No Excuses

“Thou, even Thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in Thy sight when once Thou art angry.”  Psalm 76:7

God is pictured by many in the unbelieving world as One who is perpetually angry and ever ready to pour His wrath out on mankind.  They see Him as always looking for someone to “zap” because of his or her sin.  They don’t see Him as I do:  a God of love and mercy who generously gave man free will to make his own choices, but knowing that man could never live up to God’s standard of perfection, made the way to be accepted by Him by making the perfect sacrifice of Himself to atone for man’s sin.  Would a God who was only filled with a revengeful wrath do that?  The devil wouldn’t.  Satan is the one who is filled with hate, desiring man to perpetually suffer.

God always stands ready to forgive a repentant heart while Satan stands ready to capture and forever enslave the souls of men and women.  God will pour out His wrath one day upon Satan and all those whom Satan influences to follow him.  God is not gleeful at all those sinners who will follow Satan into hell.  On the contrary, it is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all come to the knowledge of the truth (II Peter 3:9).  Like the dad who has to spank his child for misbehaving will say unto the child, “This hurts me more than it does you,” it hurts God to punish sinners, but He cannot violate His own word.  Sin has to be punished, and the only way to avoid eternal punishment is by receiving Christ and His penalty that He has already paid on the cross.

The other day I read an article, that is, part of it, that listed the top television shows which mock God, Jesus, believers, and the Bible.  Some of it was so sickening that I didn’t finish reading the article.  I was appalled at the flagrant, intentional scripts that curse God and were just downright evil.  Apparently the producers, advertisers, and actors in these shows have no fear of God.  I am not only appalled at the vile way in which they treat God, but am also angry that they would dishonor my Creator and Savior in the way that they do.  I knew that there are many who mock God, but I had no idea that these programs even existed.  Even as they mock God, He still loves them:  “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

If a man or woman misses heaven, he or she has only himself or herself to blame.  The path to eternal life was laid out clearly.  There will be no excuses for choosing the wrong path.