July 31, 2015 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

God Liking You & Forgiveness

#7 in the series on forgiveness

Too often we do things that God is not pleased with. It might have nothing to do with obeying Him but in what we bring to Him or who we are. We think God will love us no matter what. Well, that is true with respect to who God is but is not true with respect to whom we are.

Cain and Abel are good examples of what God likes and dislikes. God had respect to Abel and liked what he did and his respect for what God wanted. Cain, on the other hand, did not respect God—His wishes or desires. He wanted God to accept him and what he did no matter what.

We often hear from the church that God will love and accept you no matter what and that is true within the context of repentance and forgiveness. If we are not wanting to change, or have the desire to change who we are in order to be like Christ then your and mine acceptance by God will never be realized.

I am reminded of the Scriptures what God said concerning Jesus, “This is my son, whom I am well pleased,” or the many other scriptures that state, ‘to please God, is our duty’.

God is not after robots; we have a choice—we have the option to please or not to please God. If we choose ourselves and believe that God must accept who we are and what we do, we will be greatly disappointed. You and I will never find forgiveness when we do wrong as Cain failed in finding forgiveness for killing his brother.

Cain accepted no wrong doing for his actions because he believed that God should have accepted who he was and want he brought to God. God warned him of ‘the sin that is at his door’. God knew that Cain was going to sin—he was headed down the path to destruction that Proverbs explains so well.

What forgiveness, make the appropriate steps to do things that are pleasing to God. Do not believe that God has to accept you as you are without becoming like Christ in attitude, actions, and abilities. I have forgiveness because I am leaving Steve at the cross and looking to God to become a Son of God—a different Steve—changed by the freedom found only in repentance and forgiveness. I am no longer who I was but finally found who I was always meant to be in Christ—a forgiven Steve!

WWJWMTD

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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