Does mercy expire?

How long do the mercies of our Lord last before giving way to disciple and justice?

He is the Lord God Almighty, who is and was and is to come. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. He deserves our respect, our reverence and our love – John 14 tells us to love Him is to obey Him. It is not enough to simply say,

“Yeah, I believe in God, a higher power.”

“Yes, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins
and I accept His gift of salvation.”

He calls us to more than that. Yes, believing in a higher power can lead to a knowing of Jesus and eventually a belief that He is the only way to heaven and that He died on the cross for our sins to save us from sin. This is a foundational belief of evangelical Christians and the message of the Word of God. But as you read on in the Bible and grow in your knowledge of God and who He is and what His Word says, that belief is only the beginning. His character, who He is, demands respect, love and obedience.
Thank God there is mercy and grace to save us from our treacherous hearts that deceive us into disobedience against our Lord. Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus that covers all of our sins forever more. What a truth to hold unto but….

How long will the mercies and grace of the Lord last before He determines that judgment and discipline are needed? He is the Almighty God and He does not tolerate disobedience. He tells us over and over again that to love Him is to obey Him. He speaks of it in the histories of the Bible. We are reminded of it in the songs of the book of Psalms. We see the justice and discipline of the Lord in the prophetic books of the Bible and Jesus Himself teaches us this in the New Testament Gospels and then the apostles themselves remind us over and over again, that our proclaimed love for Jesus must lead us to obedience – an acting out of our faith.
How long can we as a nation, as a people, as a world ignore the messages of Truth that the Lord has for so long been telling us? He loves us. He planned to send His Son to die for us while we were yet marinating in our sin. Jesus Himself tells us that following noble laws and a good way of life is not enough we must believe in Him and be willing to sacrifice our precious things to Him. He requires that He be number one in our lives and all else comes after Him and our love and obedience to Him. Have we done this? Can we do this?

We have seen and heard of tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, draughts, ripping winds, volcano eruptions, mud slides, floods, hurricanes, famine and disease plaguing our countries and our world. In the past we read that God used these disasters to get our attention to get us to return to Him, to obey and love Him as HE asks and as HE DESERVES. How long will we go on our merry way depending on His mercy and grace and thinking that these warnings aren’t for us?

In Revelations we hear from John that Jesus spits out the church that is lukewarm in its existence. We cannot amble by in life just believing in Jesus and not obeying and loving Him as HE deserves. Discipline will come. God tells us in Hebrews that the discipline comes to those that God loves. Those who believe in Jesus and His gift of salvation are called the children of God. What does the Bible teach us that God does for His children? HE never gives up on them. HE continually calls them to Himself and protects them, lavishes love and blessings on them in ways we can never imagine BUT He does not tolerate disobedience and disrespect of Himself. He will warn us and will call us back to Himself through prophets (speakers of the Word of the God), teachers of the Word of God and messages from His Spirit that lives inside the hearts of His children and hovers over the earth guiding people to Himself. If we continually ignore His messages and choose to live lives apart from Him and following Him in obedience. Justice and discipline will come. Mercy and grace is not gone, they can’t be gone because they are a part of His character but they will be set aside for a time while justice and discipline come to those who ignore Him and His ways. And after justice and discipline have had their time, mercy and grace return and we again have an opportunity to run to Him and be bathed in His love and once again feel the joy of His blessing and provision.

Children of God do not test His love and patience. Listen to the Words He is calling to you. Obey Him as He deserves. Mighty is our God and mighty is His love but He deserves our complete love and obedience and reverence.
Will you lay down your idols – those things that keep you or distract you from loving Him well, obeying Him as He requires? The greatest commandment according to Jesus is to love the Lord your God will ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind and with ALL your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. Are you doing this? Am I doing this? This is what He requires.

So where is the hope? How can this be done? Might as well just give up after that impossible admonition…NEVER!!!

We do NOT live this life in our own strength.

What God requires He also PROVIDES.

We call upon the Name of the Lord and the power of His Spirit to help us in this path of obedience and love and

HE WILL PROVIDE!

We, the children of God have the same power in us through the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). Much is required of the children of God but much is waiting to be given to us as well. Rise up precious daughters and sons of the Holy God. Use the power that lives within you and that cannot be taken from you and love the Lord your God with everything you have and the strength that is given to you by the Sprit of Jesus that dwells in you. Our God is the God of the impossible, ask and watch the impossible lived out in your life.