• Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Chinese Translation
    • Dutch Translation
    • French Translation
    • German Translation
    • Italian Translation
    • Portuguese Translation
    • Russian Translation
    • Spanish Translation
    • Turkish Translation
  • READY OR NOT...
  • My Story - Videos
    • In His Own Words
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
    • Son of Hope Gospel Tract
  • Journal
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • *May 2022
      • *June 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020 >
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2014-2005
  • Updates
  • For Parents and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • Satan's Bible
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Ministry Tools
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • Friends
  • Inspirational Testimonies
    • Tracey Anne's Testimony
  • Contact
  • Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Chinese Translation
    • Dutch Translation
    • French Translation
    • German Translation
    • Italian Translation
    • Portuguese Translation
    • Russian Translation
    • Spanish Translation
    • Turkish Translation
  • READY OR NOT...
  • My Story - Videos
    • In His Own Words
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
    • Son of Hope Gospel Tract
  • Journal
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • *May 2022
      • *June 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020 >
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2014-2005
  • Updates
  • For Parents and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • Satan's Bible
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Ministry Tools
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • Friends
  • Inspirational Testimonies
    • Tracey Anne's Testimony
  • Contact
AriseandShine.org

July 2021

Mercy

7/7/2021

 
Who is a God like unto Thee, who pardons iniquity, and chooses to overlook the sins
of His people? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.
Micah 7:18

A God who "delights" in showing mercy? 
That's my heavenly Father! He forgives, loves, and restores all who have failed Him. Honestly, who has not broken His laws and disobeyed His commandments? I know I have, many times. As God's Word plainly declares, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

In the above passage from the Old Testament's book of the prophet Micah, we see God's nature revealed. He is kind and merciful. He does not deal with us as our sins plainly deserve. We call it forgiveness.

But God's forgiveness is too often misunderstood. Many times people will accuse the Lord and the church of being "soft" on sin. This, however, is not the case at all. There are dozens of passages in both the Old and New Testaments which reveal God's hatred of sin. 

Likewise, there are dozens of passages in which the Lord clearly punishes sin, sometimes even with death. Yet He still delights in showing mercy. In my case, for example, some may argue that for me to be forgiven, is unfair. But beingforgiven does not necessarily mean being let off the hook and escaping the consequences of one's sins. 

I have said this many times throughout the years. Receiving God's forgiveness, which I am deeply grateful for, does not mean a free ticket out of prison. I still have to suffer the consequences of my actions. I have a debt to pay to society, as well.

God is a being of justice. He carefully weighs each case. He saw all that happened in my life which caused me to go down the dark path that I did. He saw how Satan afflicted me even in my youth. God knows things about me which no one else knows, and He has taken these circumstances into consideration.

In any event, God longs to forgive all who come to Him with a repentant heart. This is what the cross at Calvary is all about, and why the Lord Jesus gave His life. All who come to Messiah Jesus can receive forgiveness. But as is often the case, we cannot escape God's law of sowing and reaping. For more than forty years now, I have been reaping what I have sown (see what sowing and reaping means).

D. B.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    David Berkowitz
    Copyright © AriseandShine.Org

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly