We cannot escape God, he is the one who sustains us, it’s my belief that without him we would cease to exist. But we remain under God’s providence in one of two ways: Love and Justice. God’s justice is his way of guiding our lives when we turn away from him. We cannot escape God’s justice here or at the time of death. When we sin, especially in a serious way, we become slaves to our sin on account of the justice of God.
One day this week, I was sharing the Good News with a chap as we leaned on a skip full of stuff that stank. We were talking about failing God. I shared that God leaves us to experience the imprisonment of sin on account of Jesus’ great mercy. It is mercy that calls us to repentance. When we repent, we come to live under God’s love and are blessed to live on a whole new level. Our souls bask in the mercy of God and are freed from the effects of sin. We experience the Spirit's numerous fruits and act according to God’s will.
Are you regularly falling from grace and encountering the justice of God in your life? Or are you striving to live by God’s love? Wherever you find yourself today, know that it is a gift of God’s mercy that enables us to face “the stuff that stinks” in our lives. Allow his justice to redirect your life when you fall and seek to embrace the full outpouring of his mercy. The Lord will never leave you, but how you will experience his mercy is up to you.
Every Blessing
Father Paul
P.S LENT DISCUSSION GROUPS
Six discussions will help us explore in greater depth how Christians know and worship God. The sessions reveal the reasons why the Eucharist (referred to as Holy Communion) is celebrated as a memorial of Christ’s saving passion and stands at the very heart of Christian worship. Depending on your diary, you can attend one or all of them. You can see more on our website Discussion Groups - St Mary Church Bletchingley. There are sign-up sheets in church.