What Do You Know About Your Lord?

PASTOR POSES POINTS TO PONDER

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Do you know there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more than he does right now?

Do you know God’s love for you has nothing to do with what you look like, where you’re from, what skills you have or what resources you have at your disposal?

And do you know the hardest task most people face in their lives is letting God love them as fully and deeply as he wants to love us?

Do you know that, regardless of whatever you have done, whateveryou are doing or whatever you will do, God is ready and eager to forgive you completely?

And do you know that, the second you turn back to God, he is right there smiling in your face, picking you up and twirling you around and already planning a party for you?

Do you know you were uniquely created to live an amazing, God-powered and God-revealing life?

And do you know that common standards of success and achievement have no bearing on the amazing life God created you to live?

Do you know that, despite all our stress and anxiety and grinding effort, we were never intended to live our lives under our own limited power and ability?

Do you know the world around us is set up to diminish or even avoid that incredible life God has for you?

And do you know it can be a diftcult - but superrewarding - challenge to live the life God has for you despite the unsympathetic world around you?

Do you know that, even if - especially if - you are struggling, feel “left out” or are looked down on, Jesus Christ - with power we can hardly imagine - is eager to stand up for you?

Do you know that, if you are amazed by Jesus Christ, he welcomes you into his realm right now - even if you are imperfect?

And do you know his realm has already begun, and we can begin our citizenship and participation in his realm today?

And do you know the main task of his realm is loving people? Even peoplewho look, speak, dress, smell and behave diff erently than we do?

And do you know God cares about you and your life so much that, at the end of your earthly life, he’s going to assess how you lived it?

Do you know that, if you are amazed by Jesus Christ, the life you are living now - with your creaky, gooey, freckly, hairy body - is only the first part of your life?

And do you know the second part of you life is a forever, face-to-face party with Jesus Christ and all those who love him?

And do you know the second part of your life will put you in an entirely different body with a wild,new kind of splendor - but you will still be you?

Do you know that the God who created you invented gatherings of people who are amazed by Jesus Christ and these gatherings are typically called churches?

And do you know these churches - more than anything else - are intended to be loving, encouraging celebrations of people journeying in Jesus’ realm together?

And do you know there is church like this in your neighborhood?

THE REV. STEVE SHEELY IS PASTOR OF ROLLING HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH IN FAYETTEVILLE.

Religion, Pages 10 on 10/05/2013