"The Destination" -2

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalms 27:13) Having the perfect vision of what awaits us, we are never that concerned with the journey along the way; at least that is how it is meant to be! Although we are safe in the arms of the Lord, this present life can sure dig it's claws in us, making us take our sights off of the prize every once and awhile. On the road to the cross, Jesus had His eyes fixed on what was on the other side of His suffering; oh, He absolutely had His eyes fixed upon the cross, it was an essential part of the plan; but the glory that waited on the other side of the suffering, that's what gave Him endurance to see it through. God has given us His word that we might know what is in our future; that we might know how much that He loves us and how He has provided a very special place for us to dwell with Him for all eternity. We can debate the manner in which we are to conduct ourselves in everyday situations, and how much of God's law we are meant to incorporate into our lives; but one thing we can never ever forget or neglect to practice is His love! We are ambassadors of His Love! I know that we are sometimes overly concerned about how much others might sin, and that we must somehow convince them they need to turn or burn; but the only thing that is going to convince them to change is the Love of God! It is really all about loving them as God loves them; not judging them, and surely not telling them what horrible sinners that they are; but actually convincing them that there is a God that loves them, and that He died for them while they were yet sinners, that He might bring them into a more perfect relationship with Him. In other words, we must prove God's love is real; that is what it means to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ; just as Jesus Christ came to not only save the world from their sins, but He came to show us how much God loves us; proving, once and for all, that God is Love! We can hit people over the head with God's word until our Bible's fall apart, but it's not their heads which need to receive His word, it's their hearts! And the only thing that will change their hearts is the Love of God..."We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God." (Romans 15:1-7)