Love Into Life

Saturday, ‎July ‎30, ‎2022

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Psalm 119:93 New King James Version

I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life

Memory verse: Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Today's reading: PSALM 51-53 ROMANS 2

Love Into Life

John 3:18 ►Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Let's look a little at the word condemn. The thesaurus gives these antonymns, or opposites, to 'condemn:

approve

compliment

laud

praise

build up

commend

endorse

exalt

sanction

absolve

acquit

clear

discharge

exonerate

free

pardon

release

set free

Someone asked me if I was a 'hellfire and brimstone' preacher, I suppose because of my age, and I had to think back to my years before God's humbling hand had 'gained my attention' and have to admit that I once was.

But as an answer to the current is that I believe we will not condemn anyone into Heaven-yes, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.(Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10) But it is the fear of the Lord and not the fear of hell-please remember that.

That entire list of antonymns seems to miss something as we consider eternal life.

You will recognize that John 3:18 is just past John 3:16 where the scripture tells us that God loves the world-God loves the entire world-He desires that none perish.(2 Peter 3:9)

We may have the 'hell scared out of us' but we will never have Heaven scared into us.

Heaven, eternal life, is of love. We arrive at heaven's gate because of God's infinite love for us-not our finite fear of condemnation.

Somewhere along the way, The Holy Spirit gets through our ignorance and His mercy spills on our lives and we take it-no longer an object of God's wrath(Ephesians 2:3).

The opposite of condemn?----Love

We are loved out of condemnation into a loving state of grace and freed by God's tender, loving mercy through the sacrifice of Christ.

Our job is a simple one but only if we keep our eyes on Him: Love as Jesus loves-judge not-love as Jesus loves-condemn not-love them into God's grace-

The fire of hell is real-but if you are in Christ, please stop worrying about it-for yourself. Put that fear to work thinking of the hard-headed lost who are still an object of God's wrath and tell them of Christ Jesus. It may be the time the Holy Spirit lights them up to God's reality. Don't think it's just going to happen. Listen to what the Bible says:

Romans 10:14 But before people can pray to the Lord for help, they must believe in him. And before they can believe in the Lord, they must hear about him. And for anyone to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them.

Let God love them into eternal life..

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me my arrogance in thinking I can judge anyone. Teach me, day by bay, how to love with Your love, work with Your power, and live by Your word.

Merciful and great Father!

In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen