He Is Mercy

"There is no stopping point to God's love."

A WHILE BACK there was a website that posted what they considered “ugly” book covers. Some were offended to find their books listed there. But others, although they disagreed with the website author’s opinion, found a way to use it to their advantage. Here was their book on display. Now, don’t you want to know what the story is about? Perspective changes everything.

What we choose to let offend us, what we find offensive, we can then walk away from and move on, or do what we shouldn’t do, and voice our complaint. What we complain about gets our attention. But we must ask: Do we really want that in our thinking, since it angers us or saddens us? We want to fix it. But that isn’t our job, or not directly. There are things that require human intervention to be changed, but attitudes and mindsets, incorrect doctrine and ungodly beliefs can only be changed by God’s presence in the heart, by Him healing the mind.

“God our Father sends his goodwill and peace to you, as does the Lord Jesus Christ who voluntarily sacrificed himself to restore trust and heal us from the infection of fear and selfishness and thus deliver us out of this present self-indulgent, self-destructive evil age, according to the eternal purpose of our God and Father to whom be all honor and praise and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

Not enough is said about God’s healing the mind, outside of time spent in the Word of God, read and rereading it, and this is necessary. But I can tell you firsthand there are many things only He can do that no amount of self-effort will heal. Healing of the mind from drug abuse is one example. God can remove all physical and mental defects. He not only CAN but He DESIRES TO. Most often, out of His mercy. He heals thinking patterns and removes harmful memories to the extent they do not upset us any longer.

He heals diagnosed mental disease. The death of the mind is not His doing nor His desire for us. For anyone. Neither is physical malady. In faith circles, it is said healing comes mostly through continual meditation (muttering) of the Word of God. While this is true, it leaves out God’s ability and longing to heal those who haven’t asked, wouldn’t ask, or cannot ask. I get stares at me whenever I say this, but I would not be here if God had waited for me to have correct knowledge and understanding enough to have faith.

Why am I living? I’ve asked my loving Savior this, and the simple reply is He loves me. He saw my need long before it happened and had already prepared my healing. “But people die of their troubles all the time,” you reply. And this is true. The answer is always found in the Spirit, and He is willing to answer. But on a wider scale the answer is two parts. One, the Father sent Jesus. Jesus removed any fear of death. With Christ living in the heart, there is only heaven to gain. No one need ever wonder what will happen after death nor how our families will fare. No one need ever worry that some accident or illness will take them. Appropriate the Word. Take the Father’s promises and apply them to your future, to your present.

“You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup. In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches.” (Psalm 16:5, VOICE)

Two, spiritual maturity works into it. We will not be fully mature until our bodies are remade in the image of Christ. This is stated clearly in 1 Corinthians 13:10. Therefore, we are continually growing, always learning more of the Word, always becoming more intimate with the Father, the Spirit, and the Son. What we know of spiritual principles affects how we talk, what we say, and how we act. This applies to mankind as a whole, to church families, denominations, and individuals. God could heal everyone in a breath and do away with all evil. But what He hungers for are children who believe in Him astutely and completely, who know what He’s done to combat and defeat the enemy, and who, despite anything the devil can do, are not defeated by him.

He doesn’t want a family of spiritual babies, continually fed milk to survive, but mature adults capable of meat and willing and able to bring to birth new children in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:2). The physical family is an example of the spiritual family. Family and not disciples. This word has been used much in recent years, and it’s applicable to people as learners and followers of Jesus Christ. But it smacks much of cultish practices as well. Not of believers, in love with Jesus, who will follow Him anywhere, but of those whose minds are “brainwashed” into some ritualistic behavior, and that is not God AT ALL. Cults have disciples, other false religions have disciples. Jesus has family.

Family takes care of family. We love each other and will go to any length to help each other, fueled by the love of God and His compassion. There is no stopping point to God’s love. Also, God’s children love those lost in the worship of the world, all those who think they know the way to truth. We know their missteps, can see where they are trusting in doctrines of demons, but rather than judge them for it, we love them in spite of it. This is what Jesus did. He dined with sinners (Matthew 9:13), He laid hands on multitudes, paying no mind to their uncleanness, their ancestry or culture, nor did their gender or age affect His love for them.

He didn’t come to create a following but to birth a family. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But He is Husband, Bridegroom, Friend, and Brother as well. All of these are spoken of in the Word of God. He is the Lion laid down with the Lamb. Rabbi (Master), Lord, and King. The Sower and the Seed sown. He is the Lover of Solomon’s Song and the Shepherd of David’s Psalm. He is the Word of God. The Way of the Father, the Truth of the Father, and the Life of all things.

He is Faith, but He is also Mercy. And it is mercy that He wants His church to focus on. Not in replacement of faith but IN ADDITION TO it. Never tell anyone they “can’t be healed.” Tell them God loves them, and He will do it because that’s the kind of Father He is. That’s His character. He proved it when He gave of Himself so completely, even experiencing death, although He is far above it. He didn’t have to die. He could have sent those twelve legions of angels, Jesus spoke of, and rode in as a Conqueror. He could have trounced Rome solidly and thrown the devil in chains. But He is Justice.

And because man brought sin into the world, a man would have to take sin from it. There will never be any question of His method; He accomplished it perfectly and in the manner it needed to be accomplished, simply by keeping His Word.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)

“And when I talk with God, it is my desire for you that your love may grow—with ever-increasing knowledge and understanding of God’s character, methods and principles, with ever-increasing depth of insight— so that you may be able to distinguish with cutting efficiency the difference between the healthy and unhealthy, the true and false, the right and wrong—right up to the day when Jesus comes and takes us home.” (Philippians 1:9-10)

Image by Karen .t from Pixabay


----------
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com