Part 2:
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but delights in showing mercy. How then can it be that only a few will enter heaven, while the majority will be cast into hell? It is because mercy must be received by a conscious longing to be restored to fellowship with the Eternal Father. Heaven and earth will rejoice in glory when the only ones left are those who love their God, who were longing to be fully restored to Him. There will be no more tears, sorrow, or pain; not only for us, but especially for God who has born our grief ever since man fell away from intimacy with Him.
It hurts when people without understanding speak of a mercy without meaning, robbing it of its true purpose. They act as if they know the extent of the pain, and offer words as empty as the counsel of Job's well-meaning friends. This happens when we are told to forgive without restoration. Does God forgive without confession, and repentance? He loves, He waits, He groans, He's willing to forgive, but there must be contrition before He can release His blessing. God is plentiful in mercy and willing to forgive, but the condition of men's heart prevents the fulfilliment of His perfect love for them. He is forced to oppose the proud, though He would rather give them the grace only the humble can receive. His judgment upon Israel was preceded with the pitiful cry of [i]"Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"[/i]
Consider the mercy personified in the father of the prodigal son. He is held out to all as the prime example of the precious mercy of God. Yet he is little understood, except for his outpouring of affection upon his penitent son. What of his years of groaning the loss of his son, whom he considered "dead!" Why do we not hear the revealing cry of his heart when he declared, "This son of mine was dead, and now he is alive; he was lost and now he is found." Not until the son had returned home was the Father able to rejoice! The Father must have lived with the pain of the loss every day, that's why he saw him from afar off. He could never get him off his mind, much less out of his heart. But until the son came close enough for him to release the love in his heart, he had to wait, to grieve, to mourn and to hope.
I have attempted to share this same hurt over broken relationships, but with little benefit to anyone. There are those who are lost to me, they are as good as dead, because I cannot speak to them, nor see their face, nor know anything of their circumstances. If I did not care, there would be no pain; dead feelings feel no pain. Sincere individuals have said, "You just need to forgive," but how can you forgive someone who is not there? Mercy must be given to a person, not the air! Ah, someone will say, "You must be willigng to go to them." Why then does God wait for us to draw near to Him, then He will draw near to us? Why are we told that if we offend someone, we must go to them? It is so that they will be able to forgive us, to know that we are truly broken over our wrong. This is where mercy is so misunderstood. It must wait until a heart is prepared before it can be given. Luke 17:3 states, [i]"If your brother sins, rebuke him, if he repents, forgive him."[/i] Only the person who has been asked for mercy, but refused to give it, will be condemned for being unmerciful. Many other will be unable to give the mercy they are full of because to offer it to those in their current state would be like casting pearls before swine. Pearls are formed by the irritation of sand, and mercy is formed a long time before it finds its place in the heart prepared to receive it. _________________ Jeremy Hulsey
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