consume everything that it touches. Fire is destructive, it brings quick devastation and
death. Fire in the Bible represents God's judgment, it's God's flame of truth applied to
a situation. God's judgment is always right and always deserved. Psalms 119:137
"Righteous art Thou, O LORD, and upright are Thy judgments."
Some people argue that a loving God can't be a judging and condemning God. May I
tell you that a loving God has to be a judging and condemning God! Some of you might
be taken back by this statement, but allow me to explain. God's judgments upon us
is always completely justified. We have no argument before a righteous and holy God.
When God's word, the flame of truth is applied to our sinful hearts, we always fall short,
we have sinned and therefore must receive the consequence; and the consequence of
sin is death. Romans 6:23 "For the wages (the price, consequence) of sin is death:
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Yes, with God's righteous judgment always comes His unmerited mercy. There is a
beautiful picture of this found in Exodus chapter 3. Here we find Moses keeping his
father-in-law Jethro's sheep. As he was tending the flock, God appeared to him in a
burning bush. Verse 2, "And the angel of the LORD (God) appeared unto him in
a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush
burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." Can you put yourself in the
place of Moses and just imagine his astonishment as he beheld this marvelous sight?
Here was a bush that was burning, yet it was not being consumed by the fire! This is
beautiful picture of God's judgment brought, but His mercy shown.
Friend do you realize that God's judgment was brought upon Christ (who died in our
stead), but His mercy shown to us! We who deserve only death as payment for our
sins, have been given the great gift of mercy from Almighty God, because He loved us.
It explains this wonderful truth in Ephesians 2:4 - 7 "But God, Who is rich in mercy,
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened (made alive) us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved:) and hath
raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
How thankful are you today for the mercy of God? Because of His great mercy, we
have been spared the judgment and penalty of sin...death, and have been given the
wonderful gift of salvation, fellowship and an eternity in His loving presence. How
very blessed we are! Lamentations 3:22 & 23 "It is of the LORD'S mercies that
we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every
morning: great is Thy faithfulness."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZibQkUWKDs
The Mercies Of God
The mercies of God! What a theme for my song,
O, I never could number them o'er;
They're more than the stars in the heavenly dome,
Or the sands of the wave beaten shore.
They greet me at morn when I waken from sleep,
And they gladden my heart at the noon;
They follow me on into shades of the night,
When the day with its labor is done.
His goodness and mercy will follow me still,
Even onto the end of the way;
I have His sure promise and that cannot fail,
That His mercy is mine every day.
For the mercies so great, what return can I make?
For mercies so constant and sure?
I'll love Him, I'll serve Him with all that I have,
As long as my life shall endure.
Thomas O. Chisholm
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