In his book “One More Strain of Praise” Neal A. Maxwell shared: “The Lord is not slack, . . . but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.[i] (emphasis added).
Thus as one ripples through the pages of scriptures, his soul ripples with appreciation, for we really can know that God is, but also what He is like!
In the final judgement, all mortals will finally and freely acknowledge that God is God, including those who have lived “without God in the World” [ii]. The grateful chorus, as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the Christ, will cite the perfection of God’s justice and mercy ([iii]; [iv]; [v]).Furthermore, after all the considerations of justice have been fully cared for, noted once again there is the stunning assurance: “Mercy. . . overpowereth justice”! [vi]
Meanwhile, for us, awareness of God’s ultimate mercy is needed, operationally, such as in order to overcome any resentment we may have of mortal injustices that impact upon us—perceived or real. The quality of mercy is also needed in us in order to dissolve any reservations we may have over the welcoming attention, rightly given, to returning prodigals and to sinners restored. Our forgetting is our sunshine ray of mercy that hastens the new growth of hope in others.
Who dares to infer, therefore, that mercy is merely a passive and limp virtue?
Miserable at first, Alma actually desired his extinction. But in a happy moment he remembered the words of his father about a prospective and atoning Jesus. This caused Alma’s later and great soul cry: “Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me.” [vii] Let us not be surprised, therefore, when we all plead for mercy.
Being merciful with each other is especially vital whenever we or others are on the pathway of repentance. We do not, for instance, criticize patients in intensive care for looking pale, patched, and preoccupied. Why then those recovering from needed surgery of their souls? No need for us to stare: those ugly, distracting stitches will finally come out.
In life’s hospital, too, it is so important to remember that “the chart is not the patient.” Thus the act of extending mercy should not be abstract, proforma (for sake of form), and papercentered, nor should mercy wait upon our full understanding of another’s challenges! Moreover, whether or not it is appreciated or reciprocated, mercy in never wasted! Even at the apogee (the extreme extent) of His agony, Jesus, nevertheless, mercifully consoled one thief who hung beside Him, saying, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” [viii]. (From Neal A. Maxwell’s book, “One More Strain of Praise” Bookcraft 1999 pg. 59-60)
(Personal note from k: typically for the asterisk * posts, I avoid using sources not easily available to all Christians. However, I felt Neal A. Maxwell’s message powerful enough and relevant to all Christians that I did not want to ‘water it down’ for sake of ‘expediency’.)
