Jealousy

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet...The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.

And how could you not? When God exercises His power, I think everyone feels fear. No, I know everyone quakes. How could you not? This is the God who is able to move mountains, open up holes in the ground to swallow people, or part the seas. His power is far beyond what we can explain, so when it shows, it could do nothing but inspire fear.

I choose this verse today because I believe it is always important to remember that in spite of how much God loves us, without Jesus, we are evil in His sight. We do so much to make Him jealous, and since He is just, He has to do justice. The evil have to pay for what they have done. It says the Lord is slow to anger, and you can see that all over the Bible as well as the lives of people in the world. If God got angry like we get angry, I don't think even Noah would have survived the flood. He'd of done us all in right then. No, He probably would have scrapped it with Adam and Eve and said, "What's the point? These creatures will never do." But He is slow to anger. This doesn't mean He will clear the guilty, but He did make away for us to be right with Him.

It is not because we earned it. It is not because we are worth it. It is not because of anything but God's love for us. Take I, me, us, and we out of all the conversations because at the end of the story there is only God. God's love saves. God wants His people. God is slow to anger. God is just. God is fair. God can do no evil.

We are evil. We are corrupt. We are easily angered. We are unjust and unfair. We do not love often.

Huge gap. But our God is great in power and is able to close any divide. If we think less of us and more of Him, if we accept His love and His forgiveness as a replacement for our righteousness, then we can be saved. It's not Jesus's death + my righteousness. No. It's I believe Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and rose from the dead so that I might have eternal life.

Promise made. Promise kept.

Lord, help me never forget Your judgement. Let me never forget Your love. Have mercy on this sinner! Give me strength for today, and take all my worries for tomorrow. Fill me with hope and joy. Let the woman You want me to be shine through no matter what the cost. Show me who You want me to be. I love You!! More of You Jesus, less of me.


Amen. Amen. Amen.