AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH

 

Jesus gave many illustrations when He taught the people. One such time was when He taught them about His Second Coming. Regarding a specific date of His return, He told them, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36).

However, He made it clear how it will happen. He said, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day” (Matthew 24:37). What happened in Noah’s day? Why was it an appropriate illustration?

The story of Noah was well known to the people; it was a story they could relate to and understand. Jesus reminded them of what happened, to make sure they could see the parallel between it and His Second Coming. He told them, “In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. The people didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:38-39).

So, in what ways will the Second Coming be like Noah’s day? Noah’s generation was exceedingly wicked: so wicked that it broke God’s heart! He responded by confiding in Noah, telling him, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out with the earth!” (Genesis 6:13). Then He gave Noah instructions to build a boat to preserve his family of eight and a pair (male and female) of every animal, and seven pairs of every kind of bird and animal that were for consumption and sacrifice (see Genesis 7:1-3). Noah did as he was told.

After the boat was completed, Noah and his family and the animals boarded, and God closed the door behind them. Seven days later, it started to rain. It rained for forty days and nights, resulting in a deep flood that destroyed every living thing (see Genesis 7:23-24).

Jesus’ illustration was meant to teach His audience and us to be constantly ready for His Second Coming; it will be unannounced! With the exception of Noah and his family, everyone else on earth perished. Prior to the flood, they kept up their usual routine and evil lifestyles, as if nothing was ever going to change. Then suddenly, the rain and flood came; the boat was closed and they had nowhere to go for safety. It was too late!

The scriptures say, “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). This is your opportunity to be saved and have your name recorded in the Book of Life for security (see Revelation 20:15).

Are you all set for when Jesus returns or when you die? If you’ve never repented and asked God for forgiveness, this is your chance to do that. Nobody knows when either event will happen; only God knows! Don’t let either one take you by surprise; you won’t be able to do anything about it then, just like Noah’s world couldn’t do anything about their situation.

Jesus will come back when we least expect Him; may He find our names in the Book of Life and may we be living in obedience and looking eagerly for His return.

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CHRISTIAN, DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE IN THIS WORLD

 Being comfortable in life is an indication of contentment with the status quo, and needing nothing else to feel fulfilled or accomplished. If you are comfortable, it probably means you’re in good health, have a good job, a beautiful family, and a loving church. And if occasional problems should surface, you could easily find solutions to them. Christian, your life might be going in the direction you want it to go, but do you see the direction our world is going, and are you satisfied with that? If you are, then we have a problem, and if not, what are you doing about it? What are you doing to advance the Kingdom of God? 

Let me just caution you, this world is not our permanent home; you are not supposed to feel at home here. We are just journeying through, so please don’t get too comfortable. If you get too comfortable, you will be choosing things of this world over God; you will forget about your real home, and stop looking forward to going there. In fact, the Scriptures tell us, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you” (1 John 2:15). On the other hand, if you don’t make this place your home, you’ll most likely focus on getting ready and making sure everything is in order for when the time comes for your home-going. 

While we are on this journey, we are also in training to become godly. The Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16 NLT). Nobody acquires skills without the proper training. We need to imitate the training routine of athletes as the Scriptures admonish us—they train hard, and with discipline. Whereas, in their case, only one person wins the prize in a race; in our case, we all get to win the prize--heaven! (See 1 Corinthians 9:24). We train through trials, difficulties, and God’s chastening. Our dependence on the Word of God and prayer as we respond to difficult and challenging situations helps us grow more and more in our relationship with God. 

Our success in the race will also require we get rid of whatever weight or hindrances could slow us down in running, like ungodly relationships and alliances, and bad habits. And should we fall during the race, we should get up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the race. The more determined we are to get to the finish line, the easier it will be to get rid of the unnecessary baggage that makes our run more difficult. 

So, what should we be doing while we wait for the call home?

● First and foremost, let’s make sure our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The only way our name would be in that book is if we have repented of our sins and placed faith in Jesus for salvation: “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” (Romans 3:25 NLT).

