God Cares

GOD CARES! GOD LOVES YOU! GOD WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED! All of our teachings, studies, conversations are rooted in that one single principle. That’s why we don’t believe in RELIGION. We believe that a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD will make you understand how much God loves you! Once you get that in your brain, the rest is easy stuff! Religion and denominations make it complicated, God wants you and I to understand the basics!

John 3: 16, 17 are words said by Jesus echoing God’s heartbeat for you and me!

“For God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him SHALL NOT PERISH but have eternal life. For GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD through him.”

This passage contains the fundamental truth you need to understand and accept if anything else will make sense. God loves you, and He wants YOU to be in His family! That’s it! Once you catch a glimpse of His love the rest follows! Once you understand how passionate God feels about you, that love will drive you to do what is best for yourself! You will want to obey Him… Spend time with Him… Tell others about Him… Nothing will be too much! Love is the most powerful driving force in the universe!

It is not too big, nor is it too small and insignificant for God. He cares! Kind David wrote, “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1–2).

God is exactly what God meant to be to humans: “Immanuel.” (God with us) A God in the here and now. A relational God!

“Immanuel” (God with us) is not about victory and glory, first. “Immanuel” (God with us) is about PRESENCE first.

The best portrayal of God’s presence among humans happens between the humble birth of God as a baby and Friday on the cross (God with us).

The vast distance between the human and the divine is brought together by the wholeness of a God who became incarnated in human flesh and innocently become subject to everything that human beings are subject to—including suffering and death. God reflects the archetype of the human experience: INNOCENT SUFFERING.

John 3: 16-17 are words said by Jesus echoing God’s heartbeat for you and me!

“For God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him SHALL NOT PERISH but have eternal life. For GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD through him."

This passage contains the fundamental truth you need to understand and accept if anything else will make sense. God loves you, and He wants YOU to be in His family! That’s it! Once you catch a glimpse of His love the rest follows! Once you understand how passionate God feels about you, that love will drive you to do what is best for yourself! You will want to obey Him… Spend time with Him… Tell others about Him… Nothing will be too much! Love is the most powerful driving force in the universe!

Do you know God’s love has a purpose?

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that GOD’S KINDNESS IS INTENDED TO LEAD YOU TO REPENTANCE?" Romans 2:4 (NIV)

The word “repentance” in the English language does not reflect the true meaning of the word in the original Greek. “Repentance” has its root it the Old Latin which translated the Greek (“metanoia”) as “paenitentia” which came to mean penance or acts of penance that had to be done if one hoped to obtain grace. By extension it became sorrow, contrition, a penitent attitude.

The original word in the Greek “metanoia” is a word loaded with dynamic action. It simply means to “change one’s mind and perception of whatever preceded the act of “metanoia” or ‘repentance” It means you were going in one direction and the sparkle of God’s Spirit enlightened you, and you suddenly saw you are wrong, and changed! You see how offensive your action, disposition and behavior is to God!

God’s kindness is intended to lead you to want to CHANGE!

Everything God does for you has that purpose! To lead you to that moment, or moments of “metanoia.” (Repentance) To lead you into a state of mind and heart that says, “Wow, how could I not change for such a LOVER!” Doesn’t that ring to you like the best motivation for change ever?

His love, His kindness, His compassion, His goodness is meant to create in you the desire to change into His likeness! His goodness is to make us generous and compassionate toward others the way He is towards you!

If the goodness of God does not melt your heart, and you choose not to change out of pride and selfishness, NOTHING else will do it. If love does not melt your heart, punishment will not do it either! It will make you bitter. If goodness and love do not drive you to love others, a hard life won’t do it either! I have watched people going down into the darkness of their own selfishness, drowning in toxicity, with negative feelings and emotions, demon possessed, bitter against the world… and I have always thought the same… “Wow… They chose not to give in to the goodness of God! They chose to reject love!” That’s why I understand the concept of hell a little bit! There is no hope for someone who rejects love! Only a miserable life! There will be no room in heaven for people who have rejected love. It would be the most miserable existence ever! “Hell” is God’s last resort of grace, for people who reject love. Did you know that?

God’s goodness at all levels, and in all its manifestations has ONE SINGLE PURPOSE, Friend…

TO LEAD YOU TO CHANGE, AND BECOME THE LOVER GOD CREATED YOU TO BE, BEFORE SIN GOT HOLD OF YOU! To take you back to His original purpose… Love will always be the law of His universe!

Do you feel unworthy?

Do you feel that no matter how much people tell you, “you are good,” you still feel like you are not?

Do you struggle with being human? Has someone planted in your head the idea that the “people of God” don’t commit more sin?

There are two reasons why people feel unworthy of God’s love and His presence.

• Living a sinful life, apart from God, by choice. God is being rejected every day, every hour by choice!

• Confusion about God’s forgiveness and how He declares you perfect! Religion has made a mess of this! There are many views and doubts regarding this subject. The Bible taken in all its entirety makes it clear. Bible verses, picked to serve one view or other, create the mess religion feeds on!

“Perfectionism” and “reward for goodness” are two strong strategies the devil uses to confuse followers of God! All the temptations and strategies the devil uses against people come under two categories, “SEDUCTION” and “SUFFERING.” “Perfectionism” and “reward for goodness” fall under seduction. Those two concepts are a delusion that causes enormous confusion when dealing with reality.

