Published by admin on 25 Jun 2001 at 03:28 pm
SO EASY TO BE ENTREATED
James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” What is that wisdom speaking of? None other than Jesus. He is so full of love, and grace, and mercy. When Philip said unto Him, Show us the Father and it sufficeth us, Jesus said unto him, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?”
Jesus, so easy to be entreated, so full of mercy, so loving, and compassionate, so aware of our pains and desiring that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Yet, so many have an entirely different view of God. They think God is out to get them. They think God doesn’t want them to have any joy in life. And they think God has made them sick to teach them a lesson. They think God wants them so poor they can’t even pay attention.
They’ve been listening to another gospel. And it isn’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember well the words of Paul, when he wrote in Galatians 1:6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another: but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
People have a way of turning their bad experiences into bad publicity for God. They’re preaching “another gospel”. They try to blame their lack of planning, or their disobedience, or lack of knowledge, into the gospel of “The Hammer of God”.
You messed up today, WHAM! God hit you with His hammer of sickness. He had to get your attention, right? You didn’t go to church last week, so God blew the transmission out of your car to get you in line. God will NAIL you, if you don’t watch out! Well, I don’t know ANYONE who would want to serve that kind of God, do you? Does this sound like your perception of what God is like?
Now look at the ministry of Jesus. He loved on the people. He had compassion on the sick, and healed them. He was approachable, so much in fact, that multitudes flocked to him, and followed him everywhere. Jesus always had time for them. He was in no hurry to leave them. He healed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, hope to the hopeless, raised the dead, gave speech to the dumb, the lame walked and leaped for joy. Those possessed by devils were set free. Does this sound like the work of a God who doesn’t care for people? No! Jesus told his disciples, If you have seen me, you have seen My Father. It is written, He is the express image of God’s person.
Can it be that the heavenly Father is as caring and approachable and as easily entreated as Jesus was when He walked the earth? I’m talking about the Creator of the universe here, the Almighty God, not a mere movie star that people spend fortunes to go see. Can it be He cares for me personally? Can this really be? As Jesus hung on that cross, He stretched His arms from one end of the heavens to the other, to gather all who will come to Him.
O man or woman, He loves you and is reaching out for you right now. Will you give Him the joy of having YOUR LOVE?