The scripture for today, September 4, is Daniel 9:4 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands….’ “

A lot of people in the world think that God should feel obligated to take them to heaven. After all, they are fairly good, and better than some. God couldn’t possibly in all good conscience turn them away.

Yet, their entire life they resent God. Mostly they don’t like his commands; they don’t want anyone telling them what to do or not do. Or they claim to love God but create their own commands that just aren’t in the Bible, making themselves God.

Ultimately, heaven is God’s home, not ours. He is not obligated to invite anyone into His home. Besides, only perfection can live with God who is perfect. It only takes one sin to make us an imperfect sinner.

So how do we become perfect? That’s where God’s awesomeness is demonstrated. By following Jesus who was perfect and never sinned, and obeying Jesus’ commands, God considers us perfect by proxy. One of his commands is to be baptized in the name of God the Father, God the Son/Word, and God the Holy Spirit.

God treats us the way we treat him. If we don’t want God in our life, God doesn’t want us in his life. God never forces anyone to agree with him or spend time with him here on earth so they can live with him in his heaven.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO ENDURE THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE WHO NEVER WAS INTERESTED IN GOD.

#Bible, #GodsCommands, #baptism, #heaven