Author – Jim Gardener

My Dear Reader,
What is the meaning of life?
The simple answer:
We have been given a lifetime,
to accept God on his terms.
That’s it!
You may then ask, what are Gods terms?
Well, it’s to accept God exactly the way he is, not the way we want him to be.
This begs the question: Who is God? This question is bigger than I can explain, but for simplicity’s sake I see God in two roles that affect me in a personal way.
First, God is your DAD who loves you so much he would do anything and sacrifice everything for you. On the other hand, he is also God your FATHER a judge who loves righteousness and the law.
To understand this, place yourself in a family where your father comes home from work. He takes off his judge’s robes to become a loving dad who loves you beyond measure.
Now, if you go out and break the law, you will find yourself standing before your father in court. He must judge you fairly in accordance with the established law, for all must be treated equal. It breaks his heart, but he must sentence you according to your crime(s).
So, what law is God the judge of? The moral law set out by the 10 commandments. If you read and understand these laws, you will quickly realize every person has broken at least one or more of them repeatedly. In the eyes of my father, in his role of judge, all are guilty according to what they have done.
Who is acceptable to God and acceptable to enter heaven? The answer, if the law is the only way, Nobody.
But it does not stop here. Read on.
Here is where God’s love and mercy come into play. When your Father has justly sentenced you for breaking his moral law(s), he takes off his robes and becomes your personal loving Dad. He then proceeds to extend his grace by paying your debt(s), no matter what the cost, to free you from your sentence. All you must do is accept his love offering and your sentence is wiped clean, just as if it never happened.
In this story Jesus is your dad who paid the ultimate price for your breach of the law. If we choose to reject his love offering the sentence stands, and you and I will be responsible for our offence(s).
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so no one can boast.”
ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
Questions? Write to Jim by using our connect form or leave a comment.
Wow! This was good! This has interesting ties into what God’s been teaching me recently!
I’ve been re-learning, in greater depth, how our relationship with Him hinges on surrendering our striving. It is simply about receiving His forgiveness, love, and grace because we all fall short.
I find when I start focusing on what I “should” do and try really hard to do it, I become a bondservant to the “should” rather than a free kid who knows he/she is accepted and loved regardless of behaviors and mess ups.
Why? Because I’m focused on something other than my relationship with Jesus (for example, the law – loving God and others, not lying etc..) and “it” starts taking the place of Him. When I am trying to follow what is good and right in my own strength, rather than focusing on my relationship with Jesus and allowing His Holy Spirit to work in my heart and mind, it’s like being in jail. It’s quite suffocating. But… when I have my relationship with Him as my focal point, His life in my spirit happens organically and it is AMAZING! And it POURS OUT ONTO OTHERS! They get to experience His love and goodness through me, when I focus on Him.
So where is my focus? When I throw in the “striving” towel and choose to spend time getting to know Him and trust Him, allowing His Holy Spirit to unlock His truth in His Word (the Bible) there is so much freedom, and I can live and walk as the free, loved kid I am.
In a nutshell, nothing impactful nor life-changing (for anyone) comes from flying solo with focal points that divert from relationship with Him, and it’s exhausting. I’m going to choose to be His kid and receive His love, grace, and forgiveness, and allow His free gift to break the chains of striving. Not just for myself, but for others as well. Yay for freedom :-). He is so, so, good.
As a pastor I know put it: “God’s desire is for every person to come into a relationship with Him, to call us his sons and daughters, and not be slaves to sin, nor deceive ourselves into being a slave to law and doing good. But rather to be His child.”
Yup. That’s all I’ve got for now.
Love this line: “Nothing impactful nor life-changing comes from flying solo … and it’s exhausting.” Really sounds like you’re on the right track. It is a free gift, and I think this is where a lot of us get stuck, because we are looking for the catch, and there isn’t one.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share.
I appreciate the simplicity of the first sentence: “it’s to accept God exactly the way he is, not the way we want him to be”. This is truly the dilemma that plagues most all “religion’ these days. We try to make God into what WE ‘want’ Him to be, our-great-slot-machine-and-genie-in-the-sky! Sitting in the quiet and just communing WITH and meditating ON God is lost in our distracted world landscape. The analogy of the father and the dad creates a captivating word picture that I’m sure will help those who read this see God in a clearer and hopefully more loving way.
Thanks for your comment Patti.
I agree… and your thoughts are very much appreciated.
I love the concept of a Father and Judge which clearly illustrates God’s two natures…deep love and impartial justice. When I contemplate my sinful nature my heart cries out to our loving God who has provided the only way we can be reconciled to Him…through the death and resurrection of Jesus who paid the price for our sin and purchased a place for us with God for eternity. When we confess our sin and make Him the Lord and master of our lives we gain the peace He promises through every trial and adversity. Thanks for that clear message Jim. A beautiful reminder of His faithfulness to us.