God Is Not Mad at You or Me

Good morning,

Steve and I just returned from 48 hours in New York. We had so much fun spending a short time, filled with friends we love!

We had a speaker one night, Danny Meyer, talk about hospitality. Danny owns several restaurants in New York and has many employees and someone asked the question, “How do you know the service is up to your standards when you are not there?” He replied that when he hires people, he knows some things you cannot teach someone or change about their personalities, so you have to make sure on the inside they have six Hospitality Characteristics or HQ: warm eyes, kind and optimistic or having hope; having an intellectual curiosity; a strong work ethic; having empathy; having self-awareness; and, most importantly, having integrity.

Listening to Danny describe the HQ, it made me think about the book I was reading which is all about: God is not mad! I know this is a jump, but most people do not understand this one thing about God! Just like personality traits are visible in people and we can feel them, see them, and know them because of what people show us with their eyes, words, actions, so too the Bible declares at the first Christmas when the Angel of the Lord told the shepherds out in the field: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14)

This is saying a Savior is here!!
A multitude of heavenly host praising God!
On Earth peace, good will toward men!

Just like HQ cannot be taught or you can’t convince someone to be who they are not. God is declaring what He is doing, Who He is, and who Christ is. Now with the Savior taking sin and God no longer holding it against people, God has peace, good will toward men!

God loves us! God punished all sin in Jesus with the horrible hanging on the cross! We do not need to add to what Christ did! It was horrible for Jesus and it was severe and God is satisfied with that act of sacrifice! You are loved and forgiven! When you get the revelation, and ask Jesus into your life, it means you understand Jesus saved you and made the way for you to take his right standing with God.

God wants good will toward you! Jesus loved sinners. He simply said, “Your sins are forgiven, get up and walk! Follow me, tell people the good news that love has come and saved you! Love one another. Do good to each other. Rejoice, be kind, love lavishly as I have loved you.” He didn’t put conditions on us like we put on ourselves. He didn’t say, “I will love you when you earn it. You lose my love when you are bad and you get it when you are good!” No, the Bible tells us Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are satisfied with the cross; they love unconditionally; all sin is forgiven past, present, and future; they are not mad!! They are madly in love with you and they want you well! The only thing we have to do is Believe and receive who they are!

You cannot give what you don’t have! Christ in your life means you are so loved and accepted that you can love and accept people! Sin loses its appeal when you are filled with love. Condemnation and guilt fall away when you know no sin is remembered or held against you! The only thing sin does is hurt us. That is why we want to stay away from it. It hurts us and other people. Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men… that is His personality! That is what His Son came for. God made the peace! He is at peace with man! No one can add to what Jesus did on the cross! It is finished perfectly! Hallelujah… Merry Christmas!

Love you, Teri