It's All True!

I love this sign. I love the message because it is so not what my religious mind would come up with. I would want to paint a "spiritual" picture with flowery, King James words ( those who defend the KJV as the only word, don't be offended by this). Is there a danger in this message?
There could be. I think I know what the minds behind it were trying to say..that God is a loving God, and that he totally knows what trouble our humanity gets us into. The one thing missing is that he doesn't excuse bad behavior ( or in this case goofy behavior).

God is patient. God is long suffering. God is totally for all people to come to a saving knowledge of who he is. Truth is, you and I both know that this isn't going to happen. Due to our goofy humanness, some will continue down a path of self-centered, I-am-the-captain-of-my-own-ship life. Does God love those who choose this way any less? No...but his love is balanced with a truth that scares us at times. God is God! That means that he really does hold all the cards. We get into heaven by his permission and his way. Sounds harsh but not when you really stop and take a look at it.

We, humanity, are dying of a terminal disease. Sin! It has affected our brains and has caused us to think in ways that are contrary to God's plans. Sin has affected our hearts and created in us desires for things that are not good for us. Things that will destroy our bodies, our minds, and worst of all, the eternal spirit placed inside of us by God.
God realizing the destruction that sin brings to his creation, came up with and implemented the plan to restore and save humanity from this sin disease. Knowing that sin was so powerful and that it would take perfection to break the power of it, God sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price. I guess you could call Jesus the ultimate scapegoat, paying for something he didn't do. Jesus left the best digs ever....the throne room of heaven, to come down here. He took on the form of man and lived among us for 33 years. Scoping everything out and teaching in our time and space, Jesus spoke about a place beyond anything our minds could comprehend...heaven. He laid out the plan on how to get there. He shared how this new Kingdom would operate and what would be expected of us. He also read us the fine print of what we could expect if we continued on in our selfish-sin-centered lives. (Note to self: Hell is not that appealing).

Jesus became the door or entry way into this new life. Even though heaven was the destination, the journey was the most important part. Living life here on this planet, Jesus said we could have life abundant. Abundance not measured out in dollars and cents or denari and pennies or what ever the currency du'jour is. He went on to say that those who accepted this plan (a term he called being "born again") would receive direction through an imparting of someone who would come and comfort us and guide us through the pitfalls of life here. That someone would be the Holy Spirit. Wow! Not only are we saved! Not only do we now have the right to enter through Jesus into the heavenly realm, but now we are given a spiritual compass and guide who will teach us and show us how to live a "zero-sin" life. How cool is that?

That is why for the past 49 years I have chased this life daily (not always successfully I might add). Through dark times and dark places where I got off the road and in glorious times where faith and emotion collided to the point that I felt like could explode. Jesus has been and will continue to be the one constant in my life. He alone possesses the power and ability to pull me back to center when I drift off course. He alone has patience with me when I wander off to look at the trinkets and baubles of the world.
He is God.
I am not.

Sweet Revelation!

God on you......

mb