Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s bitter cold this morning and just stepping out onto the front porch to breathe fresh air was almost too painful for me. Stepping onto the front porch in the Winter can be painful, but stepping into the Presence of a Mighty God never is. That’s not to say there aren’t times when I Know that I’ll be taken to the Spiritual Woodshed that I never weep and ask for forgiveness, OR that I’m never ashamed of my Heart. It means that whenever I face Him, in this life or the Next One, in His Presence there is ONLY Good. He IS Mercy, Hope, Joy, Peace, Forgiveness, Compassion, Healing, Love, and a million other Good things! Sometimes I feel a little self-inflicted pain when I turn to Him with a Heart that needs to be Tenderized, but I never feel pain from Him and I never will. When I stand before Him on the day He calls me Home, I’ll Know where He’s taking me, and I’ll have nothing to fear…EVER. Isn’t that the way you look at your Future too?

It can be so easy for some people to distort the Image of God, but they miss out on the meaning of Grace and Mercy when they do. Some live their entire lives in fear of God and they are robbed of the Joy of Faith because of it. Don’t get me wrong, the Fear of God is a good thing and I fear Him too, but I know that if a little pain comes my way He IS NOT trying to crush me, He’s trying to GROW me. When you look at it that way, there’s no pain to fear at all!

If He finds that I need a little “discipline” here and there that’s okay, because I know “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” If I go through a Season of suffering, I’ll endure it with the right Heart, because His Word says “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” As long as He keeps making me “strong, firm, and steadfast” then I know He’ll continue to use me, so I don’t fear the pain of the Season – I learn to Hold onto Him and Grow through it instead. He is the “Beginning and the End”…the One who “knit me” together in my mother’s womb…the One who “knows every hair” on my head…the One who died for me…the One who has Plans for me…the One who knew me before the foundations of the earth…the One who says “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE.” Why would I live in fear of pain from the One who knows my name and CHOSE me to be one of His own before He even created the earth?

Faith doesn’t need to be nearly as complicated as some people make it out to be. When you Love Him with your whole Heart you accept the Journey and you long to follow the “rules” because it pleases Him when you do! There is more Joy in the Journey with the Living God than anyone can describe with words…but when left to man, that Love becomes conditional, scary, and “too hard” to endure. Some get lost in the fear and some believe they can’t measure up to His expectations and they spend their entire lives lost and alone because of it. Like a child hiding under the bed to escape the boogie man, they attempt to hide from God too. But God knows everything about us and He loves us anyway. He sent His Son to die for every vile thing any human being has ever done and His Grace is sufficient to cover it all if we let Him. It’s sad to see so many people missing out on the Fullness of their Faith. Some out of fear…some out of guilt and shame…some because they think the Journey is too painful…some because they have been convinced that all they ever have to do is say “Yes” to an invitation to Believe and carry a membership card to a local church.

There is a Mighty God in Heaven longing for a bigger, deeper Relationship with His Children. He deserves to be “feared” because of who He is…but He doesn’t get joy out of inflicting pain and He warns us not to be afraid of anything. He’s the Source of Joy and Love and everything Good and if there is any “pain” to fear, it’s missing out on the kind of Relationship He longs to have with His Children.

I began this day with a cold breath of air but I warmed up my Life just by spending Time in the Presence of my God. The world might be a scary place, but I’m not afraid. I might feel a little “pain” here and there, but I’m growing Stronger every day because I Cling to the King, and with Him, there is nothing but Good and never a reason to fear pain.

How about you?