receive or find?

Zephaniah 2; I picture this wasteland kinda like the old Mel Gibson in Mad Max movies…..driving through what used to be New York I believe…the great city now in shambles.
Gods Judgment in Zephaniah is severe and all-encompassing. The great thing about God’s judgment is that it is righteous. We can live in fear of God’s judgment, or we can welcome it. I know that as a believer…as we stand before God in judgment, his righteousness and therefore his judgment are perfect and therefore will be of comfort and love and not fear.

Hebrews 4 gives us that confidence to approach God with everything this morning. Our high priest was tempted in EVERY way…and therefore has compassion for us in our weaknesses. He understands we arent God…and we do fail….and he understands. He doesn’t have to…..thats what is so cool about receiving MERCY and finding GRACE.

My kids don’t mess up often….but when they do…they get really nervous. What is dad gonna do? How harsh is it gonna be? Actually, I am pretty severe with punishment…and they don’t have to cross the line very far at all. I want to teach them to stay FAR away from the line. But every now and then, I teach them about Mercy. They stand accused and convicted by dad…I may even have them pick their punishment….(which they know must be severe) and then….we talk about it…and I let them experience the pain that this punishment would bring….usually it brings tears and then…..mercy….relief. I will tell them that the punishment is appropriate in this instance, but I always want them to remember about Grace too. And be quick to give mercy…because you received it. Talk about relief, talk about love, and they don’t try to abuse the system either….because as the offender, we don’t determine when Mercy is going to happen.

Its not at all like the game that we used to play as kids where you bend the other persons hands back to the point of breaking them…and one person will yell,” mercy” and the other lets up. We could play that game with confidence….that if the pain became too much to bear…you just yelled mercy and it was over. Mercy is given when the offended feels like it, not when the offender wants it.

Why is it that we receive mercy….yet we find grace?