God is NOT sentimental

Many believers have mistaken God's mercy for God being sentimental. In fact most times when believers are laying claim on the mercy of God, a more critical look will reveal that they are simply and unknowingly expecting God to be sentimental. There seems to be this subtle confusion between His mercy taken for sentimentalism and it's so done out of ignorance. 

Perhaps It would not have mattered much whether we mistake His mercy for sentiments or not; but it matters a great deal because this misconstrued idea is costly and ladened with many dangerous consequences.

It is this erroneous notion that has kept many believers living below God's expectation, while some are currently in a cycle of disappointments and questioning the faithfulness of God, some other Christians due to this ignorance are in a particular undesirable situation for a long time with no end in sight and maybe the most alarming of the consequences is the fact that many are under the guise of God's mercy but are actually on a highway to hell!  

This is the reason why this message is  coming your way this day, to help someone to overcome this ignorance barrier (my people perish for lack of knowledge) and begin to enjoy the fulness of God's kind of life (the abundant life). Jesus said "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free".

First off, we need to differentiate between the mercy of God and God being sentimental. While the two may have the same outward feel, there's a world of difference between them intrinsically.

Mercy is rooted in the nature of God, it's a prominent characteristic of our Heavenly Father by which He freely relates with us despite our short comings. A good number of scriptures attest to this fact:

Ps. 103:8 "the Lord is merciful and gracious...". 

Vs 17 "the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting...".

Ps 136 "... His mercies endures forever more".

Ps 100:5 "... His mercy is everlasting..." 

Ps 101  " I will sing of the mercy of the Lord". 

Time and space will not allow us to quote hundreds of scriptures affirming the mercy of God and that our God is indeed a merciful God.

Rom. 9:16 "...it's of the Lord that shows mercy" 

Eph. 2:4 "... God is rich in mercy". 

James 5:11 "... tender in mercy".

From Genesis to revelation the mercy of the Lord is well pronounced and established.

Ex 34:6-7, when God passed by Moses in a cloud of glory, there was a proclamation declaring who God is "the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious keeping mecy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity... but by no means clearing the guilty..."

Now this is a firsthand information about who God is coming from God Himself, it is not a man's opinion. And guess what? God has not changed and cannot! Mal.3:6. The first attribute God declared about himself here is mercy! But he quickly adds by implication that His mercy is not being sentimental and cannot be taken for granted i.e. eventhough He is merciful, God will recompense the wicked even to the third and fourth generation.

By definition mercy means compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone who deserves punishment. The Greek word for mercy 'eleos' also means compassion or pity. On the flip side, sentiments is an exaggerated or self indulgent feeling of tenderness, sadness or nostalgia. It's being emotional or overemotional.

Most times when some people seems to hope for the mercy of God seem not to get it, they might just be expecting God to be emotional to them and answer based on that emotion. That's why you hear a prayer like "God please look at my condition and answer me, or God please see my tears and answer me..." As much as God is compassionate and loving, it would really help to get it straight that He is not in any way overruled nor manipulated by our emotions! 

This is where many Christians are getting it wrong and some have even backslided because of this ignorance. Let's take a few biblical examples to buttress this truth.

Cain became envious of his brother Abel because he was expecting sentiments from God, that God should still accept his offering even though it wasn't the best, at least he gave something (can someone relate with this?). Do you know what God told him Gen.4:7 "why are you angry?... If you do well, will you not be accepted?..." Note that Cain did not bring a bad or terrible offering, he just brought something that's just okay. But Abel was deliberate about His offering he took time to select the best. God made it clear there are no sentiments here if you have also done well God would have also accepted your offering. 

Hannah was coming to Shiloh for years and yet did not get what she was looking for. I would have supposed that God should have had 'mercy' on her and consider her several years of coming to Shiloh at least to answer her. But that never happened for God is not moved by the paraphernalia neither is He a respecter of persons.

Until that day when Hannah chose to be resolute and insisted on her miracle, she tarried in God's presence  Was God not merciful? of course he is, but not sentimental. A careful study of Hannah situation revealed that at some point she was simply expecting her husband to answer her not fully trusting God. 

The point here is that God will not just hand it over to you because you are crying, or because you are the most senior or because of your years in church Heb11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God. It doesn't matter how long we cry or complain, the best God will do is to send his word of faith to us to redirect us from crying to exercising our faith.

Jesus was at a village and it was recorded that he could not do mighty works because of their unbelief. Were there not sick people there? Were they not people in pain and agony, some would even have been crying, but guess what, as compassionate and as powerful Jesus Christ is , he could not even help their situation because of their unbelief. 

Mercy of God answers to our faith and absolute trust in him. Ps.103 said his mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (trust, reverence and obey) him..."

Our God is not a respecter of persons, if you are willing and obedient you stand to benefit the dividends, but if not, sorry . you don't. No matter who you are, how long you've been in the church, your position, your association, family background, your tears, your pains etc. This is why it appears God is unfaithful to some Christians. We expect God to see how long we've been in church to answer us. That's why a newbie who's full of faith and fire is getting more result than many of us who have been accustomed to the message and God's presence and take it for granted.

Brethren God loves you and he is more than willing to bring you out of that circumstances, for he delights in the prosperity of His servants. The real question is are you obeying him to do what he has told you or simply expecting him to be sentimental. He sent His word and delivered them from their sicknesses. His word is the ultimate. Let your faith be based on what he has said to you not on emotions.

Shall we sin that grace may abound? Some people particularly indulge in sinful lifestyle but believe God is a merciful God and will continue to condone their sinful lifestyle as long as they are asking for forgiveness. Yes you are right God will forgive you but are you repentant? Meaning you are willing to confess and forsake that lifestyle. Prov.28:13.

The message of grace is not a license to sin rather it's an empowerment to live above sin. Rom.6:14. Devil deceives some Christians even church leaders indulging in sinful lifestyle and blasting in tongues assuming God is sentimental probably because of their offering or because of their commitment in church their sinful lifestyle will be overlooked without genuine repentance. Jesus said on the last day many will come and say Lord Lord! did I not plant several churches and mentored many pastors, cast out devils in your name and organized big crusades where many souls were saved? Guess what Jesus will say to these so called generals in the church " depart from me you workers of iniquities, you were busy sleeping with church members all these while despite several warnings, you visit brothel anytime you are out of town, you divert church fund for personal and selfish gains, abuse their spouses, refused to say the truth and deliver the message I sent you" He said such people will be casted into the outer darkness, lake of fire where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth" why? because they mistook the mercy of God for sentiments! 

Do you know what even some people believe that God cannot be that mean he doesn't really mean what he is saying there (mentality of God being sentimental will actually cost some people there eternal destination). God is not mean, He is merciful but at the same time NOT moved by sentiments.

This message is coming our way not condemn but God want us to know that he loves us so much and has prepared the best of things for us in this life and even hereafter but we cannot access them based on mere sentiments. God's mercy is quite different from sentiments and we should not be deceived.  

Wake up from this deception and start enjoying the fulnesss of God for you; find out what the new convenant in Christ has made provisions for you and begin to access it by raw faith from today.

Shalom.