Skye Jethani relates a story about holding a series of meetings with college-aged students. The topics ranged across the spectrum--doctrine, hell, dating--but each conversation had three rules: be honest, be gracious, and be present.
On one night the students wanted to discuss habitual sins. Although they struggled with a variety of sinful behaviors, they all agreed on one thing: God was extremely disappointed with them.
One student said, "My parents were students at a Christian college in the early '90s when a revival broke out .... They were on fire for God. And here I am consumed by sin day after day."
Often through tears, many other students shared similar stories about how they believed God must be disappointed with them.
After listening to their stories, Jethani asked, "How many of you were raised in a Christian home?" They all raised their hands. "How many of you grew up in a Bible-centered church?" All hands stayed up.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jethani said, "You've all spent eighteen or twenty years in the church. You've been taught the Bible from the time you could crawl, and you attend Christian colleges, but not one of you gave the right answer. Not one of you said that in the midst of your sin God still loves you."
Do you have your days when you can relate to the students in the story? Are there times when you think that God is extremely disappointed in you for the things that you have done. Does it ever feel like you may not make it spiritually?
On days when we feel like that, it can be a great temptation to think that God is so disappointed with us, that He gets disgusted.
The Bible says that God is bigger than that. Make no mistake about it, God hates sin. Sin separates us from God, and God is love.
These are BIG thoughts to contemplate, but they are worth the time and effort that it takes to meditate on them.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
