LOVED STRAIGHT
ROMANS 2:4
ROMANS 2:4 NKJ
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
There was a movement back in the 70's called Scared Straight. It involved taking young men, who were tracking down the wrong side of the law, into prisons. There they would meet real prisoners who would tell the young men what their lives would be like if they wound up in prison. It was pretty graphic. I'm not sure of the results, but the idea was to use fear to motivate these teens to a law-abiding life.
Some preachers have been known to use fear to motivate a person into accepting Christ as their Savior. You are going to burn in hell is their version of scared straight. But it's certainly not good news.
The gospel is God so loved the world that He gave His Son so we don't have to go to hell. So that we can have the abundant life that Jesus offers us. So we can live under God's authority, not Satan's. So we can walk in the light. It's the goodness of God that leads men to want to change. We don't have to be scared straight. When we know how good God is, we are loved straight.
APPLICATION
Fear is not our motivator. God is love, and mature love casts out fear. Sure, we have a deep respect and reverence for God, but it's based on His goodness, not a fear of punishment.
ACTION POINT
Introspectively look at your relationship with God. How do you respond to Him? Is it out of fear of punishment or respect for His goodness and love for you? If you believe that fear is the motivator, ask your Heavenly Father how you can reestablish your relationship with Him based on His love.