It’s an uncomfortable topic in our modern age, much like politics at a family dinner when both ends of the spectrum sit at the table. But Paul raises the issue, and so we gain a deeper understanding about the nature of God.

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

Our modern sensibilities bristle at the idea of God’s severity. People brandish God is love as a proof-text to live as they wish. The view of God as a wealthy, benevolent uncle predominates. We’re worthy—why wouldn’t God grant our every wish?

Indeed, God is love. However, God balances love with truth. God extends his mercy to everyone, but each one of us carries the capacity to reject that mercy. And without God’s mercy through Jesus Christ to act as a propitiation (an appeasement or satisfaction to remove the penalty of sin), then we face God’s severity uncovered and uninsured.

People reject God for many reasons. Deep down, pride (the original sin) conquers the ability to humbly bow before God. But the Lord never stops extending mercy. Paul added, for God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

I don’t pretend to know all the ways of God. I read the text and wrestle. Thankfully, Paul’s summary resonates: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

While I may not understand or agree with all the Bible teaches, I cannot wish away unpalatable characteristics of God by reading with a rose-colored lens. Truly the ways of God are inscrutable. All I can do is trust in the depth of God’s wisdom, and the fairness of his judgements, as I reach out for his mercy.

Romans 11 & 1 John 4

Photo by Jacob Bentzinger

A couple weeks ago I called a company to diagnose my toilet. I fix a lot of things around the house, but this dripping fixture proved beyond my ability. Repairs involving water scare me, to be honest. A young man arrived and replaced the innards in the toilet tank. Good as new.

We live in a never restful world with comings and goings, bills to pay and toilets to fix. So it does me good to remember the broader reality. I love Paul’s words to a church in Rome experiencing a less than restful culture. While they struggled, Paul reminded them of the hope behind their faith:

I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sometimes I lose myself in the cares of this world, either beaten down by distressing news from my feed, or succumbing to the bland disquiet of the day to day. But no matter. The love of our amazing God remains.

As followers of the Lord Jesus, nothing cuts us off from that love. Not angelic powers, world rulers, or troublesome toilets. We live as more than conquerers, and this knowledge exists to provide you and me with a much needed lift beyond ourselves.

Romans 8:37-39

Photo by Giorgio Trovato

About a thousand years ago, when Latin was still in vogue, Ultreia et Suseia became a greeting used by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. One traveler greeted another with the single word Ultreia! The fellow pilgrim responded with et Suseia!

Further and Higher!

The phrase Ultreia et Suseia formed a message of encouragement for fellow pilgrims, urging each other to persevere both physically and spiritually. The expression encapsulates the essence of pilgrimage, reminding travelers to overcome challenges and strive for greater heights.

I’m reminded of CS Lewis’s book The Last Battle, when characters urge each other to move further up and further in. Mr. Tumnus declares, The further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside. So it is with the kingdom of God—the inside is larger than the outside.

David praised the Lord for enabling him to go further and higher: He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.

Our true pilgrimage lasts until we meet Jesus face-to-face. Perhaps we should ask the Lord for the feet of a deer? For the energy and sure-footedness to follow Him further and higher on our journey?

One thing for sure, as we face steep hills and hot days, a little support goes a long way. Let’s encourage each other to love, and let’s not grow weary in doing good. Whether in Latin or English or any other language, we can root each other on to go further and higher.

Psalm 18:33

Wall painting from the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) began over a thousand years ago as a pilgrimage to venerate the bones of James the disciple of Jesus, martyred by Herod in Jerusalem. Over a millennia millions of seekers walked the trail, from all over the world, hoping to hear a whisper from the Lord. Their devotion created a thin place between heaven and earth, a path where souls tune as feet trudge.

The Apostle Paul wrote of those who turn to the Lord as ones who walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham.

We all benefit from walking in the footsteps of the faith of those who’ve gone before. Each step I take on the Camino places my feet in the tracks of others, many with a far better connection to the Lord than I will ever achieve. The path also fills with seekers and those just out for a good walk. I pray these folks gain a hint of the divine that lifts their thoughts to God.

Whether we walk a pilgrimage in Spain, or step across the street to visit a neighbor, when we do so as followers of Jesus we enjoy the privilege of walking in the footsteps of our fathers and mothers in faith. Plus, we add our prints for those who follow us to walk upon as well.

Romans 4:12

Photo by Jacob Campbell