-  Romans 8:34

Many of us fail to grow in our relationship with Christ, not because of our indifference or sin, but because of nagging feelings of guilt and condemnation. We feel unworthy of God’s blessings. Many are even convinced he cannot love them anymore because of what they have done or said.

This kind of thinking is false. God has accepted you completely- based on the forgiveness provided by Christ Jesus on the cross. You are no longer under God’s wrath, but you are a recipient of his grace. You are no longer under the law but under His unfailing love.

Grace came to you freely at salvation and continues to flow thereafter. No misdeed can severe your personal relationship with God. If you have sinned, confession and repentance restore total intimacy. Sacrifice or penance in the form of good works or self- denial is useless. All you need to do is be wholehearted when you come before the throne of Christ.

God is not after your material sacrifices. He wants you. What he wants is for you to come with boldness and humility. The moment that you repent and ask for his forgiveness, He will give it to you and secure you with his unchanging love. His love can cover a multitude of sin. That’s how great Christ’s love for us- it can never be out powered. The Cross is the only resource for guilt. Why?

It’s all because there will come a time that we will stand before God to have our sins judged. Those who have received Gods’ pardon by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice will not be condemned. However, the Spirit of God is there to convict us not to condemn us. His conviction is to bring us back into fellowship with the Savior. That happens when we admit our mistakes, confess our sins to God and receive his forgiveness.

Guilt afflicts us. We know the inner gnawing and churning that come with having violated the moral or civil code. It drives some to depression, others to compulsive behavior, still others to suicide. If the feelings of guilt have stunted your relationship with Jesus Christ, they can be removed instantly by your humble confession. You need not to worry or be hesitant on confessing before God, because His forgiveness awaits you. All you have to do is be bold before Him. Never let your sins drive you away from His love and providence. His grace will never run dry.

When you repent for your sins, you possess the power of conquering it through the grace of God. In repentance, you are forsaking sins not just confessing them. To forsake is to leave behind, to abandon. We repent not just with our hearts but also with our actions.

When you receive Christ by faith, God declares you not guilty. The slate is clean from both penalty and guilt. Your conscience is cleaned and your burdens are lifted.

Some years ago, doctors who had themselves gone through this experience began to compare notes and they found a remarkable similarity in what they had seen and felt. Some Americans and German doctors began contacting other people who had been clinically dead and had been brought back to life. They asked these people to describe what their experiences had been. These people came from various countries. Though they have never met, the stories they told are very similar. None of them found this “life after death” unpleasant. Most of them said that they came to a place that was just filled with bright light. Some heard soft music; they felt very happy and free and peaceful. Some said they were watching the doctors and nurses working over their earthly body and trying to bring it back to life. It was as if they stood afar off and watched…They said they felt no more pain. They were not at all afraid. One thing on which they agreed was that they did not want to come back to life on earth.

All their real-life stories only prove that there is life after death. It’s either eternal life in God’s presence or eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.

“Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to  bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:19-21).

Christians who think the most of the next world are usually those who are doing the most good in this present world. It is the person whose mind is only on earthly things who, when it comes to earth, does little good. C.S Lewis expands on this, saying, “Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

When your heart is set on things above, you begin to appreciate your citizenship in heaven. You also begin to eagerly await the Lord’s return, and you anticipate the joy of having Him transform your body into one like His.

When you realize that your citizenship is in heaven, you begin acting as a responsible citizen should. You begin to invest wisely in relationships. Are you ready to commit your life to the Lord today? If you do so, I would like to congratulate you because you just made the best decision you could ever make in your entire life here on earth.

Sounds cool? This verse describes the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit in conforming us to the revelation that we see when we behold the Lord’s glorious qualities and attributes. These revelations come through an ever increasing relationship with Him. The following is a list of some of the major ways on how God’s love impacts and changes us.

1. God’s love brings forgiveness. The revelation of how completely our Father has forgiven us and continues to relate to us in kindness, patience and forgiveness inspires us to relate in the same love toward those who have hurt or offended us. The Scripture says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
2. God’s love removes condemnation. The Bible tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). God’s love never operates in a condemning, accusing manner. His love may convict us of sin but at the same time He encourages us onward in our calling as His precious children. We take His love out to others when we relate to them the same way.
3. God’s love is full of mercy. God’s love is rich in mercy, full of kindness, compassion and forbearance and does not treat us according to what we deserve. The riches of His mercy are seen in the fact that He did not just forgive us our sins; He conferred spiritual blessings upon us through Jesus Christ.
4. God’s love brings emotional healing. Jesus says, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn form Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Learning to rest in God’s love is one of the most healing things we can do for our souls. The Holy Spirit brings the comfort of His love to bear upon our hurts, wounds, stresses and fears. And nurtures us back to inner peace and health.
5. God’s love inspires us to love others.  “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:14). Knowing the love of Christ personally inspires us to express that same love outwardly to others. His compassion becomes our compassion. His patience becomes our patience. What we receive from Him we can give to others.
6. God’s love releases faith. The apostle Paul said, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). Any form of outward religious acts or rituals, they mean nothing to God. What pleases Him is “faith expressing itself through love”.

I can go on and on with the list but I feel I need to stop with this one and challenge you concerning the truth of God’s word that is very relevant in your life today. Are you having a difficult time relating to or receiving the love of God in your life? It maybe because of the many things that happened in your life and you’ve been deeply wounded, feel hurt and betrayed. I would like you to know that Jesus expressed His greatest concerns in prayer to the Father on the night before His crucifixion. Among these concerns was the passionate cry for us to know the same love of the Father that He knew. He prayed that this love would be in us, that we would know it personally and live each day in its comfort, strength and blessing (John 17:26). One effective thing you can do is to meditate on scriptures that express His love and apply these scriptures (Isaiah 49:15; John 3:16; John 17:20-26). The Lord longs for intimate relationship with us and takes pleasure in our expressions of love for Him.  Express your love back to Him, for He first loved us!