Liv'n'Hope

Dear Friends & Family,

I don’t know how many times I’ve longed to talk to you… to really talk to you. But I’ve always felt too terrified of messing everything up. You see, I didn’t want you to reject the message just because the messenger couldn’t deliver it very well. And, well, to be completely frank with you, I didn’t especially relish the thought of being shot like the proverbial messenger either.

But, I know that even if it’s interpreted in a different way to what I’d hoped, I have to deliver this message. And I’m going to do the best I can and simply trust that God will do the rest.

I want to you know that following Jesus truly is the best and most important decision you can make. Merely copying bits and pieces of His teaching because He was “a great moral teacher” won’t cut it. I mean, that robs Him of His greatest titles – Creator, King, Redeemer, Saviour, Son of God – and it also prevents you from enjoying the good things that come from knowing Him by those names.

Because:

• If you believe He created you, then He had a purpose for you and knows what is best for you.
• If He is King, then His promises and His word are law.
• If He is the Redeemer, then when you fail to do as He said, He provides a way for you to be forgiven and accepted into His kingdom. He gives you a new reason to live that’s bigger and better than any other you had before.

And when you love Him for who He is, all mere “morals” are eclipsed by Him because He is the embodiment of righteousness and holiness. All you want to do is stay close to Him so that He can make you more like Himself. So what is better: a gift, or the person who had wisdom to choose the best gift and loved enough to give it instead of keeping it to himself?

Yes, it’s scary (and kind of strange) when you lay down your own life before Him and say, “Do whatever You want” and “I’ll do as You say.” It really is. But the amazing thing is that He truly does make you into a new creation. He does exactly what He promises He will do. I’ve experienced it and I know many, many others who have, too.

He does exactly what He promises He will do… but how can you experience the positive side of His faithfulness to His word when you don’t believe half of what He said about Himself?

Take this example: it would feel like hell if you grew distant from an important person in your life simply because you did not trust their word. But, at the same time, they can’t be blamed for eventually saying, “How can we be friends when you act like you don’t even know me?”

Would it be right or fair for God drag people into Heaven who have consistently chosen Hell? Or can you honestly expect God to change who He is on your account? Do you want Him to be completely truthful or only faithful to half His promises?

No, you – and I – need to be changed. There’s no way of skirting around these issues. We will all have to face it at some point, so why wait any longer?

Sometimes I wonder whether people think that most Christians’ main motivation for getting up in the morning is so that we can afflict others with our holier-than-thou attitude or so that we can beat ourselves up with our own Bibles for “fun.” In some ways, that’s not too different from how people saw Jesus. By demonstrating His own righteousness, He showed the religious leaders for the hypocrites they were and then later – for apparently no rhyme or reason – allowed Himself to suffer a criminal’s punishment and death. But, as several hundred witnesses testified, He appeared to them again later – alive. The fact that He is who says He is and that He is alive and able to keep His promises – that’s our motivation.

And that’s also my motivation for writing this post. I want you to really know who God is and let Him show you His love.

Please let Him.

Sincerely,

Olivia xx