It’s Friday…Compassion is Yours

God loves to save! He really does. And yes, there seems to be tension in Scripture between what we deserve and what God gives. On one end of the spectrum, there’s an overwhelming sense of judgment from crimes against the holiness of God. On the other end of the spectrum, there is an overwhelming sense of compassion for the criminals. When the crime and the criminals are so intricately linked, what is a holy, compassionate God to do?

We have a pretty clear answer to that, of course. God proclaims His righteousness and declares how His justice should handle the situation. Then, in His mercy, He relents. Yes, sometimes discipline is very real and seems very harsh, but His judgment always carries the possibility of being diverted. In the days of Abraham, God voiced His judgment on Sodom and listened to Abraham’s prayers. On Sinai, God voiced His judgment on idol-worshiping Israel and listened to Moses’ prayers. In Nineveh, God voiced His judgment through Jonah and listened to the Ninevite’s repentance. In Christ, God voiced His judgment of all sin and listened to the prayer of His Son.

“The LORD relented.”  (Amos 7:3)

So, when God voiced His judgment on Israel, Amos interceded. And twice, God relented. Israel didn’t measure up, but it couldn’t bear up under the weight of its own sin. The compassionate heart of God prompted Him to inform a prayer warrior of the impending judgment so he could ask that judgment to be withheld.

God frequently does that because He loves to save. He doesn’t point out sin to tell us how He’s going to punish; He points them out to urge us to confess and repent or to prompt us to pray for those who need His mercy. Nowhere in Scripture, nowhere, is condemnation His ultimate goal. You won’t find it. His preference is always to pass over condemnation on His way to redemption. Again, God loves to save!

During this season of Lent, allow yourself to be comforted by this Truth. Too many who follow Jesus are still burdened with guilt and shame, knowing but not grasping that they are new creatures in Christ. But judgment already came on a cross long ago. Compassion Is Yours – if you are willing to embrace it.

Have a comforting weekend. Make it better by worshiping The LORD with those who know the salvation of God, and find themselves modeling His compassion they know very, very well.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)