Once we are certain we are saved, we must obey. Obedience includes the following aspects of Christian living: 

● Prayer—We need to be in ongoing communication with God at all times because without Him we can’t do anything; we need His strength, wisdom, and direction. “Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He Has done. Then you will experience God’s peace” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Also, “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT), and “Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20 NLT).

● Bible reading—We can’t really obey God if we don’t know His will as revealed through His Word. We need to read and study it, and then ask for the grace to understand and obey it. The knowledge of the Word and obeying it bring about our transformation and the renewal of our minds. 

● Live holy lives—our lives should tell the world that we belong to Christ. We can demonstrate that through love for others and respecting authority in our environment. People might make fun of us sometimes, but let’s remember they made fun of our Lord as well. “Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you” (John 15:20 NLT). Jesus’ charge to us is, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16 NLT). It’s not enough to claim we know God; we have to show it by the way we live (see Titus 1:16). Jesus once warned His disciples, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21 NLT). Doing His will is key! Next, let’s live out our faith through obedience to the Scriptures. Our obedience is proof that we love the Lord (see 1 John 5:3). Our claim that we believe in Jesus should be coupled with obedience because, like mentioned before, only those who actually do the will of God will enter heaven. 

As we obey the Scriptures, we experience a gradual change that makes us more like our Lord Jesus, empowering us to think and act like He would. He has charged us, “don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2 NLT). 

● Love the church—the Church is the Body of Christ. We have a responsibility to love and care for other believers: “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 13:1). Peter encourages the same thing, “Now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart” (! Peter 1:22). And John reminds us, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar, for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has … this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers” (! John 4:20-21). 

● Do good works—Doing good works was God’s reason and purpose for creating us: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). The word ‘masterpiece’ is brilliant; the psalmist breaks it down when he says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That status in Christ has prepared us to do good works, so we have no excuse for not doing them. And actually, our acts of good deeds are an indication that our faith is alive: “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works” (James 2:26). When you are too comfortable here, you are most likely living selfishly, caring only about yourself, and do not have good deeds on your radar. 

● Allow our thoughts to be on things that are virtuous and praiseworthy. If we focus on our heavenly home, we will have a passion to live right, think right, and do right. The apostle Paul admonished the Philippians, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think of things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (4:8). 

● Witnessing—Jesus commands us the same way He commanded His early disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations …” (Matthew 28:19). The disciples took that command seriously, and so should we. “The disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them …” (Mark 16:20). When was the last time you shared the gospel with another person or prayed for someone to come to salvation? Do you care that people are dying without Christ, facing God’s judgment and condemnation someday? Let’s get diligently involved with God’s mission—the reason He came to earth—to snatch mankind from the jaws of sin and death.

If you are not taking these responsibilities seriously, it means you are too comfortable here; please reevaluate your priorities and make the changes that will put you on the path to waiting eagerly for our Savior’s return. 

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BACKSLIDER, YOU'RE LOVED: COME BACK HOME!

What is backsliding? Backsliding is also known as falling away or committing apostasy. It is a term used within Christianity to describe when an individual who has come to faith in Christ reverts to pre-conversion habits or falls into sin and stays in it. It is when a person turns from God to pursue their own desires and pleasures.

God created us for Himself and loves to maintain an ongoing relationship with us. He knows what’s good for us, and He yearns for us to trust and obey Him. When we turn our back on Him in disobedience, we hurt Him. Since He is holy and hates sin, we leave Him no other choice except to punish/reprimand us to bring us back to the right path, He says, “I correct and discipline everyone I love” (Revelation 3:19 NLT).

Quite often in the history of the Israelites, we see where they turned their back on God to pursue the worship of idols, make decisions without consulting Him, or just disregard His instruction. For these reasons, He allowed them to be defeated by their enemies and sent them into captivity over and over again, with the expectation that they’d repent. He said to them, “My wayward children, come back to me, and I’ll heal your wayward hearts” (Jeremiah 3:22 NLT). Again, and again, He tried to woo them back, saying of them, “They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 37:23 NLT).

Reader, have you ever made a profession of faith by admitting to God that you are a sinner, and asking Him to please forgive you because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? If you did this sincerely, but have since then, over time, gone back to your former ways, you are a backslider. How did that happen? I’ll assume that whoever led you to faith in Jesus also encouraged you to seek Him through prayer and Bible reading, and fellowshipping with other Christians. That’s the only way you can grow in your knowledge of and relationship with Him.

