Depth of Mercy - Charles Wesley, 1740

     I have this odd thing I do (well, one of many, but never mind that), I enjoy reading old hymnals. I love to gather the wisdom of the musicians and lyricists as they try to give tone and rhythm and understanding to the life of Christ and the life IN Christ. I ran across this Charles Wesley lyric just today, and thought this a beautiful picture of us in Him.

Depth of Mercy
Depth of mercy! Can there be mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His wrath forbear, me the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace, long provoked Him to His face, would not hearken to His calls, grieved Him by a thousand falls.

I my Master have denied, I afresh have crucified, oft profaned His hallowed name, put Him to an open shame.

There for me the Savior stands, shows His wounds and spreads His hands. God is love! I know, I feel; Jesus weeps and loves me still.

Now incline me to repent, let me now my sins lament, now my foul revolt deplore, weep, believe, and sin no more.

     It is incredible to me, and yet I am as guilty and more, that we can be the recipients of such mercy and grace, and still act the way we do. I can speak only for myself, but I know the darkness that I see in me. It is there, covered only by a thin layer of whitewash. And even with what I see, I know that God knows the depths of my sin even better than I do. How I can stand at even the mention of His name is beyond my comprehension. And yet, even knowing me as He alone can, there is mercy and grace even greater than all my sin, than all the sins of all the world from the beginning of time till eternity. 

     Read those last two lines of the song again. Romans states this fact of grace abounding over and over, just for the asking. There is nothing that can separate us from God's love. He is always there, never leaving or forsaking, even now at our sides. We need only to look and see and believe. As to the sin no more, no one save Jesus Himself ever achieved that. That is why it is so amazing that WHEN we fall (as we will) His grace is still sufficient and more. God is love! I know, I feel; Jesus weeps and loves me still. Praise His Holy Name.

The Bride

     Author’s note: I experienced two events in the last couple of weeks. One was watching on web cam a Koinonia Reunion Concert on Facebook, honoring the recent historical marker placed on 16^th Avenue. Koinonia was an incredible place, whose sole purpose was to bring God’s light and love into the world. The very next day while coming back to my car in a store parking lot, I saw a glossy paged magazine printed by the Tony Alamo Foundation placed under the windshield wiper. Just seeing again the name of this vile false prophet made me sick to my stomach, and sick that our current world situation even allows his kind of hatred to crawl out from under the rocks, even after his death. The dichotomy of these two events has prompted the post below.

As to the directness of its language, I recall being told when much younger in the Lord that I had the soul of a prophet…and about as much tact. (They were always getting thrown into pits, dungeons, lion’s dens and the like. Never invited to the best dinner parties.) That being said, read on.  MDM

Lamentations is one very sad book. The prophet Jeremiah pours out his soul for Jerusalem, for her loss. It is the mother of all broken-hearted sobs. Spilling out of him like a soap opera actor on steroids. All is desolation. And then, out of nowhere it seems, in chapter 3 he says…

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV)

The church today, at least in America, is under tremendous turmoil. It is a turmoil of her own making. The Bride of Christ has become soiled, deflowered. She has become a prostitute in the hopes and dreams of power. She has traded in her robe and veil for clubs and guns and signs and swastikas. Such vile hatred spews from the mouths of God’s children, in all forms of media. They are no longer the love of Christ on this earth, but seek to be an avenging angel, not for the freedom of salvation, but to enslave others in chains. Dear Church, Jesus does not need an avenger. We are strictly forbidden from being so. Romans 12:19 says…

Beloved, never avenge yourself, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written ’Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord’” (also Deut. 32:35) (ESV)

And further in verse 20…

“To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” (ESV)

When is the last Facebook post you saw recommending that?

Read Lamentations through. It was not only for that day and time, but will be for us soon. Even now we see it at the door. But there is an answer. Just as in Lamentations, there is a hope. It won’t come from left or right or party or government or laws, but from Jesus, the Beloved, the Bridegroom.

“If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)

Note a couple of things. This has nothing to do with changing a government, or laws, or even about anyone other than ourselves.

“If my people…humble themselves…pray…seek my face…turn...”

THEN…

“I will hear…will forgive…and heal” (Emphasis mine)

We, the Bride, must become humble, lose the arrogance that seems to be so prevalent.

Pray, not at but for others, and ask forgiveness for ourselves.

Seek His face, for when looking at Him, no thoughts of control and hate and fear can abide.

Turn, don’t just say fine words to God then spew filth and hate at your brother and sister. Walk the walk.

Then, and only then, is there hope. It is up to you, Bride. Return to your Beloved and be clean again. Only you can. There is no other.