Every now and then the "doom and gloom" Christians seem to speak out a little more prominently than usual. Their favorite phrases are things like: "If your pastor doesn't make you feel bad, he (and most of them wouldn't ever consider a "she") isn't doing his job." Or, "'Feel good Christianity' is false doctrine." Or "We must fear God and his coming wrath!"
Granted... Jesus has some hard words for us, but he also has plenty of "feel good" words.
Remember the Beatitudes? (Matthew 5). "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven!"
Matthew 7: Do not worry, your Father loves you and will give you what you need. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Matthew 9: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." And "Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you."
Matthew 11: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
John 3: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son... For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
John 6: I am the bread of life. he who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Mark 10: "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
And this is just what I made time to look for. The "Gospel" means the "Good News" not the depressing news or the scary news or the guilty news or the condemning news... the "Good News." And you know what? Good news make me "feel good!"
More than anything, God wants us to know that he loves us and forgives us. When we really GET that, we also GET the hard stuff... much more naturally. We don't have to work at doing good works or work at loving others or even feel guilty when we fail. It all comes because we love what God loves and want to be more like him. We can't get it right all the time, and God doesn't want us to be miserable over that fact. He wants us to accept his forgiveness and get on with it.
When we hear the "hard stuff" in the light of the Good News, the "hard stuff" is just the stuff our hearts are already striving for... or it should be if we truly love God more than we love ourselves.
No, I will NOT be afraid or guilt-ridden or depressed. I know the Good News, so I will feel good!
Lord Jesus,
You came in part to remind us how much God loves us. You came not to condemn us but to save us! Let us be joyful in the Good News! Amen.
Joys: God's love; Lauren and Brandon's wedding; open-window weather
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