Look back over your life, and you might be able to figure out what happened with your Christian walk. Most likely, you gradually stopped reading your Bible, stopped praying, stopped fellowshipping with other believers, and renewed relationships from the past, and resumed doing the wrong things you used to do. In short, you lost interest in the things of God.

When (if) you made that profession of faith, you became a new person with a new purpose: “He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ who died and was raised for them. … This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:15, 17). As you see, you chose to begin a new way of life, and the Bible admonishes us to “get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.” Instead, long for the food that will help you grow: “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness” (1 Peter 2:1-3). 

When you came to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit came to indwell you to help you to live right. If you ignore His voice and continue to do your own thing, pretty soon His voice is no longer audible to you. Remember that since you were saved from darkness, the devil’s camp: he will do all he can to get you back. The moment you became a Christian, you entered into an unseen battle with the devil and the powers of darkness. God, knowing what you are up against, designed a complete armor of protection for you. You need to wear it 24/7 to ensure victory in this war with the devil (see Ephesians 6:10-18). That is why the Word admonishes us to, “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.… These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17).  

So, where do we go from here? God says, “Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief” (Revelation 3:3 NLT). In other words, start the process all over— repentance, confession, and commitment! Jesus admonishes you to, “Be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (Rev 319-20). See, all is not lost; there is hope, but you have to respond now. What an awesome invitation! He will not hold your backsliding against you; He wants to share a meal with you! Are you ready, and are you going to open the door of your heart to Him? Wow! Despite your backsliding, He offers you the opportunity to come and sit with Him on His throne (see verse 21).

If you are reading this, it means it’s not too late, no matter what situation you are in. Whether you’ve backslidden or have never trusted Jesus for salvation, the answer is the same—repent and ask God for forgiveness, and mean it. Start or resume your walk of faith by reading and obeying the Word of God, praying, and seeking fellowship with other believers.

Please do that today! May God bless you!     

 

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CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE GRIEVING GOD'S HEART

To grieve is to feel the pain of mind or heart; to be in pain on account of evil, to sorrow, or to mourn. Grief is not something anyone inflicts on themselves; it is usually the result of another person’s behavior or one’s own unfortunate situation.

There are times when God grieves over the behavior of individuals and nations, and you may wonder why. It is because He is God, and He has given us commandments to live by so that we do not sin or make a habit of sinning. When we disobey, it grieves Him, and He is also grieved when He reprimands us for wrong-doing.

Thank God for the provision He’s made for us when we do sin-Jesus, our intercessor! “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1).

So, what are the things that really grieve God’s heart?

● Backsliding-That is when we no longer worship and serve Him like we used to: “I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do” (Zephaniah 1:6). How’s your relationship with God? Are you loving and serving Him the way you did when you first came to faith in Jesus? If your answer is “No,” then you are backsliding. You are lukewarm, and God is about to spit you out of His mouth (see Revelation 3:15-16).

● Idolatry-Affection and focus on things other than God: “They claim to follow the LORD, but they worship Molech, too” (Zephaniah 1:5). The Israelites worshiped all kinds of idols, and God chastised them numerous times for that. In our modern-day, we don’t necessarily bow down to worship images, but we do put other things ahead of God, like material things, power, and relationships. If anything is more important to you than God is, then you have a problem.

● Complacency-Being content with the status quo of ungodliness; making no effort to be godly. And for that, God says, “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the LORD will do nothing to them, either good or bad” (Zephaniah 1:12). Some think they can live however they wish after they’ve made a profession of faith; they don’t care about growing their relationship with God. Coming to faith is just the beginning of our new relationship with God, and He instructs us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We are admonished to feed on the Word of God like babies, so we can grow (see 1 Peter 2:2). Also, the apostle Paul admonishes us: “Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7). It is not enough to be saved; you need to grow!

