Dear JTS, i hope that you are feeling better, because you are a great person! I remember that a couple of Bible Studies ago you were talking of how you felt that God was never pleased with you and that no matter what you did you just felt that you were doing a horrible job as a Christian, well i was reading this book by Max Lucado(A Love Worth Giving) and i read this letter from a missionary that reminded me of your feelings. I guess i'll just type out the letter and what Max Lucado said, i think you would like to hear it. Hope it helps! Always here, ~jocelyn
Cain gave up. He gave up on God. He gave up on his ability to please him. And he took it out on Abel. Cain would have related to the frustration of the struggling missionary who wrote:
"God's demands of me were so high, and His opinion of me was so low, there was no way for me to live except under his frown...All day long He nagged me: 'Why don't you pray more? Why don't you witness more? When will you ever learn self-discipline? How can you allow yourself to indulge in such wicked thoughts? Do this. Don't do that.'...When I came down to it, there was scarcely a word or a feeling or a thought or a decision of mine that God really liked."
...The chinese language has a great symbol for truth. The word for righteousness is a combination of two pictures. On the top is the lamb. Beneath the lamb is a person. The lamb covers the person. Isn't that the essence of righteousness? The Lamb of Christ over the child of God? Whenever the Father looks down on you, what does he see? He sees his Son, the perfect Lamb of God, hiding you. Christians are like their ancestor Abel. We come to God by virtue of the flock. Cain came with the work of his own hands. God turned him away. Abel came, and we come, dependent upon the sacrifice of the Lamb, and we are accpeted. Like the Chinese symbol, we are covered by the Lamb, hidden in Christ. When God looks at you, he doesn't see you; he sees Jesus. And how does he respond when he sees Jesus? He rends the heavens and vibrates the earth with the shout, "You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you."(Mark1:11)
The missionary was wrong.
We don't live under the frown of God. We stir an ear-to-ear smile of joy. "He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."(Zephaniah3:17)
Through Christ God has accepted you! "Your life is now hidden with Christ in God." - Colossians 3:3
I remember that a couple of Bible Studies ago you were talking of how you felt that God was never pleased with you and that no matter what you did you just felt that you were doing a horrible job as a Christian, well i was reading this book by Max Lucado(A Love Worth Giving) and i read this letter from a missionary that reminded me of your feelings. I guess i'll just type out the letter and what Max Lucado said, i think you would like to hear it. Hope it helps! Always here, ~jocelyn
Cain gave up. He gave up on God. He gave up on his ability to please him. And he took it out on Abel. Cain would have related to the frustration of the struggling missionary who wrote:
"God's demands of me were so high, and His opinion of me was so low, there was no way for me to live except under his frown...All day long He nagged me: 'Why don't you pray more? Why don't you witness more? When will you ever learn self-discipline? How can you allow yourself to indulge in such wicked thoughts? Do this. Don't do that.'...When I came down to it, there was scarcely a word or a feeling or a thought or a decision of mine that God really liked."
...The chinese language has a great symbol for truth. The word for righteousness is a combination of two pictures. On the top is the lamb. Beneath the lamb is a person. The lamb covers the person. Isn't that the essence of righteousness? The Lamb of Christ over the child of God? Whenever the Father looks down on you, what does he see? He sees his Son, the perfect Lamb of God, hiding you. Christians are like their ancestor Abel. We come to God by virtue of the flock. Cain came with the work of his own hands. God turned him away. Abel came, and we come, dependent upon the sacrifice of the Lamb, and we are accpeted. Like the Chinese symbol, we are covered by the Lamb, hidden in Christ. When God looks at you, he doesn't see you; he sees Jesus. And how does he respond when he sees Jesus? He rends the heavens and vibrates the earth with the shout, "You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you."(Mark1:11)
The missionary was wrong.
We don't live under the frown of God. We stir an ear-to-ear smile of joy. "He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."(Zephaniah3:17)
Through Christ God has accepted you!
"Your life is now hidden with Christ in God." - Colossians 3:3
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