The Tribune

By MINISTER KEITH EVANS

Have you ever thought for just one moment about God’s mercies? What if God wasn’t a kind God? What if God wasn’t a good God? What if He was a maniacal despotic God? What if God relished mankind’s ineptitude in achieving success because of sin and unrighteousness? What if God wasn’t a God of love?

King David once emphasised the point that I’m making here in regards to the revelation of the goodness that God bequeaths towards man. God’s sustainable grace is not subject to forfeiture! In 2 Samuel 24, David decides to do a census of his mighty army, which was sinful in God’s sight. Well, you might be thinking, what’s wrong with a monarch performing a census? In God’s sight it was considered unscrupulous and unfaithful towards God, because David was placing his trust in his military might and not in God. So God being God acted and set forth His prophet to enforce His laws with King David.

2 Samuel 24:10-14: “And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, o Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ‘Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.’ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, ‘Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.’ And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

David understood that God’s mercies are limitless, and His grace is sufficient enough to outlast even the most evil person. Throughout history, power has brought about some of the best and some of the most evil leaders. While some leaders do improve the quality of life of those they lead, other leaders only seek their own interests. Their selfish quest over the centuries has led to gross abuse of power resulting in the murder and genocide. What if God was like these corrupt, maniacal leaders, such as Herod, Nero, Saddam Hussein, Pope Alexander VI, Muammar Gaddafi, Caligula, Maximilien Robespierre, and others too many to mention.

I believe a lot of us, if not all of us, at times take God’s grace for granted. It was God that woke you and I up this morning. It is God that commands breath to pass through your body. It is God that is keeping you and I from losing our minds. We sometimes have a vague perception of God that is fundamentally incongruous of God’s character. God is a God of love, yet His judgement is just and true. His love is inexhaustible and abundant. Can I tell you that He isn’t holding your past against you, but it is usually our past that is holding us back from seeking Him.

Our preconceived ideologies concerning God have been contorted and distorted. We believe that God is working against us, and not for us. These are lies of the Devil! Yes, God is a God of judgement, but He is also the God of love who demonstrated this on the cross. If He were indeed finished with you, you wouldn’t be reading this article, but your photo would be plastered here in this obituary column where my articles usually are. Right?

Psalm 136:1-3 says: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His Mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever.”

Noticed how this psalm fearlessly declares God’s goodness! God is a good God, said the late Pastor Oral Roberts. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you’ve done in this life, know that God’s love for you doesn’t change. Now, if you decide to live in sin and die in that state, then that’s on you. Hell will be your home for eternity. But grace is yours! I keep thinking this as I write this article, what if God wasn’t a good God?

• For comments and questions, e-mail keithevans242@gmail.com or kenazevans242@gmail.com.