● Living independently of God-Feeling self-sufficient; too proud to ask for help: “They no longer ask for the LORD’S guidance or seek my blessings” (Zephaniah 1:6). Do you ever feel self-sufficient, giving yourself credit for who you are and your achievements? That’s wrong! The Word tells us, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Whatever you are and have is by God’s grace, and He desires to bless you in more ways than you can ever wish for. God has plans for us, and the plans are not for evil but as the prophet Jeremiah says, they are “For good, to give us a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Throughout Scripture, we can see how God yearns to bless His people, especially looking at the history of the Israelites. God was always calling them back from their wayward ways so He could restore them, protect them from their enemies, and bless their crops and wine presses. What a loving God! Although it is our duty as His children/servants to obey Him, He blesses us all the same when we are obedient. He enjoys blessing us!

When by our disobedience we deny God the opportunity to bless us, it hurts Him, since His desire is to make us prosperous, happy, and free to love and serve Him. May He enable us to be obedient to Him so He can bless us. It gives Him great joy to see us succeed.

Maybe you didn’t know you’ve been grieving God’s heart by your disobedience, complacency, and idolatry. But now that you know, are you going to continue to grieve Him, or will you repent? It behooves all Christians to obey the instruction the apostle Paul gave Timothy: “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil” (2 Timothy 2:19). Amen! 

GOD’S GRACE and JUSTICE WORK TOGETHER

 

Some people think that, at the end of this life, God will weigh their good deeds against their bad deeds; their hope is that their good would outweigh their bad, and that would grant them entrance into heaven. There are others who don’t believe in God and think they will cease to exist when they die.

Both of these beliefs are wrong. Nobody is going to be weighing anything,  and besides, waiting until the end to find out if you qualify for heaven is very risky. What if you don’t qualify when that time comes? Would you go to hell for all eternity? Isn’t it better to know without a doubt you are going to heaven before that end comes?

And for those who think death ends it all, they will be very surprised to discover that they were incorrect, but will be unable to do anything about it. Those who believe there is no God as well as those who believe their good deeds will get them into heaven will both end up in the same undesirable place.

God is love, but He also hates sin; out of His love flow both grace and justice. But what are grace and justice? Grace is defined as God’s free and unmerited favor toward sinful humanity. Justice is the administration of law that determines what is right, based on principles of equity and correctness, and rewards accordingly.

The Bible says every single person is a sinner because we’ve all inherited a sinful nature from our original parents, Adam and Eve: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12). Since God hates sin (He is holy), He has to respond to it by separating Himself from us, which is the punishment His justice requires.

Out of His love for us, He provided a substitute, Jesus Christ, to take on our punishment to satisfy His justice. That process made grace available to us so that our sins can be forgiven. However, forgiveness is not automatic. In order to be forgiven, the person must acknowledge sin, repent, and plead for forgiveness. God then forgives on the basis of His grace. If a person never asks for forgiveness, he has by default elected to pay for his own sins through separation from God.

The Scriptures describe grace and justice like this: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God’s grace allows us to be forgiven to gain eternal life. On the other hand, if we don’t accept God’s grace, God’s justice will prevail, and the end result will be death—eternal separation from God after this life in hell.

To those who think their good deeds will come to their rescue, the Scriptures say, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things you have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If anyone got into heaven based on how much good they’d done, the world would never hear the end of their boasting. God took care of that. No boasting! If you want to go to heaven, repent of your sins and ask God for forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ who died in the place of sinners.

There are others who think there are other ways of getting into heaven. To those people, the Scriptures say, “I {Jesus} am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father {God} except through me” (John 14:6). This is very clear and straightforward; believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved; do anything else, and you will not be saved!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

HOW TO OBTAIN GOD’S MERCY

 

Our first question should be, what is mercy? Mercy is defined as a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion; withholding punishment or judgment. So, in short, God’s mercy is His act of withholding the punishment our sins deserve.

What is sin, and why does God have to punish sins? Sin is an offense against God or a transgression or rebellion against His laws. He punishes sins because He is holy and just, and cannot let sin go unpunished. All of mankind needs God’s mercy because every last one of us is a sinner. We are sinners because “When Adam {our ancestor}, sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12).

