Bitter Refusal

As a young child growing up, I lived in a very rural area. There were no street lights after dark, to show you the way home, or to indicate to you that it was time to go into the house, for safety’s sake. The one thing on which we had to rely, when it was time to come into the house, was a familiar call from mother, or a message sent from her, by a sibling or trusted friend. There were never more than two attempts to gain my attention or that of my siblings. The first attempt, was a call of grace and good will. In that call, love and mercy were extended, for it meant that she cared for our safety and that shelter for the same was being offered. The second call was one of judgment: it meant that unless you heeded this call and run to the provided safety, judgment would fall; not necessarily from the dark outside of the house, but from the provider inside of the house, my mother.

We, as youngsters, knew the impact of each call and we only had one time to ignore that call, before we would suffer the aforementioned judgment. Once you suffered that judgment, never more did you ignore the calls to safety, at the appropriate times.

The next two lines of our poem describe a similar situation involving the unrepentant sinner and the call of love and mercy given by the heavenly Father.

Line 14: *But to those who refuse to accept his call, which turn their backs refuse Him their all

Line 15: To them – never a hope of eternal bliss – but rather His favor and grace they will miss.

The unrepentant sinner who fails to listen to the call of the Saviour in Matthew 11:28-30, when Jesus bids all who are weary and heavy laden (with sin) to come unto Him; or the call in Revelation 22:17, where the Spirit and the bride (church) says, “Come” will find themselves listening to the call of judgment, which will come from the selfsame source as the call of love and mercy.  Their hearts will fail them for fear of the present and the future. Luke 21:26

It is sad to report, but to those who have proven to be “hard-headed”, as my mother used to say, will fail to receive all of the benefits of those who live within the shelter of the Father. They will find themselves among the two classes described in  Revelation 22:11-12  where the Saviour announces His final sentiments toward all who will be saved and all who will be lost; also,   Revelation 6:15-17, where the sinners run to the dens and rocks of the mountains seeking shelter from the Saviour’s wrath. 

At that time, just like when I was a child and ignored the first call of love and mercy, the next call, the next voice to be heard will be the voice of final judgment on the living; those who have ignored and/or rejected the call of salvation. That fearful looking forward to something really bad will be theirs to anticipate.

We are told also, that it is not only the punishment, which comes with disobedience that is so awful  but the realization that Jesus and heaven can never be yours, because you never possessed Him - I John 5:12

That is a time that burdens my heart to think about for anyone. Hopelessness, doom, destruction and torment: all words that go with ‘eternal loss.’ It doesn’t have to be that way. No one needs to be lost; everyone who is alive today, has an opportunity to avoid that fate; think of me as the sibling or trusted friend who bears the warning message that darkness is coming and you need to come home to safety. Every blog I write, every prayer I pray, every book I pen is with the hope, the thought, the prayer that someone, anyone, everyone who hears and/or reads will draw close to Christ and accept the offer of salvation. It doesn’t cost anything but the price of PRIDE. Won’t you be willing today, to pay such a cheap price, for such a grand prize as salvation and eternity with your loving Creator and Redeemer? I have; please join me.

First posted on the Internet on 11/30/16

All Scriptures are taken from the KJV – King James Version Bible

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