Falling Short in a Fallen World...

Falling Short in a Fallen World...

Danielle Joyner Kelley

March 21, 2009

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Since my early childhood I have struggled in my walk with God. It was tough, hard to understand, and I fell off my way more than I could ever write. Thank goodness, He never gave up on me!

For so long in church as a young child I learned that being a sinner was a horrible thing. Clearly it is. The consequences we have to live with from sin are hard to handle. It makes life difficult, hurts us deeply, and tears at our very inner core.

Yet as a child I had the impression that every time I sinned I was going to "hell". Because I was so prone to sin though and kept sinning, I decided I was not "worthy" enough for God and went backwards from my walk in Him.

I began to read the Bible at a young age trying to find the answers to my questions. Finally I learned the answer through the Bible, finally finding a wonderful church, and through my own life experiences. Now I can say I am a sinner, but I don't believe I am going to "hell".

The Bible tells us we are all sinners and none are righteous. When we think of that some of us think of the God of Wrath coming down to throw fire and brimstone on us and hold us accountable. When we think that way we discount the truth: there is a big God and He is full of Love.

God knows that the "flesh is weak". He knows we are born into a world of sin and rebellion. He knows we are human! Sin separates us from God because He is perfect. We cannot compare so our sin becomes a barrier between us and Him.

But God doesn't give up. Instead of saying that we are sinners and He knows that and He can't have anything to do with us, He sent Himself through His son Jesus to die for us and save us all. Talk about love!!

So often we think that we cannot have a relationship with Him because we are not "worthy" and that if we come to Him we will have to answer for everything bad we have ever done. Yes, we will have to answer, but not in a hateful and vindictive way that one might think. God holds us accountable, and when you are walking in Him daily you will feel the consequences of your sin every day. The Holy Spirit lives in you and will be the little voice saying "don't do it".

Accepting you are a sinner and knowing He loves you anyway is tough. But His love for us is a love that most of us have never known. It is unconditional, unbiased, everlasting, and unrelenting and most of all: totally forgiving!!

When we don't accept that He can forgive us as bad as we have been, we are basically telling Him that Jesus died in vain. That could never be true. Such an event to happen on earth could never have been for nothing. It was not for nothing - it was for YOU!!

The Bible describes His love for us over and over in one particular word: UNFAILING. You can NEVER make him love you more no matter what you do. Here is the best part - you also can NEVER make him love you any less. There is nothing you can do whatsoever to make Him not love you. He has loved you since before you were born and always will.

Love then is a given; however, having peace in life comes through daily devotion and faith. That is because when we sin we do bear the consequences. Just as we hold our children accountable for their actions, He does the same with us as well. When you ground your child, do you love them any less? No. But your child will not have peace because they are facing a restriction based on something they did wrong. When we do something wrong that peace fades a little for us too. It is hard to have peace with no obedience. A well disciplined household brings more peace because there are rules in place. However, the love is still there ALWAYS!!

His love for you is the starting point to come to Him daily and grow your faith in a way that will give you peace. Know that He loves you no matter what and no matter what you do He is still there. So often we feel so unloved and so unworthy. But in His eyes we are not. His love is UNCONDITIONAL. There are no strings - He just loves you. Imagine if we all loved each other that way.

So yes we sin, and we bear the consequence. But He does not forget you or love you any less. When you hear the voice saying that you are not "worthy" of His love because of who you are recognize that for what it is. And know this - that voice is NOT Him. It is our own self-doubt because we are sinners. That is one of the consequences we bear because of what we have done. And this is why the event of Christ's death and resurrection has to be paramount - it is how He demonstrated His love.

If you have an enemy who you feel is less than you and you are better than them, would you kill your child to save them? He did for you. He knows every sin you have committed or will commit. There is nothing you can hide from Him. Yet he has reached out himself to you to forgive you. If that is hard to accept then you must realize that the issue is not that He has not forgiven you. If He has not forgiven you, Christ would not have had to die. The issue is more that you do not forgive yourself. If your creator can forgive you, who are you to keep beating yourself up? Who are you to say to God, "You may forgive me, but I can't forgive myself even though Your Son died a horrible death to save me?". Let it go, and know you are loved.

Embrace the qualities of that love, and search for people you can demonstrate that love towards here on earth. But here is the trick with those relationships - you have to understand His love for you first. Always put Him as your target, and you will find the peace you so richly deserve.