Book of Jeremiah
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The motive which prevails with God to forgive the ungodly is that "he delighteth in mercy". There are two brief but powerful devotionals by William Gurnall which address the subject of salvation. The first is called, The Joy in Pardoning Sinners and the second is aptly titled, The Cost of Refusing.
In the first, Gurnall writes:
God's strictness emphasize the seriousness of delivering His message faithfully. Paul trembled at the very thought of laziness: "Woe is me if I preach not." And Christ reached deep into His own heart to persuade Peter: "Lovest thou me?........Feed My sheep" (John 21:16) It is as if he said, "Peter, you are crying and feeling guilty because cowardice made you deny Me; but there is still one way to demonstrate your love - feed My sheep. Do this and stop worrying about the traitor of the past." Once again, Christ showed more care for His sheep than for Himself.
-William Gurnall
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As followers of Christ we must follow His example and think about the lost sheep whom Jesus is calling - even now. This is not the complete message from Gurnall.
Gurnall Continues,
God expresses joy when sinners accept His peace. Joy is the highest testimony which can be given to our peace. Love is to joy as fuel is to fire. If lover gathers only a few scraps of kindling - only small desires in the heart - then the flame of joy that will come out of it will not be very hot. Now because God takes such great joy in pardoning sinners, His affection is also great in His offer of peace. In fact, the motive which prevails with God to forgive the ungodly is that "he delighteth in mercy."
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. - Micah 7:18
-William Gurnall
In closing, Gurnall presents the following analogy:
If you ask a fisherman why he stands with his hook in the water all night he will tell you it is because he enjoys fishing. Now you know why God waits for sinners - months, years - preaching to them. He delights in forgiving them by His grace and mercy. Now and then a government official will pardon an offender more to please others than himself: but God forgives to make his own heart glad. Thus when Christ came to reconcile sinners to God, His ministry was called "the pleasure of the Lord" (Isaiah 53:10)
The Christian in Complete Armour - August 22 - The Joy in Pardoning Sinners - read more devotionals from William Gurnall at
William Gurnall -- The Christian in Complete Armour
In the first, Gurnall writes:
God's strictness emphasize the seriousness of delivering His message faithfully. Paul trembled at the very thought of laziness: "Woe is me if I preach not." And Christ reached deep into His own heart to persuade Peter: "Lovest thou me?........Feed My sheep" (John 21:16) It is as if he said, "Peter, you are crying and feeling guilty because cowardice made you deny Me; but there is still one way to demonstrate your love - feed My sheep. Do this and stop worrying about the traitor of the past." Once again, Christ showed more care for His sheep than for Himself.
-William Gurnall
_______________
As followers of Christ we must follow His example and think about the lost sheep whom Jesus is calling - even now. This is not the complete message from Gurnall.
Gurnall Continues,
God expresses joy when sinners accept His peace. Joy is the highest testimony which can be given to our peace. Love is to joy as fuel is to fire. If lover gathers only a few scraps of kindling - only small desires in the heart - then the flame of joy that will come out of it will not be very hot. Now because God takes such great joy in pardoning sinners, His affection is also great in His offer of peace. In fact, the motive which prevails with God to forgive the ungodly is that "he delighteth in mercy."
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. - Micah 7:18
-William Gurnall
In closing, Gurnall presents the following analogy:
If you ask a fisherman why he stands with his hook in the water all night he will tell you it is because he enjoys fishing. Now you know why God waits for sinners - months, years - preaching to them. He delights in forgiving them by His grace and mercy. Now and then a government official will pardon an offender more to please others than himself: but God forgives to make his own heart glad. Thus when Christ came to reconcile sinners to God, His ministry was called "the pleasure of the Lord" (Isaiah 53:10)
The Christian in Complete Armour - August 22 - The Joy in Pardoning Sinners - read more devotionals from William Gurnall at
William Gurnall -- The Christian in Complete Armour