God promotes “wholeness.” “Wholeness” is the opposite of “slices” like in a pie. Religion teaches “pie Christianity.” In other words, God is a slice of your entire life. The best quote born in the soil of such mindset is “God helps those who help themselves.” Many people believe this is a Bible verse! :-) Followers of God believe and promote “wholeness.” It means, God pronounces His followers perfect, good, holy, 100% acceptable to be citizens of the Kingdom of God! Under God’s eyes, you are 100% when you accept Him in your life. There is no “but” or “if” kind of presupposition! God’s declaration of perfection is absolute, complete and permanent. Are you with me, Friend?

• Followers of God believe that God helps those who can not help themselves. The best candidates for the kingdom of God are people who are broken, hurting, dissatisfied, up against the wall, disillusioned, frustrated… people who have failed!

• Once you accept your complete inability to please God with your “human goodness” or make Him hate you with you “sinfulness,” you surrender to God and He accepts you “wholly”. He declares you perfect! Your act of surrendering, though, is the beginning of perfection at your level of consciousness! You are aware of it now! God is not at a desk, checking a list while you wait in line to be forgiven! :-)

• Your new awareness of God’s forgiveness is not an act God performs when you surrender to Him. That’s where religion confuses people with “before” and “after.” Pray the “sinners’ prayer” otherwise you are going to hell, say some Christians! Once you surrender to God, God says, to you… “Did you know that during all those years of rejection, you were already forgiven?” That’s what is so overwhelming about God’s grace! All your sins from the past were forgiven 2.000 years ago on the cross of Calvary! And even 6.000 years ago before planet earth got into this horrible mess called SIN! God was not caught by surprise! God was not caught unprepared for the devil’s presence! He knew and made provision.

• Not only that, all of your future sins have already been forgiven to the day you die. Tomorrow’s sins? Forgiven! Next week’s sins? Forgiven! Next year’s sins? Forgiven! Everything is forgiven! Religious people get very uptight with my statement! But you see, Friend, lovers don’t play games! If a follower of God sins intentionally against God’s will, because he has been declared “saved,” he/she does not really understand the love of God! Authentic lovers don’t play games with lovers! If a wife says to her husband, “I will never leave you, divorce you, even if you do the worst thing you could ever imagine doing to me! Even if you betray me, get totally irritating, boring, unloving… I will not leave you! The only way you can get rid of me, is by leaving me, and going to a place where I can never find you.” That love, that devotion, that loyalty is not be played with lightly! God is like that, Friend! God does not lose by giving you total assurance of forgiveness and perfection. You do, if you play games with God! The same in any human transaction. The giver never loses! Simply gets better!

If you are perplexed in your spiritual walk, I want to share with you a magnificent message today. It comes from Romans 3:21-31. Read it, think about and ask God to engrave these words in the depths of your brain! Repeat it… Make it yours, until it finally becomes a part of you! [My comments]

“The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and PROVED THAT WE ARE UTTERLY INCAPABLE [Please notice the language, “utterly incapable.” It means that will power, habits, strategies, predisposition, good DNA, background, motivational strategies taught by gurus, religion… NOTHING! We are “utterly incapable”…] OF LIVING THE GLORIOUS LIVES GOD WILLS FOR US, GOD DID IT FOR US! Out of sheer generosity he put us in RIGHT STANDING with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.”

“God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. HE ALSO MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO LIVE IN HIS RIGHTNESS.” [The same power that set us right, is also transforming us every day into His likeness!]

“So where does that leave our proud Jewish insider claims and counter-claims? Canceled? Yes, canceled. What we’ve learned is this: GOD DOES NOT RESPOND TO WHAT WE DO; WE RESPOND TO WHAT GOD DOES! [Simply amazing!] We’ve finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with GOD and ALL OTHERS BY LETTING HIM SET THE PACE, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.” [Did you noticed? The presence of God in your life does not only set you right with Him, but with others also. Lying, falsehood, cheating, hypocrisy, using people for your own purposes… these are all manifestations that God is not running the show!]

“BUT BY SHIFTING OUR FOCUS FROM WHAT WE DO TO WHAT GOD DOES, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.”

Here is the one strategy that can totally revolutionize your spiritual life, today, Friend! I promise you… It will eliminate your perplexities, doubts about how good you are, if you are performing according to God’s standards. SHIFT YOUR FOCUS FROM WHAT YOU DO, FROM WHAT PEOPLE DO, TO WHAT GOD HAS DONE, IS DOING, AND WILL DO ALL THE WAY TO THE END! God is the God of all people, all around the world!

God’s Heart for the World #

Unbelief, rejection, lack of spiritual passion for a relationship with God, blindness for the needs of people, break God’s heart, because He knows the consequences. But when the door of the human heart is shut, He refuses to enter forcibly. He will only knock, wanting to gain admittance. He has given us the ability to choose. But when we choose the wrong thing, He knows the repercussions that will follow—in this life and the one to come. And His heart is broken.

Would you recognize God if He would be in your midst? Would you welcome God’s personal visit to you? What if God would visit you in the person of a homeless person? Would you see Him? What if God would come to your church? Would He be allowed to preach? What if God would invite you to make a commitment to Him beyond anything you have ever done? What if God would invite you to have a daily time of devotion with Him? Reading the Bible, praying? Would you have the time for God?

What breaks the heart of God is REJECTION in all its manifestations. Lack of passion for lost people breaks the heart of God. It means you don’t understand how much He loves! Lack of passion for the hungry, the poor, the sick breaks the heart of God! You are His hands and feet on earth!

Will you accept God in your life today? Will you follow Him? Will you invite someone to join the family of God? Will you pray for lost people? Do you care? It’s all part of God’s invitation to LOVE RECKLESSLY.