God wants you……..with him……..in paradise……..forever.
When?
Only he knows…….Jesus didn’t know…….I certainly don’t.
Why?
Because he loves you with a parental love. He wants you to be safe, happy, and fulfilled. Not only that……like any parent……he wants to share those things with you.
How?
Now, we are getting down to the heart of the matter. God designed us in his image. There are parts of our nature that are a dim reflection of God’s nature. Parenthood is a great example. As parents, we want a strong relationship with our children. The basis of that parent child relationship is worth exploring.
There are three general foundations that a parent/child relationship can be built on………three foundations that our relationship with God can be built on:
Love:
This is intangible. At its heart, it is a loving relationship that is based on caring for, giving to, and sacrificing for the person you love. At its best, the giving in this relationship is a two-way street. This is the ideal. Every parent hopes for a relationship on this level with their child. A good parent gives…….and hopes that the love will be returned. A good child gives……..and hopes that the love will be returned. I believe that God wants this kind of relationship with me……with you. This was how God set up the Garden of Eden. This is what God had in mind for Adam and Eve. This is what God wants from you and me. This is God’s “plan A”.
Providence:
A providential relationship is an incomplete version of a loving relationship. A parent gives love and support to their child. The child appreciates the value of the gifts. The child recognizes his dependency on his parent. The child does the things that are necessary to maintain the relationship in order to get what they need. The relationship is purely transactional. There is love on the parental side……..but love is not the prime motivation on the child’s side. The parent misses out on the child’s love. The child misses out too……..not because she is not loved……..but because she fails to love. God is disappointed…….man is unfulfilled. This is God’s “plan B”
Punishment:
This is the bottom rung of the ladder. The parent still loves…… still provides. But, the child actively rejects the relationship. This is extraordinarily painful for the parent. I believe that God feels pain when one of his children rejects him. God feels pain when his sacrificial love is not reciprocated……..even worse when his child refuses to even recognize him. This brings up the problem……..of hell. Hell is God’s punishment for those who deny his existence…….for those who reject him. Hell is God replying to man’s rejection of God by returning the rejection. Hell is bad……..very bad. So…..what does this have to do with relationship? Once you are in hell, there is no relationship with God…….that boat has sailed. In terms of relationship, it is the threat of hell that is the issue. It is possible to have a relationship with God based primarily on the threat of hell. You can go to church, sing the songs, take communion, even tithe. But, if you shake the pastor’s hand and walk out satisfied that you have bought off hell for another week, you are missing out. Maybe this “plan C” will keep you out of hell. But, you are cheating yourself…….and you are cheating God out of a much richer relationship.
God may settle for “plan B” or “plan C”. But; God wants you to want “plan A”.
Theres no misery in not being loved,
only in not loving
Rod McKuen