What If?
Our days are fast paced and filled with all kinds of "stuff". In our democratic society we like to think that we freely choose what our priorities are, but the reality is we are bombarded with messages since the moment we are born. Because of our God-given free will and our sinful nature we do a very good job of filtering through those millions of messages and latch on to the ones that we are strongly drawn to.
When we have loving parents around us they try to filter out many of the messages that, while we may feel strongly drawn to, they know from experience are actually very harmful to us. They do this out of love for us because they cannot stand to see us endure pain and suffering. The problem with relying solely on our parent's filter is that they are human and therefore can succumb to the pressures that surround all of us. Whether that be the repetition of hearing or seeing something over and over until it becomes the "norm" or simply playing on our own weaknesses blinding us to the real harm. The devil is very good at deceiving us. Once this society structure is undermined it all starts spiraling out of control. The new "norm" is established at an ever increasing rate. This is exactly what we are seeing being played out in our world today.
God created us with a free will so that we could passionately thrive in His creation, but it didn't take us long to turn from Him by listening to the messages of deceit from the devil. So as a loving Father He provided us with His Word in the Scriptures to be our message filter. For us to know what path to take, which voice to listen to so that we may experience life to its fullest even in the midst of a fallen world. To know the true love of our Father in Heaven and be filled with the hope & promise of eternal life with Him.
God's Word, His filter for us never changes. In His perfection He knows our every weakness and the harm it will do if we choose that path. Every Easter we are reminded just how much God loves us. When His Words were not enough instead of giving up on us He sent His Son Jesus to literally bring "God alive" for all to witness firsthand. To bring His words to life so we could experience them using our own senses. To know that He is real and that He truly loves us. That His Words are meant to keep us on the path that leads us home to Him. Jesus in His perfection was rejected because the people listened to the wrong message. He endured the pain, suffering and death for our sins so we may stand pure before God the Father on that final day of judgment. He didn't have to come to Earth, He didn't have to show us His love and provide us His perfect guidance. He certainly did not have to endure dying on the cross for the redemption of all our sins. We need to stop what we are doing in our hectic lives and ponder the thought of "What if Jesus was just too busy to care about us".
It is time to rethink our priorities before it is too late. Pick up that Bible and bring back God's filter for your life. He will make it very clear which messages you should be trusting in and which ones to permanently delete! Then start showing love to others like Jesus did. Through doing simple acts of kindness you can easily introduce others to the true message of the Lord. God's love and grace through Jesus are freely given to all and by doing these kind acts you can give all others a small taste of what these gifts are like. Something that cannot be bought or earned at any price. A "Connect Card" helps deliver this message and on the back you provide your church information where they know they are welcome to come and learn more of this special love that Jesus has for them. Like God's grace the P.A.C.K. (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) program is totally free. Just sign up at: https://acts18.org/christian-kindness/ and the link to the program will be immediately sent to your e-mail address. God Bless your Easter Season!