THE MERCIFUL ARMS OF CHRIST

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, my italics).

This message is meant for all who have fallen away or turned away from the Lord. According to the apostle Paul, who wrote the verse above, “Today is the day of mercy and grace.” In other words, if you ever plan to believe, that time is now.

This statement by Paul is both an invitation and a warning. The warning is as follows: “Do not receive the grace of God in vain. Do not ignore, neglect or cast aside God’s offer of mercy. Respond to it now, as it is offered to you.”

Jesus warned that many believers would turn away and grow cold: “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). His message is clear: Many who have been on fire for the things of God are going to fall away. They will drift into a spiritual coldness and some will return to their old fleshly ways.

All the backsliding we see today — the turning away from faith to unbelief — comes at a time when you would least expect it. Rather, you would expect people to be drawing nearer to God. We are at the beginning of those days of “sorrows” that Jesus referred to (see Matthew 24:8). Even prominent voices in the world agree that these are days of unspeakable wickedness, marked by uncontrollable greed, rampant sexual perversions. Multitudes are giving themselves over to addictions of all kinds, from drugs to alcohol to pornography.

I ask you: Is this the time to neglect the day of salvation? Absolutely not! If you ever truly loved and followed Jesus but now are cold and indifferent, the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. He is inviting you to come back to the merciful arms of Christ. With compassion, I urge you to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.