At a young age, I was afraid of God. I grew up being taught that God is perfect and would be angry at me when I commit a sin or break His commandments. I had learned that God, in His anger toward me when I sin, would punish me.
And it’s true that, in Scripture, God does sometimes get angry, especially when His people continue to go against His good laws and refuse to turn back to Him. Sin hurts people, so it makes sense that a loving God would get angry at sin. When Jesus Christ came, He revealed who God is. If we are in Christ, God no longer holds His anger against us (Romans 8:1).
The apostle John, who was one of Jesus’s close friends, wrote that God is love (1 John 4:16). God is the author of love. He loves you, and He sent Jesus to come and save you. He knows that you’re not perfect and have sinned. That’s why Jesus came to die for our sins. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, God has taken your sin upon Himself and forgiven all of it: He accepts and loves you because you are His child and He is your Father.
We can also see God’s patient love throughout the Old Testament. When He commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and Jonah disobeyed Him, God was patient with Jonah. He saved and restored Jonah, even as He saved and restored the people of Nineveh.
The next time you sin, remember that God loves you so much that He sent Jesus. You can repent from your sin and rest in His patient love andforgiveness. ⦠Golda Dilema
⦠Do you sometimes fear what God is about to do to you when you make a mistake? In response to the sin of humanity, God did not condemn us. Instead, He sent Jesus to save and restore us by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. God loves you and wants wholeness for you. What might it look like to rest in this truth, even as you seek to follow God’s good ways?
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. Psalm 103:8 (CSB)
Read Verses:
Psalm 103:8-Psalm 103:14; John 3:16-John 3:17; 1 John 4:14-1 John 4:19
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