When I was in middle school, I only had one friend, and he was, of course, my best friend. He was the “angry type”, I guess you can say since he was expelled from school for getting into more fights than Triple H and The Rock ever did (WWF days? Or was that WWE? Raw or Smackdown? Good times) Not only did I feel like a loner after he left, but he felt low and like a screw-up. I can say that most of us can compare to my friend here, but in different circumstances.
I’ve seen many people give their lives to Christ and then leave the church, trying to find their identity in drugs, parties, alcohol, and dysfunctional people (since every human being on this planet is dysfunctional). Then they get so deep in their addiction(s) and feel so hopeless to get out of those chains that are keeping them in bondage to their false identity.
There is great news for this, though. In Genesis we see the greatness of our Father of truth compared to the father of lies. After Adam and Eve sinned against God, they hid from God and tried to cover their nude body. When confronted, Adam said “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Put yourself in their shoes; “I was around all these Christian friends of mine and I felt so convicted because of my drug use, and because I am sleeping with this person, so I wrote those people along with You off my list of priorities”.
God just responded to Adam by saying, “Who told you that you were naked?”
God is also saying this to you: “Who told you that you’re worthless because your gifting isn’t in this field?”, “Who told you that you’re too big of a sinner to ever be forgiven?”, “Who told you that you can’t change lives because you made bad decisions in your past?” “Who told you ___________?”
Grace is in the foundation of love, meaning that without grace, love isn’t in the equation. Grace is seen when God, instead of killing Adam and Eve on the spot, clothed them with garments of skin.
There is also the parable of the prodigal son. This is about a boy who took all his inheritance and left his home to live selfishly and wildly while his older brother stayed with his father and was obedient. The younger son comes back home to his father, thinking that he was going to be a servant, but instead, this happens: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
It was the FATHER that ran to his son, and better yet, it was when he was still far away. If you don’t know God, I want you to know that there is a Father that, despite my faults, saw me when I was far away and He pursued me through Jesus.
“Christ didn’t die on the cross just so you could be with Him in heaven, but that He may be with you on earth”
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