Hebrews 10:30-31 (NIV)
30 For we know him who said, “It
is mine to avenge; I will repay,”] and again, “The Lord will
judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The terrors of the Lord are known both by revelation and
reason. Vindictive justice is a glorious, though terrible attribute of God; it
belongs to him, and he will use and execute it upon the heads of such sinners
as despise his grace; he will avenge himself, and his Son, and Spirit, and
covenant, upon apostates. And how dreadful then will their case be!
When you are in God’s hands you are at His mercy and His
grace and His love.
Author and speaker Brennan Manning has an amazing story
about how he got the name "Brennan." While growing up, his best
friend was Ray. The two of them did everything together: bought a car together
as teenagers, double-dated together, went to school together and so forth. They
even enlisted in the Army together, went to boot camp together and fought on
the frontlines together. One night while sitting in a foxhole, Brennan was
reminiscing about the old days in Brooklyn while Ray listened and ate a
chocolate bar. Suddenly a live grenade came into the foxhole. Ray looked at
Brennan, smiled, dropped his chocolate bar and threw himself on the live
grenade. It exploded, killing Ray, but Brennan's life was spared.
When Brennan became a priest he was instructed to take on
the name of a saint. He thought of his friend, Ray Brennan. So he took on the
name "Brennan." Years later he went to visit Ray's mother in Brooklyn.
They sat up late one night having tea when Brennan asked her, "Do you
think Ray loved me?" Mrs. Brennan got up off the couch, shook her finger
in front of Brennan's face and shouted, "What more could he have done for
you?" Brennan said that at that moment he experienced an epiphany. He
imagined himself standing before the cross of Jesus wondering, Does God really
love me? And Jesus' mother Mary pointing to her son, saying, "What more
could he have done for you?"
