Many people I’ve talked with are convinced that God is an angry, mean father somewhere in heaven who is in a very bad mood because his children are misbehaving. And like every wise child who is misbehaving who thinks he/she will “really get it” from dad, he/she will avoid dad’s presence and distance themself from him to keep from being punished.
It is unfortunate that God is sometimes perceived that way because that is not how the Bible describes the heart of God and misses the deep love that God has for all people.
Consider the following scripture:
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7
Notice these verses: 1. They are an invitation to seek the Lord, to call out to him for help, making special note that he is both available and near; 2. They give clear direction for repentance, to forsake and leave one’s current course of life, intentions and imaginations. 3. They also give clear direction to “turn to the Lord our God and his ways!”
The next verse is the key to seeing the heart and love of God: And he will have mercy on them; for he will abundantly pardon. Mercy and pardon, compassion, love, pity, forgiveness… does that sound like the mean, angry father… or a loving, forgiving father whose heart of love calls out to his “misbehaving children” encouraging them to turn from sin and return to the father’s open arms of fellowship?
Father God loves you. If there are areas of your life that need to be changed, seek Jesus and welcome the power of the Holy Spirit to make the changes, and “turn to the Lord God” and he will have mercy and greatly pardon you – seek him now!
Pastor Louis J. Locke is founding pastor at Carson City Foursquare Church.
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