Mercy on the Line
Well, bless your heart, friend, what a treat to have you makin’ your way through the gate and up the sidewalk. So, come steppin’ on up on this ol’ front porch like you just plum heard an ol’ bullfrog clearin’ its throat and announcin’ that it’s fixin’ to lead choir practice down by the creek. Pull up a chair and settle in for a lil’ spell. Let’s sit here and be watchin’ that lanky ol’ turkey gobbler over there strut across the yard with the confidence of an ol’ gander of a goose that thinks he’s sho’-nuff the boss around here. Life can make us feel a whole lot like that ol’ turkey. We git all puffed up, strut around, and act like we’ve done got everything plum figured out until God taps us on the shoulder remindin’ us that sin has some real consequences and mercy has a timetable. That there’s why Romans 6:23 settles over us like a cool breeze in the midday sun. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” And Joel 2:13 says, “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.” Friend, that verse is like findin’ a fresh oasis right in the middle of the desert.
Our nation was founded on Christian principles, but somewhere along the way we went and wandered off like a curious lil’ ol’ raccoon that got plum distracted by a real shiny trash can. George Washington warned us that morality and faith were indispensable for political prosperity. Psalm 103:10 reminds us that God does not punish us as we deserve. He loves to give second chances.
Nineveh learned that firsthand. Jonah marched into that massive city with a message that could flatten it in forty days. If they had rejected it, their “goose” surely would’ve been cooked. But they repented, and God poured out mercy like rain on thirsty ground.
Job 14:5 tells us that God decides the length of our lives. That sho’-nuff’ applies to nations, too. Every empire has had a beginning, middle, and end. Ours will, too. That’s plum why believers must carry a sense of urgency. We are the salt and light of this land, and our mission is like Jonah’s. We must proclaim mercy, but we also have to warn of judgment. John 3:16 gives both (“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”). Romans 6:23 gives both, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.". Revival plum stands on those twin pillars.
Friend, somebody in your circle sho’-nuff’ needs to hear that God offers second chances. Somebody needs to know mercy is real and judgment is, too.
Father, thank You for mercy that outruns judgment. Give me courage to share the Good News and compassion to pray for revival. Stir repentance in our nation and in my own heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friend, as you rise from this ol’ porch and wander back into the upcoming events of your day, let this truth settle into your spirit the way a quiet barn settles after the glow of the last lantern is turned down. God’s mercy will meet you with the steady calm of a windmill turning in a soft breeze. His truth will nudge your heart like a determined lil’ ol’ armadillo wanderin’ out from behind the water barrel. And His grace will steady your steps with the certainty of sunrise over a field that has never once forgotten how to glow. Walk forward with hope, friend. The God of second chances is still in the business of bringin’ revival today.
With joy,
Gwen
