One of those things about God to which we have yet to fully come is his distinct and precise understanding of what it is to be merciful toward humanity in general, and even to those who choose to follow and obey him as Lord. Yes, it is clearly a case of being for or against; open and shut; thumbs up or thumbs down reaction within us us.

We do not have a seriously difficult time with this matter because we are faced with only two options—up or down! And fear not, that is exactly what the end result will be for all of humankind—we will either spend eternity with our God, or we will entirely miss being with the Almighty altogether. That makes it very simple, doesn’t it?

For those who choose to walk away from God, well, they get what they deserve. It’s that simple—in or out. But God looks at it differently, as we read in Ezekiel 33.11: ‘Say to them, ‘as surely as I live,’’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘’I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’’ God never cedes his hope that each and every one of his created ones will want to opt for him.

It seems so natural for we who choose God to just let others walk away. It’s much more difficult to watch those once faithful to ultimately reject faith. But God never gives up on his heart’s desire that each and all would follow him forever. He even cries out to the faithful when they walk the edge of destruction. Ezekiel concludes: ‘Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ I have set my heart to turn away from my sin, AND TO TURN TOWARD THE FACE OF GOD! YES!