God is not mad at you!!

Here I am again. I am so completely fed up with religion. Not my relationship with Jesus, just religion. Rules, laws, self imposed unreasonable expectation, control and manipulation....religion. Ok, my version of what that means. Don't get offended. Please don't get too caught up in semantics. You know what I mean. Whatever you want to call it, I can see how much it has injured people. I can see how much we injure one another and ourselves! That was never His intent. God doesn't love that way. God isn't waiting on the other side of that bush with a baseball bat ready to let you have it if you make a mistake. He really had to remind me of that again today. He has to remind me of that often. I can go there so easily. I tend to come before Him cowering and fearful ready for a good slap down. I tend to forget about my relationship with Him and go back to trying to "perform" to meet what I think are His expectations. I think I do that with others at times too. Both in expectation of them and of myself.

Do you want to please God? Love Him and love others, that is all. Really. Not rocket science. In loving him your motives will be altered. In loving Him it becomes about Him, not you. You will make mistakes but you won't want to do anything that would hurt Him or cause Him disappointment. He knows that heart and that is the heart that pleases His!

Does God get disappointed with us? Yes. Is He mad at times? Yes....not at His children, but at our behavior. We can make him downright furious. Do your kids actions make you mad sometimes? Mine do! Do I toss them away when they anger me? No, they are my kids! I may not like what they do, but I love them. Come boldly before the throne! Come like a child, not an enemy. Come expecting His love, grace, mercy and forgiveness!

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

If someone came before me with an attitude like, "I know you are a harsh person and not a loving individual so I really don't expect much from you, but would you get me out of this tight spot I am in?", how do you think I'd feel? How would you feel? How do you think the heart of God feels when we come to Him like that? I think He feels hurt and completely misunderstood. God is not mad at you! He is not mad at me. He may be hurt about some of the choices we make, but understand my friend that God deeply, deeply loves you.

Galatians 5

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

More Than A Conqueror