Mercy Mixed with Fear

Grumblers & Faultfinders

Do you know any?

Jude describes them this way:  ... dreamers who pollute their own bodies...reject authority... slander celestial beings...they speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do not understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals...shepherds who feed only themselves... they follow their own way, they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage... these are those who divide you, who follow their own natural instincts and do not have the spirit. In a nut shell they have created a God/belief system that does not hold them accountable in any way shape or form to the one True God( they change the grace of God into a license for immorality). 

If you encounter this type of person, remember that we are to be known by our love for each other and that we are to keep ourselves in God's LOVE...a natural instinct may be to fire right back at them, don't do it, even the Achangel Michael did not dare to hurl slanderous accusation against the devil..We walk in the spirit and we are instructed to build ourselves up in the most Holy Faith and pray in the Holy Spirit...

We are instructed in verses 22-23 to be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; and to others show mercy, mixed with fear... I see three types of people that we may encounter on our walk with the Lord: those who are doubters, those who are seeking and ready, and those who are bent on heading to the eternal jail cell...Notice that we are to show mercy to the first group, we are to snatch (which implies quickness to me) up the second group and show mercy mixed with fear to the third group. Mercy mixed with fear...You know, the thought of someone I love, spending the rest of their life in a jail cell bothers me, how about you?  Think about this for a moment, if one of your loved ones was sentenced to jail because they chose to ignore the law, what kind of feelings come over you? I know that discussing this subject does not give us the warm and fuzzies and by golly friends it shouldn't... it should cause us to feel uncomfortable...I just praise God that He is LOVE and that we are grounded in His love and that He has shown mercy on us...His  instruction in how to handle ourselves and others is given without fault. There is no doubt in my mind that His plan is much better than ours. You do something wrong, here in our society, you are sentenced. With God we have all done wrong, but He has provided a way to clear the charge against us and for that I am eternally greatful...

So in keeping with the words of Jude (half brother of Jesus), who by the way was a doubter who did not believe Jesus was the Christ until after the ressurection, ....Mercy, Peace and Love be yours in Abundance today and always....