I'm a writer in love with Jesus; He suffered the penalty for my sins, adopted me to be a child of God, and offers a future with Him that's so beautiful that I live dreaming of it! But somehow, as a child, the depth of my relationship with Him began with this:
I saw a glimpse of the wrath of God. It terrified me.
... Today, that turned into my greatest dream.
My biggest fear as a child was the return of Jesus.
I read accounts like Pilgrim's Progress of people left behind and facing the wrath of God; there were even times I'd be alone in the house for a moment, wondering where my siblings or parents had gone, and I'd flittingly wonder if I'd missed the rapture. ;)
The thought of the end times terrified me. I pictured red skies, lightning flashes, and a Judge-God saying I hadn't done enough to be saved.
That's when I cried out to Jesus that I wanted to love Him, know Him, and follow Him because of intimacy.
Everything changed.
It wasn't in a moment, a week, a month. There were years of seeking and praying. Jeremiah 29:11-13 became my life verse. Then I found a God of deep, intimate love who created me, hand-picked the gifts He had for me, heard and answered my prayers, spoke to me through the Holy Spirit, and forgave me.
Jesus revealed Himself to me. That beauty transformed my life!
I came to understand John 3:16,
For God so loved... that He gave.
Jesus became my Best Friend and the Love of my soul!
He made 1 John come alive,
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
There is a Day of judgment coming, and God's wrath is serious.
I read verses like this one, and it used to terrify me. Now it doesn't.
That day will be a day of wrath—a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness—
In Isaiah, he describes the Day of the Lord (the day Jesus returns to rule as King):
Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man's heart will melt,
And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth...
Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy its sinners from it...
"I will punish the world for its evil...
"I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place."
The wrath of God is serious.
And I deserve it.
I deserve His punishment. Before I surrendered to Him, I willingly chose to disobey the King of the Universe, so even the good things I'd done were like filthy rags before Him!
But Jesus.
^^^ That truth changed my life.
I fell at the feet of Jesus, and He willingly exchanged His righteousness for my sin.
That's why I'm not terrified of the Day of judgement. I don't have to face the wrath of God because Jesus declares that I belong to Him! I now have a beautiful fear or respect for Him—even more than before—but it's like how a child respects her daddy who does have power to punish... but would do so only out of love. And he also could beat up bad guys to keep her safe. ;)
The fear of God and the love of God are beautiful when tied together!
Why would I be afraid of my King returning when He is the Love of my soul?
God must destroy evil. Yet He yearns for every soul to come into relationship with Him, surrendered and loyal (1 Timothy 2:4)!
And for the heart in love,
We also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Day of the Lord is beautiful for His children! It's a day of rest from sorrow, fear, and bondage (Isa 14:3). It's a day when death and tears are eradicated (Isa 25:8). Of the humble and poor being filled with joy (Isa 29:19) Of healing (Isa 29:18, 30:26). Of the earth's restoration (Isa 35).
That spurs me on to faithfulness and loyalty! Our works will be judged and rewarded, so I get to live today awaiting that Kingdom and my King Jesus!
This is what the followers of God were thrilled about, from the Old Testament, New, and today!
The immense power of God leading to godly fear and love changed my life, and it's what I'm passionate about. Hence, you'll see it peeping into my poetry, novels, and blog posts here. ;) I can't help it. ;)
And I encourage you:
If Jesus' return, death, or judgement terrifies, you, don't stop there.
You're invited to be a child of God. So dig into Him, cry out to Him, seek Him, surrender your life to be a sold-out lover!
Pray for an understanding of both the fear and love of the Lord because finding Jesus changes everything. Literally.
This is a favorite quote from The Torch Keepers that reminds me of God's deep love as Father talks with his long-awaited, wayward daughter,
"We can't leave without you."
I raised my stiff jaw toward Father's face. "You already did. You left me that day in the desert. You turned around and left without saying goodbye." My voice rose to a shrill cry. "Why is this any different?"
Tears lingered in his eyes. "My child," he said, "that was the hardest thing I ever did."
You're invited to have a relationship with a powerful God who pursues you and loves you more than we can comprehend, and He'll come as Judge and King and Bridegroom on a future Day!
May we be Kingdom-visioned warriors. ♥
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Wow, this is so good! Praise God. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post Sister!💕💕
ReplyDeleteWhat an encouragement, to press on in our task, as we live for Him Who died that we might live, not in fear, but in love and in trust!