God's Unfailing Love

Lamentations 3:31-32 “For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.”

                   This is a tricky statement that implies that no matter what you’ve done God will not cast you out from his presence eternally. But that’s not true. To believe that you must make an assumption; that a loving God wouldn’t cast anyone out but make allowances as if all had a right to be with him in heaven. However, that assumption would have to ignore the fallen angels and unrepentant man. There are those who are presented with the gospel message repeatedly throughout their life and never embrace it as true. They choose to believe a lie that either there is no hell, no devil or that they are basically good people and God wouldn’t send good people out of his presence. The Bible makes it clear that there is a hell.^[1] In fact Jesus spoke more of hell ^{(aka - hades, Gehenna)} than anyone else in scripture.

                  It should be made clear that it brings no pleasure to the Lord to cast off anyone. Hell was created for Lucifer ^(Satan)and his fallen angels ^{(who then became demons)}, not man. But a person’s rejection of Christ and his forgiveness, plus God’s appointed standards for living voids man’s opportunity to go to heaven to live for all eternity with their Creator. This scripture in Lamentations shows us clearly that casting off someone out of his presence forever grieves him. To grieve is to “express great sorrow or distress. God’s plan has no place for those who turn away from his offer” ^[2].

                  He shows compassion towards man. Compassion is a “deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.” ^[2] Scripture says we are but dust and to dust we shall return ^{[Genesis 3:19; Psalm 103:14]}. His love for us is great, unending and without conditions placed upon it, therefore, unless we completely reject God’s way of life, we will be with him after we pass on from this earth. Do not reject Almighty God. Shift your focus onto the scriptures and seek his face while he may be found, for someday it will be too late. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] Luke 16:23; Matthew 11:23; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 5:22.

^[2] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.