The Lord Jesus appreciates His servants.
His favorite words to them are these: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: ... enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21), even if they don’t really deserve those good words.
That’s because of His “much more abounding grace” (cf. Rom. 5:20). It “abounds” more than our fallen human wisdom can appreciate.
When the Lord was confronted with the problem of an entire planet gone into rebellion and sin, He proceeded to solve the problem by an unthinkable way that shocked the entire unfallen universe: He frankly forgave all of planet earth’s sinners.
What He did shocks good people even today: they ask, “If He frankly forgave the world through Christ’s sacrifice on His cross, won’t that encourage sinners to go on sinning more and more?”
The answer is very serious; it appears to be “yes”: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Eccl. 8:11).
Wouldn’t God be wise to “execute” that “sentence” “speedily” so that sinners will fear more and more to go on sinning?
The Lord knows what He is doing: He doesn’t want to fill His glorious earth made new with people whose motivation for being there is fear. The only righteousness that can enter that eternal realm is the “righteousness which is of faith” (Rom. 9:30) that appreciates “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love [agape] of Christ which passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:18, 19).
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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