Mercy rather than sacrifice

[BarbaraTherese]

Quoting NCJohn

Who would come to love a God they see as vengeful and fearful? Who would love a God they think is playing “Gotcha” with them?

Hi John…again we are on that same wavelength!

I just don’t buy the idea that love springs from fear. Love springs from gratitude and awe. When “fear of the Lord” is understood in its proper context of being in awe of God, I will totally agree that it is the beginning of wisdom. When someone begins to be afraid of God though, there is a disaster just waiting to happen as despair will be hiding right around the corner.

I think most definitions of “Fear of The Lord” explain it as coming from awe…from ‘sighting’ something of the Majestic Grandeur of The Lord. Similar to when, say one sees a massive waterfall of great power…the reaction is awe, that is tinged with a type of fear at its overwhelming beauty and power. But one is not afraid of it.

I taught my children, as i will help teach their children, that there is nothing they can do or say that should ever make them afraid to approach God; that there is nothing they cannot be forgiven. And I have tried my best to model that for them in a human way, that they might never fear going to someone they have hurt to apologize, fearing rejection of their honest contrition.

I think that the above is the very best of religious instruction that men have to offer their children and grandchildren. My own Dad I know as a child was my role model for a concept of God and God had blessed me with a great Dad…that basic idea of God formed from my Dad has never deserted me.

I don’t ever want my kids or grandchildren losing hope, as I did for so many years, that they can ever be loved by or worthy to God. I already know far too many who are fully convinced that God will never forgive them for something, and that they are condemned to hell, because of a bunch of BS that they were fed somewhere along the way by the “righteous” about a vengeful God.

As a child pre V2 we used to have Missions for a week in our parish around twice yearly given by religious order priests who did speak of emotively of Hell and damnation and the risk of going there … took me quite a long time to adjust my Fear of The Lord from being afraid of God due to those missions.

It’s so sad to see the number of people who can quote a couple verses out of context while ignoring the entire message of Jesus, who reiterated the constant message of the prophets:

“What I desire is mercy, not sacrifice.”

Amen! Amen!
I think that the whole of Scripture is in a setting of a Loving and Merciful God. Of course there are times when God seems to have been most vengeaful indeed - but then I think He was provoked due to the extreme and deliberate behaviour provoking Him. But to say that Scriputre is in the setting of a vengeaful God misses the reality, I think, completely.
If one ponders The Incarnation - it staggers one and speaks to a God of Overwhelming Love.

Blessings, John, and my regards…Barb

 

[Ohwesty]

Nobody loves love and mercy more than I do. I’m a big promoter of the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy devotions. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and by fear I mean a “reverent awe.” Remember Moses’ hair had turned white when he came down from Mount Horeb. And Peter, James and John fell on their faces at just a glimpse of the Lord’s glory at the Transfiguration. God’s justice is good because it will bring perfect balance at the end of time. All debts will be paid, all wrongs will be righted, all deeds done in secret will come out in the open, all the saved will receive a perfectly fitted crown and a perfectly tailored gown, the damned will receive the appropriate punishment. I personally believe that those poor ones on this earth who never had a chance, who lived the most horrible lives, will have the highest place of honor at the Lord’s table. God’s justice will bring perfect harmony and balance to the universe and therefore justice, too, should be praised.

• Westy

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Ohwesty;

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and by fear I mean a “reverent awe.” Remember Moses’ hair had turned white when he came down from Mount Horeb.

I keep reminding my family and friends of this when they comment on my graying hair.

Jim

 

[GemmaRose]

Exactly Barb.

Who would come to love a God they see as vengeful and fearful? Who would love a God they think is playing “Gotcha” with them?

I just don’t buy the idea that love springs from fear. Love springs from gratitude and awe. When “fear of the Lord” is understood in its proper context of being in awe of God, I will totally agree that it is the beginning of wisdom. When someone begins to be afraid of God though, there is a disaster just waiting to happen as despair will be hiding right around the corner.

I taught my children, as i will help teach their children, that there is nothing they can do or say that should ever make them afraid to approach God; that there is nothing they cannot be forgiven. And I have tried my best to model that for them in a human way, that they might never fear going to someone they have hurt to apologize, fearing rejection of their honest contrition. I don’t ever want my kids or grandchildren losing hope, as I did for so many years, that they can ever be loved by or worthy to God. I already know far too many who are fully convinced that God will never forgive them for something, and that they are condemned to hell, because of a bunch of BS that they were fed somewhere along the way by the “righteous” about a vengeful God.

It’s so sad to see the number of people who can quote a couple verses out of context while ignoring the entire message of Jesus, who reiterated the constant message of the prophets:

“What I desire is mercy, not sacrifice.”

While “love springs from gratitude and awe,” we must not forget that our love is itself a gift from God. I’m not talking about God loving us - I’m talking about our love for God. The love we have for God is a free gift from God.

We could just as easily been born into a Hindu family, an atheist family. . . I don’t mean to disparage anyone else, but we could have been born into circumstances where we would never have known God. Or, maybe that is the case for some here, and something happened that brought them to knowledge of God. That is free gift.

When I think of it, it really astounds me. . . God doesn’t need us. He wants us.

God doesn’t need our love, yet He wants our love, and even when He doesn’t receive it, He continues to love us.

God doesn’t need our obedience, and even though He wants it and *deserves it, * He is always willing to forgive our disobedience.

God doesn’t need our worship, yet He knows that we have an innate need to worship something higher than ourselves, and so He reveals Himself to us, and fills us with Himself, that we may worship in spirit and truth.

The secular world says, “You are what you eat,” and claims that healthy foods will lengthen our lives. Yet we have the promise of eternal life from the One who feeds us every day with His Body and Blood.

What a great and awesome God we have!