Is God a god of guilt

I used to believe that God was all about making sure that we behaved.  That is what the church taught me.  Be good and then you are good.  Do bad things and God is mad.  He may even send you to hell.  What a terrible picture of God this is.

This is a terrible picture of God because we can never be good enough.  Even when I was trying hard to be good, I worried about everything.  I would stop one thing, only to feel badly that I missed it.  I would study harder and pray more, only to wish that I was out playing softball.

Once we buy into the God of guilt, there is no end to it.

But there is another way to live.

About 17 years ago, in 2006, I began a journey away from the God of my upbringing, the God of guilt, and I allowed my brain and heart to be introduced to the God of love.  This is the God who loved Paul, even though he was a murderer.  He loved David even though he had hundreds of wives and concubines.  This illustration can go on and on through all of the Biblical heroes.

The point is this... God loves us.  It is not about who the good ones and the bad ones are.  He wants us to live our lives and make our choices.  He wants us to be filled with his love and show it.  But if we don't, he doesn't shame us or want to punish us.

More flies are won with honey than with vinegar.

I invite you to move away from the God of guilt.

• Oh, I slept too long.
• Oh, I didn't give 100% to that endeavor
• Oh, I skipped church
• Oh, I let that person down.
• Oh, I drank too much.
• Oh, I don't give 10%
• Oh, I didn't send a card.
• Oh, I thought bad thoughts...
• Oh, I didn't call my daughter.
• Oh, I called her too much...

Do you see where this goes?
I invite you to move away from the God of guilt.

I invite you instead to meet and fall in love with the God who loves you and wants you to be happy.  Would you want your children to live lives full of guilt?  Neither does our Father.

God loves you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.