Rabbit Trails by Susan L.

  When it comes to investigating matters of faith it is best to proceed with caution. The scriptures have been used for millennium as a weapon of great evil, of persecution, of genocide and subjugation. I think of Maco and countless other cults that share just enough truth to be plausible. Fundamental truths are twisted by charismatic teachers who only seek their own gain. Many people have stood in the authority of the Good Book and have used it to destroy lives.
  "Jesus wept." Jn 11:35
  So how do we know what is true?
  First of all, we can assume that any human interpretation will contain flaws. We can't help it. But we can be alert and diligent. Blind acceptance is the pathway to disaster. We can, and are commissioned to as believers, educate ourselves on what the scriptures say.
  Secondly, and a quick test, is if any teaching doesn't have its foundation in love, and all the good things that Jesus opened the doorway to, it is probably not right.
  I'm not talking earthly love here. That particular gift is pretty broken by the hands of broken men and broken women. Divine love has no cost. It's free. There's no action required. It simply is by virtue of God's gift to us, His Son.
  Which has led me to feeling unworthy as so many Christians feel they are. I've heard it time and again in conversation, in worship music, and even said it myself, that I was unworthy of such a great Love. I really believe this grieves God's heart when we say such things. It was why He sent Jesus to the cross, so we may be reconciled to Him no matter what we may have done on earth. He deemed us worthy!
  It was the hardest part for me to wrap my head around because the concept of unearned reward is so incredibly foreign to our way of life. All earthly rewards are earned be it a paycheck, a diploma, a gold medal at the Olympics. I vaguely remember getting gold stars at Sunday school. There's nothing we can do to earn the love of God. It was already there from before the dawn of time when He planned our creation.
  Can you see Him smiling as He planned? "This one will have piercing gray eyes and a quick laugh that will delight all who hear. He will have a tender heart and be a healer of many. She will be kind yet determined, a leader. Let's make her eyes hazel, her skin a soft brown."
  How does this tie into the beginning of today's post? Guilt is a weapon of our enemy. Shame is another. God convicts us when we stray. He doesn't condemn us. Those are things to watch out for when we are reading anything relating to faith. Like I said, Love is the measure.
  "But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:11