The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 24:14,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord."
Our Lord is a Lord of mercy and forgiveness. In Ezekiel 33:11 he expresses himself this way, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." And so in the gospel message we find forgiveness. In spite of the sin in our lives, our Lord offers us his forgiveness through his mercy. He pays the penalty for our sin himself.
But if we don't turn to him, if we persist in our sin and rebellion against him, we find his certain judgment. In this case Israel did. The Lord's judgment against Israel has begun and will not cease until it is complete. He will not hold back, have pity or relent. The opportunity for a change of heart for Israel has come and gone. Now they face the certain ongoing judgment of the Lord without recourse until its completion.
In the Lord I find an array of attributes: his love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness and also his righteousness, justice and judgment of all sin. As demonstrated in the national life of Israel, none of his attributes "cancels" the other. The Lord is merciful, but his mercy stops at the threshold of his judgment. It is almost as if we live in a closed moral universe. Each and every sin will be paid for whether by Jesus' death on the cross or by the sinner himself.
God's love and mercy, God's judgment… both realities that need to be faced! As for me, I take heed to the point the writer of Hebrews makes, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Our Lord is a Lord of mercy and forgiveness. In Ezekiel 33:11 he expresses himself this way, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." And so in the gospel message we find forgiveness. In spite of the sin in our lives, our Lord offers us his forgiveness through his mercy. He pays the penalty for our sin himself.
But if we don't turn to him, if we persist in our sin and rebellion against him, we find his certain judgment. In this case Israel did. The Lord's judgment against Israel has begun and will not cease until it is complete. He will not hold back, have pity or relent. The opportunity for a change of heart for Israel has come and gone. Now they face the certain ongoing judgment of the Lord without recourse until its completion.
In the Lord I find an array of attributes: his love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness and also his righteousness, justice and judgment of all sin. As demonstrated in the national life of Israel, none of his attributes "cancels" the other. The Lord is merciful, but his mercy stops at the threshold of his judgment. It is almost as if we live in a closed moral universe. Each and every sin will be paid for whether by Jesus' death on the cross or by the sinner himself.
God's love and mercy, God's judgment… both realities that need to be faced! As for me, I take heed to the point the writer of Hebrews makes, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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