When Christ gives up on us?

When is it enough? When does God or Jesus decide we are no longer worth saving? What happens if we make just one too many mistakes? Even if we repent, beg forgiveness and are sincere? Does he just get to the point when he would say, "I will atone for everyone else but you, you are not worth saving?"  

In everything I could research, I couldn't find that line when God gives up. I couldn't find that place where we are never wanted back. I didn't find a spot in the atonement where it says, "I died for everyone, but not for you." 

I found lots about confessing and forsaking. I found lots about loving one another and being forgiving ourselves. 

I found tons of information about trusting God and not withholding our love and support from our fellow men. I never saw a place where they said to exclude a person who wants to repent.  Always God draws a line about not accepting sin, but absolutely no evidence that he rejected the person.  He wants us to leave our sin behind and follow him. 

I had a friend recently tell me that they feel like God wouldn't want them back because they had slipped back into transgression.  We are both parents of two kids each so I asked, "which child would you want to give up, if they made a mistake?" 

It's not God who tells us that we are unworthy, or that we have gone too far to come back. He is a wise and loving parent.  Even if we have never had the loving protection of our earthly parents, he is still there. He knew we would stumble and fall. He knew we would make mistakes and that we would need the atonement. Christ suffered every loss, sin, discouragement, pain, addiction, crime and heartache. He did this so he could help us through it. He knew our choices would bring us physical and spiritual pain. He willingly climbed into that dark pit of despair to help us climb out. That climb requires effort on our part but he knows the way and he won't leave us alone. 

So to my friend who thinks that God won't want them anymore. Of course he does! We may be rejected by our fellow men, but men and women don't see the full picture and they make mistakes. Our worth is infinite and eternal. That means he ALWAYS wants us and we are always of value.  No matter what!

So don't give up! You are loved and wanted. Run to him! Trust in him! Ask him in prayer. You and I are both sinners and we are both worth saving. 

Love, Lori

 

Listening to God

In class we have been reading Helaman 10-16 this week and it has brought up a lot of sadness and compassion for me. 

  

The sadness I feel is over the prophet of those days in the Book of Mormon pleading with the people to be good, but  his prayers fell on deaf ears.  Then he pleads with God to spare them. Then when he sees the sword about to fall on his people, he asks God to send a famine and just to humble them, to save them from being killed. Chapter 11 God sends the famine, they repent and that helps for a time. Over and over again, the people return to their sins. 

It seems like a never ending cycle. The part that made me incredibly sad is that I see that pattern happening in the world today.

The people are trusting in money, their own strength, pride, coveting and fewer people are turning to God. I am really worried that the direction the world is going in. Are the prophets right now begging God not to let our enemies wipe us out? Maybe our leaders are praying for a famine or a plague instead? 

I see love and compassion failing and greed growing. I see people not helping each other because it doesn't line their own pockets. So many choose money as their idol. I see people coveting tv stars wealth, bodies or fame. Not being thankful for what you have leaves you empty. Not saying thank you to God makes you not appreciate where your blessings come from. 

The devil won't support us. He won't protect us or defend us. He is a coward. He wants us to be miserable like he is. He teaches us to be jealous of others. He teaches us to hate our bodies. If you notice the trends in fashion, one year big bums are popular. In a few years, it will be big boobs. After that, the trends will change and it will be anorexia in style. It's ever changing to get us to be unhappy and to waste our money to never be satisfied. 

We really should be working harder to forget ourselves. It's not all about us. It's about loving God and loving our neighbors.  True disciples of Christ will only take the basic care of their temporal needs. We have to be good stewards of our homes and bodies but they don't go to excess for the praise of man. 

The opinion of God should matter so much more than the opinions of friends, family or strangers. We should be working on impressing Him. 

We all want to be liked and to get along with others. We don't want to be hated or to get negative attention. It seems like the divide is getting wider, where there won't be a way to avoid having to prove whom we will follow. We have to choose where we stand. 

I hope to always be on the right side of God. I will always be kind to my fellow men, but I will stand up for what is right no matter what the consequences. I am not blindly following my church, I am not blindly following anyone. I am growing and learning to trust God. My life has been so much better since I decided to seek after him. I never want to go back! He is making more of my life than I ever dreamed I could. 

It's a gradual change but it is an important one. I'm so much more comfortable in my own skin, then I was before I started choosing to follow God. His peace is worth any opposition I can face in my life. 

Love, Lori