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No matter how thin you slice the cake, no matter how large the cake, finally the last piece of the wedding cake will be gone. No matter how careful you are to enjoy every second of a happy celebration, it will end. The things that make us happy seem to end all too quickly while the things that cause us sadness seem to drag on without end.
We do not need to be afraid that our relationship with God is likewise determined by the circumstances of our life. There are times when we feel that God is good, and we are happy and then there are other times when we are sad and mistakenly conclude that God has turned against us. An encouraging passage is found in Romans 11:32, “God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all.”
Before Paul wrote those words he wrote about the disobedience of the Gentiles before they heard the gospel and became believers. They were disobeying the command to repent and to believe. Some of the people of Israel were disobedient by not believing that Jesus is the son of God and their Savior. Then he wrote that God consigned all to disobedience in order that he might have mercy on all. It is in the mercy of God that we find blessings. In his mercy God comes to us with the forgiveness of sin, the promise of a restoration of our relationship with him, the promise of eternal life with him. These are all good and they contribute to our happiness. And we never need to worry that the mercy of God will come to an end, nor will it ever be all used up. When God has mercy on one sinner there is no less mercy left for the rest of sinners. The mercy of God is eternal as God is eternal and that means there will never be an end to the mercy of God .
Perhaps you are like the prodigal son in Luke 15 who for a while left the father’s home and had no contact with the father. But when he returned, he had all the love that the father could give to him. The same is true also of you no matter how long you have been away. His mercy is there for you waiting. Think of the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus on Good Friday. At the end of his life of disobedience he received mercy as Jesus promised him eternal life on the day of his death.
We do not encourage deathbed conversions because none of us knows when the end is going to come. A sudden heart attack, a ruptured aneurysm, an accident on the highway, any of these can end our life without giving us an opportunity to ask for mercy. Knowing that mercy is always there without interruption and knowing that we are welcome without exception encourages us to come for mercy.
The mercies of the Eternal God are new every morning to all people. There is always a never-ending supply of mercy and God sincerely invites us to come to his throne of grace and mercy to receive the help that we need in every time of need.
We cannot come too often, we will never find the mercy cupboard empty, the love of the eternal God will always welcome us and give us peace.
Elmer Schiefer
Pastor. Family of Christ Lutheran Church
elmer@myglobalemail.com
573-529-0584
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