Tuesday Lent 2

Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

1 Peter 3:22 MSG

I have had this thought lately, “Hell doesn’t have the last word.” And then today I find these words in Scripture, that “Jesus has the last word on everything!”

I am convinced that I have spent way too much time worrying if I was living up to the standards of Christian living so that I may escape hell. This has been torturous, filled with fear and anxiety. Most of my religious upbringing seemed more hell-bent on not doing the wrong things rather than basking in the presence of a living God and seeing what Jesus had to say.

In other words, instead of me hearing for myself what Jesus would like me to know, others seemed eager to tell me that, “Jesus would not be pleased with that”, “Jesus doesn’t like that”, “You make Jesus sad when you do that”, and the list goes on.

It seemed my soul knew Jesus had more to say, so I took the path less traveled. I ventured out into uncharted waters and found guides along the way, many guides. These were through people who were just as hopeful as me that Jesus had more to say than the voices that replayed in my head.

Still today, I long to know God in a deeper way. Every day, every encounter,  every moment gives opportunity for this longing to be met. As you journey on, in faith and in longing,  may you encounter a God who is enough and who tells you, “You are enough.” Jesus does have the last word on everything!