A Love Letter from Jesus

I’ve heard many say recently something along the lines of… “I can only do the best I can, loving others, treating people with kindness, and hope that it’s good enough to get me into heaven.” 

When we make statements like that, we are saying that we believe our place in heaven is due us because of OUR actions.  The truth is that our place in heaven is warranted because of CHRIST’S actions.  His death, burial and resurrection open the doors of heaven.  Nothing else can get us to heaven.  NOTHING. 

Jesus said, “I am THE way, THE truth and THE life.  No one comes to the Father but by ME.” [Emphasis mine.]  That means we cannot get to God through our good deeds or the kind, loving way we treat others.  We cannot “earn” the “mercy” of the Lord, but we are accountable to respond to God’s mercies with repentant, grateful, and obedient hearts.

Repentance , faith, gratefulness, and obedience – in light of the numerous mercies that we have experienced – are a RESPONSE to the gift of God’s salvation.  They are NOT a way to “earn” a place in heaven.  We do not “earn” a place in heaven.  But without repentance (a turning away from our sin), there will be no salvation.

Repentance is our “part” in the plan of salvation…Christ’s sacrifice is what provides that salvation.  Repentance is the only proper response to what He did.  It means we stop our sinful, human ways and respond by growing more Christlike…pure, righteous, holy…having the mind of Christ. 

Babies “grow” into adults…we give them time to stop their babyish ways.  But no one wants to see a grown man in a diaper sucking on a bottle.  And no one wants to see a mature Christian who is still faltering – playing with sin and thinking God will forgive him/her. 

A mature Christian demonstrates the “fruit” of that maturity.  He or she recognizes their sinful ways and says to God/Jesus… “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”  Failure to recognize we’re sinning doesn’t excuse us…it’s still sin and it keeps us from a relationship with God…for God and sin cannot be in the same place.  Our God is a holy and righteous God…a God who owes us nothing…but gives us everything through salvation.  The amazing thing is that our request for forgiveness is ALWAYS answered with His promised forgiveness…another reason to respond lovingly to a loving God.

This was a brutal week for me…brutal because I realized that I’ve been a lazy Christian.  I’ve allowed the great deceiver to do whatever he wanted to do while I stayed quietly in the background, loving God…inside my comfort zone.  This week I stepped into the world…and the world stepped ON me.  I received some wonderful encouragement from Christian friends (privately).  I also received some advice from well-meaning friends (privately) telling me that some things are better left unsaid.  But the best letter I received I found tonight.  I picked up the letter that God wrote for me long ago…the one that still lives today and applies to my life right now.  And I found a love letter of encouragement and strength and purpose.  And I discovered something.  GOD NEVER MEANT FOR HIS CHILDREN TO BE SILENT AND NOT ROCK THE BOAT.  While He was all about love, He was continually rocking the boat everywhere He went.  He SPOKE the truth of His Father…and was hated for it by many.  Eventually that hatred was used to facilitate His sacrifice for our sins. 

But I want to share with you the beautiful letter I found in His Word (and yes…these came straight from the red letters…the words of Christ).  And I pray that my Christian friends who read this letter will find the inspiration and encouragement I’ve found to press on to the good work and the high calling of Christ.  Satan tried his best this week to distract me from the calling of God on my life to go and tell and teach and make disciples.  But God’s Word…the two-edged sword…has put satan’s tactics to rest in my life.  He is the true enemy in my life… and I recognize it and call him for what he is…a liar and deceiver and discourager and distracter.  Thank You, Lord, that Your Word is true and reveals You and Your purposes for my life.  I love you, Lord.  Here’s the letter I found this evening.

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My dearest child, Lauren:

You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.  You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.  Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.  Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.  Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.  Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.  Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.  You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.  You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.  And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.  In a word, what I'm saying is, grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.  Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.  When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.  Don't be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don't hesitate to go public now.  Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.  Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?  Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me. If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me. We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it.

Jesus