In Touch 03-12-05

In Touch Daily Devotional 
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Saturday March 12, 2005

The Heart of God

John 3:16-21

It can be quite inaccurate to judge people solely by their actions. Have you ever wanted to look inside someone's heart to determine what that person is like and to understand his or her motivations and beliefs?

When it comes to really knowing the Lord, we certainly need to be able to see inside His heart. We live in an age of misinformation about who God is. Unfortunately, confusion over the Father's character, forgiveness, and gift of eternal security frequently lead people to disregard Him. But to understand the heart of God, all we need to do is look at the Cross.

The Cross demonstrates both God's justice and His mercy. We never have to worry about the heavenly Father being unfair; His righteousness requires that He always do the right thing in every circumstance of life.

Because of God's absolute holiness, His appropriate, just sentence for our sin is eternal separation from Him. (Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 25:41). However, the Lord desires to have fellowship with His creation. How does a holy, righteous, and just God interact with sinful, rebellious human beings? He prepares a perfect, sinless substitute to bear not only mankind's guilt but also the punishment each one of us deserves. The death of Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be declared no longer guilty - our sin-debt has been paid in full, and we appropriate that payment on our behalf by receiving Jesus as our Savior. God's justice demanded that His son undergo the worst possible punishment - separation from the Father - so that God's mercy could be poured out on us.

Be sure to tell your teen about Teen Connection - the official teen outreach of In Touch Ministries. This cutting-edge web site is filled with practical content, including articles, interviews, a study guide, and devotionals, for teenagers of all spiritual maturity levels. The featured interview for March is best-selling band Caedmon's Call. Check out Teen Connection today!

http://www.teen-connection.net

Are you looking to take the next step in your spiritual walk? Enroll today in the Charles Stanley Institute for Christian Living - a free, virtual one-on-one mentoring program with Dr. Charles Stanley. Register online today at www.charlesstanleyinstitute.com.