I've been thinking a lot lately about the Big Time need the folks on this planet, this nation (oh, this nation!), my family!, ME!, are in fresh need, huge need, overwhelming need of God's mercy and rescue. He has to supply these things, in abundance, or they just aren't going to happen. We cannot fix ourselves. Society can't fix us. Government can't fix us. False religion can't fix us.
That's why I've adapted a line from old TV Westerns about the bartender who yells "Drinks are on the House!", meaning free drinks for everyone in the place. It's usually done to conclude a fight scene or celebrate something big.
I've often said that God is a God of great rescues. The Bible is full of rescue stories. On a personal level, I've seen God take long-time Believers to their Heavenly home in sweet, gentle ways, as though it's a reward for lives well-lived. For some folks who have rejected Him all their long lives, I've also seen Him swoop in at the last minute to awaken them to repentance and faith shortly before they pass from this earth.
He can do it all sorts of ways, and He does. That's our God! He really is a God of great mercy and rescue.
I think about the story of this creation. It's His story. It's not mine, yours, or the Archangels or satan's and the demons, or any other beings you can imagine. I make a brief appearance in His story, as do you, but make no mistake: It's His story, a story He's writing for His own heart's reasons and His own heart's satisfaction. We are characters in His story, no more, no less.
When I think about my life in terms of His story, I realize that I've strayed from His story-line over and over again. So, I want Him to rescue His story from what I've done to it. Taking that thought a few steps further, I want Him to have mercy on Himself and rescue His story from what the deep contamination of sinfulness has done to it.
It must be true that, just as His story-line takes all of the corruption of evil into account, eventually resolving it, it must also take all of the requisite mercy and rescue into account. He will have His way. He will have mercy on Himself and rescue His story. There will be no end to the story He's writing, no back cover to close. But as for this portion of it, He will have His way. He will be happy with the conclusion.
That's why I've adapted a line from old TV Westerns about the bartender who yells "Drinks are on the House!", meaning free drinks for everyone in the place. It's usually done to conclude a fight scene or celebrate something big.
I've often said that God is a God of great rescues. The Bible is full of rescue stories. On a personal level, I've seen God take long-time Believers to their Heavenly home in sweet, gentle ways, as though it's a reward for lives well-lived. For some folks who have rejected Him all their long lives, I've also seen Him swoop in at the last minute to awaken them to repentance and faith shortly before they pass from this earth.
He can do it all sorts of ways, and He does. That's our God! He really is a God of great mercy and rescue.
I think about the story of this creation. It's His story. It's not mine, yours, or the Archangels or satan's and the demons, or any other beings you can imagine. I make a brief appearance in His story, as do you, but make no mistake: It's His story, a story He's writing for His own heart's reasons and His own heart's satisfaction. We are characters in His story, no more, no less.
When I think about my life in terms of His story, I realize that I've strayed from His story-line over and over again. So, I want Him to rescue His story from what I've done to it. Taking that thought a few steps further, I want Him to have mercy on Himself and rescue His story from what the deep contamination of sinfulness has done to it.
It must be true that, just as His story-line takes all of the corruption of evil into account, eventually resolving it, it must also take all of the requisite mercy and rescue into account. He will have His way. He will have mercy on Himself and rescue His story. There will be no end to the story He's writing, no back cover to close. But as for this portion of it, He will have His way. He will be happy with the conclusion.
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