Monday, February 1, 2021

Orange Moon "Warning Every Man"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe...

 

"Warning Every Man"   

 

    God is wondrously kind, merciful, gracious, loving, and desirous to bless His creation.  "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9).  He will not, however, be played for a fool, nor does He suffer fools gladly.      

 

    "Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded, but ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof" (Proverbs 1:23-30).

 

   An accurate understanding and portrayal of the God of Scripture must include a proper fear regarding those who will not receive His grace, along with a proper fear by His trusting children of His disciplinary chastening and scourging (Psalm 9:20; Hebrews 12:6).  Certainly, we would not want to hold any other perspective of Him.  We could not begin to respect a Lord who tolerated evil, or who failed to act in accordance with the best interests of His glory, His creation, and His trusting children in Christ.  Thus, our sharing of the Gospel includes not only joyful affirmation of God's promises, but also solemn warning to those who will not respond to Him in faith and submission.

 

    "Christ… whom we preach, warning every man" (Colossians 1:27; 28).

 

     As one writer suggested, "God is not the kindly old grandfather who just wants all the children to be happy."  Again, we cannot begin to fathom the goodness of His loving heart and its desire to redeem and fill our hearts with His joy.  However, our Heavenly Father does not bestow grace at the expense of His holy integrity.  We either come to Him in the way through Christ He made for us, and with a reciprocal attitude of humility, repentance, faith, and devotion, or we do not come at all.  As the Apostle Paul declared, "Be not deceived.  God is not mocked" (Galatians 6:7).  Indeed, the Lord of grace and the Lord of holiness are one and the same.  He bestows grace in a manner that correlates with His holiness, and His holiness administers the abundant dispensing of His grace. We do well to remember both aspects of His perfect character, and to rejoice that both guide Him in relationship toward all, and toward ourselves.

 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… of knowledge."

(Psalm 111: Proverbs 1:7).

 

Weekly Memory Verse

   "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."

(Psalm 145:9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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