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There's
A Catch To God's Mercy
God is merciful, but not without a catch.
You have to be really repentant or there is
no true mercy to be found. If your
true intent is to sin now and later grope for forgiveness to feel better,
and then to do the same thing over and over, intentionally, then the
"mercy" you may feel you are finding is more placebo than the true mercy
God offers to the truly repentant.
What you may experience is common grace,
which is the unmerited favor of God extended to all, saint and sinner
alike, in various forms and extent. It is this general grace which leaves
the door open for all to be drawn to true repentance, if they want to be.
God is merciful. But He will also allow
those who wish to willfully persist in sin to be consumed by that sin.
It's their choice, not His. God does not force salvation, which is the
result of repentance, on anyone. Nor does He force anyone into hell. This
is all part of His mercy!
Jesus told a classic story of mercy in
the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). A father's youngest son
came to him and demanded his inheritance. The father gave the boy his
inheritance. From the context of the story, it's obvious that the family
was very well off, so what the boy received was substantial.
The father had placed no strings on the
son's use of the money. It was his to spend, save, or squander as he
wished. So, the boy went off with his fortune, taking a long trip to a
"distant land" far out of parental reach and influence. He didn’t invest ,
look for a job, or make any attempt to manage his money. Instead, he
started engaging in "wild living" until all of his money was gone.
He was broke. To make matters worse, the
"distant land" was swept with famine. No more friends, fun, or food! He
was destitute and "starving." He finally decided he needed to look for a
job.
Being unskilled in a foreign country with
no friends, references, or practical experience, the jobs available were
pretty limited. He was hired to slop pigs. The income was so meager he
still didn't eat well. He began longing for the pig slop.
Feeling the full force of the terrible
consequences he had brought on his own head, the boy "came to his senses."
He realized that going home, no matter how humiliating, couldn't be worse
than what he had gotten himself into. If nothing else, he would ask his
father's forgiveness and ask to work as a servant for his family.
What he found at home was a father who
had been waiting for him to return. A father who was "filled with love and
compassion" and who ran out to meet his son as soon as he saw him "a long
distance away." The father was ready to lavish true, healing mercy on his
son who had realized the foolishness of his choices, and who came home
humble, admitting that he had "sinned."
What does this teach us?
First, God will let us do what we want.
Many rant against a God who doesn’t care when what they are actually
experiencing is a God who cares so much, He won't force Himself or His
higher mercies on them.
Second, God will let us experience the
consequences of our actions. To think that one can choose to sin without
experiencing the pain of that choice is mere foolishness. If we make good
choices, we will experience good consequences. If we make bad choices, we
get bad consequences.
Both of these are elements of true mercy!
Third, God is infinitely merciful to
those who mess up but realize their mistake and come home. If you've
screwed up your life but truly want to get yourself together, then God is
ready to run to meet you as you turn to Him.
However, if you’re not serious about
carrying through on your repentance, and just want to feel better until
you can get back to "wild living" again, then you've made your choice and
you will have to live with your consequences.
"But we had to celebrate and be glad,
because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found’" (Luke 15:32 NIV).
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