22ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God is on our side. He sent Jesus to become one of us so that we could spend eternity with him. He has given us the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we can live a life pleasing to him. These are such comforting truths, and yet we can sometimes lose sight of them. We can end up thinking, acting, and praying as if God has destined us for wrath and not for salvation.

How? By failing to remember God’s true character. Even when we aren’t fully aware of it, we might sometimes imagine God as a severe judge who is in the business of condemning people. We hear a harsh voice in our heads saying, “You keep messing up—what’s wrong with you?” Or “I know you’re not really a good person; it’s just a façade.” And if we’re not careful, we mistake this for the voice of God.

But that’s not how God speaks to us! He’s not waiting to catch us at every turn so that he can tally up our mistakes. He is a loving Father who wants to relate to us as any good parent would—out of love, not fear. He isn’t condemning us; he’s rooting for us. He’s in the business of encouraging and building up, not tearing down.

And when we do “mess up,” our heavenly Father is waiting for us to come to him so that he can cover us with his mercy. He isn’t out to punish us; he knows that the consequences of our sin—our distance from him, any suffering or ill effects of our sin—are punishment enough. He doesn’t want to make us feel even worse. He knows all the times we try hard to follow him. Instead, he opens his arms to receive us. He heals the pain brought about from our sins and gives us grace for the future.

Are there times you have struggled with that harsh voice in your head and think that’s how God sees you? Imagine the Father as he really is: the God who wraps his arms around you and says, “You are my precious child. I love you and I forgive you.”

“Father, when I hear that negative voice in my head, remind me that it’s not coming from you.”

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
Luke 4:31-37
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11

WORD AMONG US