Surely, He is responsible for all the pain.

How can that be true if we also see that God is the creator, the source of beauty, love and joy?

What if we have drawn conclusions based on some things we see and have been taught, only to discover that it’s not true?

Let’s go back thousands of years, when the God of the universe describes Himself…

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

– Exodus 34: 5-7a –

What is God like?

Compassionate

Gracious

Loving

Forgiving

Faithful

These are the qualities that God chooses to emphasise when introducing himself to us. Yet, this does not mean that he takes sin and rebellion lightly. And he is not indifferent toward injustice. He can and will end all evil.

“Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.”

– 1John 3:5 –

The Problem

The problem is, all of us have rebelled and have sin our hearts. Sin is anything that we say, think or do that is not pleasing to God, and our sins separate us from God. The pain we experience in our lives is caused by this sin and separation.

But there is good news…

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

– 1 John 4:9-10 –

Jesus is the Son of the one true and living God. He lived a sinless life and then he sacrificed his life by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we can be forgiven. By God’s power, Jesus was raised from the dead, defeating death itself. And we are offered eternal life with him if we will only accept and trust him as our Saviour.

So what does it all mean?

This revelation of the character and nature of God, who both judges sin and desires to forgive, is set before our eyes in the account of Jesus who died to pay for our sins and defeat all evil.

Rather than identifying God as the source of all pain, we are confronted with the truth that it is God who is the source of all joy, peace and love.

Because Jesus became the payment for our rebellion, we can experience God’s love and mercy now in this life, and we can look forward to eternal life with him.

If you are ready to trust Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, all you have to do is reach out and talk to him. You can pray something like this:

“Dear God, thank you for your love for me. I realize that there are thoughts, words and actions in my life that are not pleasing to you, but I believe that Jesus Christ died in my place to forgive me of my sin so I can know you personally. I open my heart and ask you to live within me, helping me to live a life that is pleasing to you. I promise to worship only you as the one true, living God. Thank you for your love, for your forgiveness and for your promise of eternal life with you when this life is over. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”

Did you pray this prayer today?

Yes

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