1 Thessalonians 5:9

1 Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ...

Here in this teaching (chapter 5), Paul is reminding the believers at Thessalonica of the return of the Lord.  The blatant consistency of what Jesus taught in the Gospels down to what Paul is saying here is fascinating.  There is no lacking, there is no difference- all of scripture concurs- the Lord Jesus Christ will return!  Yet, the truth is, no one person knows the exact day or time!  And this is where we find Paul. He is encouraging the believers to remember that the King is coming back swiftly and that they are to live in holiness for His namesake.  So where does 1 Thessalonians 5:9 leave us?  It gives us this biblical gem- not only is Christ coming back for the believers of Thessalonica, but that He is keeping them and upholding them in His glory.  Paul is saying in vs 9 that those who belong to the Lord are not subject to the wrath to come.  He that has called the Thessalonians out of darkness did so by first calling them into His salvation.  Conversely, those whom are not called are appointed to a damning judgment which the believers will never be subject to.  In truth, believers today also get to rejoice in the same way.  Just as Christ called us out of sin and depravity, we too have been destined and set aside for salvation, escaping the wrath and fury of the Lord that is to come upon the wickedness humanity.  So let us rejoice in the love and mercy of Christ.  Let us redeem the time, living our lives in holiness unto the Lord.  Yet let us also solemnly remember that there is a still perishing world that needs to hear the Gospel.  Who knows the will of God for another? Your witness may be the vessel that Christ uses to pull others out of the judgment and fiery wrath to come.  So let us, in holiness to God, with our hands lifted high and our hearts bowing low, give the honor and glory to Christ that He so richly deserves.  Let us remember Him in our daily walk humbling ourselves in His mercy and in the witnessing His greatness! 

Romans 9:18

Romans 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Here, Paul is in the midst of explaining the way God chooses His children.  Many would find that a funny saying because the world is quick to say in a very non-threatening manner that we, "are all children of god!"  And with good reason, to the world, its own created deity lives to wait hand and foot upon the children of men.  Yet, that is in stark contrast to the God of the Bible. The Lord Yahweh makes it abundantly clear that "He will have mercy on whom He will, and on whom He will, He hardens."  The world cannot fathom that their God would reject them for anything, after all, they created him/it/her.  Yet the Lord is not without mercy, He does choose men to belong to Him.  Even when the wickedness of the world abounds, the Lord, "...reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." Rom 11:14.  The Lord will choose. Still, it is not the way man chooses. When Samuel sought to find the next king of Israel the Lord said, "...Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."  1 Sam 16:7.  Now before someone thinks that they are "good" and have "a good heart", remember that, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jer 17:9. So if the heart of man is "desperately wicked," how then does the Lord choose for himself men (and women) who will not bow down to the god of this world? Simply put, He will have mercy on whomever He will. That is a grande notion!  To be chosen by the creator of the universe to do His will is a most magnificent happening. He looks past our wickedness that would surely cause Him to deny us. He looks past our sin to bring us into His kingdom. He looks past our sad state of "rejectedness"(sic) and makes us His own. He will have mercy on whom He will. Conversely, those whom He will, He hardens. Oh, to be rejected by the King of Kings! How great a travesty of our own hearts. How great and intimidating is the power of the Most High God! To pick and choose as He will, He truly is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Brothers and sisters, let us not forget the great mercy of our Lord, both in our own lives and in the lives of those who will come to know His mercy! And seeing His greatness in mercy, we must be swift in telling others of His goodness of the cross. There is the righteousness of God, the greatness of His mercy exploding upon the individual whom He chooses, the one who has received His mercy....Amen