It’s clear now that we inherited our sinful nature from Adam and Eve, and the judgment they experienced - separation from God - was also passed on to us. God threw them out of the beautiful Garden of Eden. From that time on, they had to fend for themselves (see Genesis 3). The judgment for our sin is also separation from God: both here and now and, after we leave this world, in hell. Hell is a big problem because what goes on there -- torment -- never ends!

God, out of His love and mercy made the way of escape for us; He put His Only Son, Jesus, through what we should justly go through, so that we won’t have to. Jesus, the Son of God, who had no sin, paid for our sins, thus freeing us from God’s wrath. God’s provision of a substitute is the demonstration of His mercy.

How do we experience this mercy and forgiveness? Jesus’ sacrifice doesn’t cover anyone’s sins automatically; we each have to individually ask for forgiveness. There are no family or group tickets; each person is on his own. We each have to admit to God in prayer that we’re sinners, confess our sins, and turn away from them. Once we do, we will receive mercy. “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).  

Anyone who makes a sincere confession is forgiven, and God’s Holy Spirit comes to indwell that individual, guiding and directing his relationship with God from that point forward. This process is called the new birth; God has adopted us into His family and Jesus our Savior is our big brother. The Scriptures tell us that “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now that you have taken this step, you’ll need to grow in faith by feeding on the Word of God, the Bible: “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness” (1 Peter 2:3). The Scriptures say you are a new person, so of course, your life will be much different from what it used to be if you allow the Word of God to guide and lead you. “Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Just as a newborn gradually learns to communicate, you need to get into the habit of communicating with your heavenly Father daily and often. Eloquence is not a requirement for praying; God knows your heart and what you want to say. How you say it is not a concern, instead, He wants you to pray in faith, not doubting: “When you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

Do you have siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles? Do you ever get together with them and share life’s experiences? Well, guess what? God has placed you in His family of believers—the Church. Relate to them, get together, share experiences, and encourage each other. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17). And pray with and for each other.

Understand that God’s mercy goes beyond His forgiveness; it makes us citizens of His heaven! “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again because God raised Jesus from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:3-5). God is good!

GET ON GOD’S GOOD SIDE!

 

Getting on someone’s good or bad side means doing things that cause that person to like or dislike you. Have you ever experienced either of these with anyone? When you are on someone’s good side, they love you and probably everything you stand for. But if you get on their bad side, watch out; they could destroy you in any way possible. The reasons someone might like or dislike you are based mostly on their assessment of you: whether correct or incorrect. Quite often, there is nothing you can do to get from a person’s bad side to his good side. But you know, God also has a good side and a bad side, but switching from the bad to the good side is possible and encouraged.

God is the Creator of the universe and He knows everything, including what’s in our hearts that nobody else knows. That makes His assessment of us humans completely accurate. His assessment and declaration of us are this: we are all sinners, born that way (see Psalm 51:5). That puts everybody on His bad side. He is a holy God and wants nothing to do with sin. If the sin is taken away, however, we will get on His good side. How can our sin be removed? God has a solution for that; He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. His blood washes our sins away. He made provision for this because He loves us, “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

What we each has to do is admit to God that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness. He has promised to forgive if we confess our sins to Him: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all sin” (1 John 1:8-9). I have done that, and pray that you will do the same.

Meanwhile, I’ll give you an idea of what it is like to be on God’s bad side:

God is keeping His eye on everybody, including you (Prov 15:3).

God knows your heart (Prov 15:11).

God is angry with you every day (see Psalm 7:11).

God detests your sacrifices (see Proverbs 15:8).

He detests your ways (see Prov 15:9). 

God will pour out His anger on you if you don’t repent (see Hebrews 2:8-9).

Do any of these things concern you? I sure hope so, because they should. How can you not be concerned if God the creator is angry with you every single day? That’s frightening! You never know when He will bring judgment upon you in this life, but be sure that, after this life, you will remain on His bad side, and spend your forever life with the devil and his demons in hell (see Matthew 25:41).

As I indicated before, you don’t have to remain on God’s bad side; it is so easy to switch. Do this now and He will remove your sins from you as far as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 8:12). You will become His child and He will be your father forever and ever. Please, don’t let this opportunity pass you by; you don’t know when your last breath will be. Take this seriously and get on God’s good side!

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