God's Fierce Mercy

I'm contemplating this statement, "God's Fierce Mercy," that I just recently came across.

Fierce. . .God is strenuously active and resolute. Strenuous . . . He is vigorously active; energetic and zealous. Resolute . . . God is firm and determined; unwavering regarding His mercy toward us.

God's mercy toward us is vigorously active, zealous, firm, determined and unwavering. It is fiercely intense and strong.

God's mercy is passionate -- emotional, excited, eager, enthusiastic, animated, strong, warm, wild, intense, flaming, fierce, frenzied, ardent, fervent, heartfelt, impassioned, zealous, impulsive, vehement, impetuous, and fervid. It can be wild and frantic, even uncontrollable. Can you imagine? It is ardent and fiery and extremely hot! He is filled with and inspired by intense enthusiasm toward us.
He is eager, having or showing a keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy, to cover us with a high wave of this mercy, which is caused by a tidal flow (colliding tidal currents) of His Love and Grace.

It can come from Him suddenly, even impulsive, on a whim without careful thought, spontaneously as a lover's impulsive kiss! Ahhh! Just the thought!

God's mercy toward us can be militant, agressive as in the service of a cause. . .showing His determination and energetic pursuit of His ends on our behalf.

He is a "heavyweight", impressive in the size, strength and quality of His mercy. He's our Chamption, our Gladiator, a warrior Who is heavily armed with unconditional love.

With this fierce and impulsive, eager and passionate Champion on our side, WHO can be against us? His mercy TRIUMPHS over His judgment!!

His mercy travels directly to us through only one Connection or Way: His Son. We connect and are permanently and securely sealed on our part through faith in this Gift.

And when we believe and receive His ardent and fierce mercy, our hearts are tenderized and respond with mercy to others. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned." (Luke 6:37) Actually, because grace abounds first . . .we will not judge, because we have not been judged; and we will not condemn, because we were not condemned; we will pardon and forgive, because we have been pardoned and forgiven.

We will love others as fiercely as He has loved us. If we really knew His Fierce Mercy personally, we will reflect it unto our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, foreigners, strangers, the alienated, rejected, the lowliest, the least of these . . . and even our enemies.



With this in mind, I consider what Jesus highlighted in His message to us: Luke 6:27 ~ "But I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. [29] If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. [30] Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. [31] Do to others as you would have them do to you. [32] "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. [33] And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. [34] And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. [35] But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, BECAUSE He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. [36] BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL."

Is there anyone who doesn't need this mercy?

The Pear Tree

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge
things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at
a pear tree that was a great distance away.


The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe
what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so
sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever
seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with
fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they
had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,
and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that
come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons
are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the
beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.




Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come sometime.