us in the right frame of mind. Sin doesn't lead us to what's right. Sin is completely void of anything good and therefore will only lead us away from anything good. I know that it all seems fun, enjoyable, and exciting, but that's temporary. The final punishment that sin deserves, however, is anything but temporary. Everyone needs to hear that truth so that they can turn off that path and ask God for His saving grace.

That is one of the biggest misconceptions that many have about our faith and our God. God is good. But people see the punishment of hell as proof that He isn't. In all actuality though, hell proves that God is good. He is so good that He can't compromise His goodness. He can't let sin slide. He can't allow us to live these lives wallowing in sin and darkness and then let us skate on the consequences. The fact is that every choice has a consequence. And our choice to pick sin over righteousness brings the consequence of hell. But God, in His amazing goodness and mercy, offers us the chance to repent and be saved from that terrifying consequence that our choices very well deserves.

The truth of the Gospel tells us that God is good and that He wants us to be saved from the path of sin and darkness that we've been walking for so long. He wants us to learn the reality of sin. He wants us to understand the consequences of those sins. And He wants us to repent and learn from the mistakes we've made so that we can strive to do better going forward. But we can't do that if we continue to avoid His truth. We won't repent until we accept the fact that sin is real and that it is deadly. We won't turn to God until we finally realize that the evil in this world will never bring us anything good.

But thankfully, God sent Christ and gave us the Gospel to help us learn His truth and realize how badly we need His mercy. Friends, He loves us more than we know and wants each of to be saved from the suffering our sins has earned. Please accept that gift. Please be changed by that gift. Please turn to God and let the blood of Christ wash away all the sins that have separated you from Him for so long. We literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking Him into our hearts!

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