Dear All, my name is Tan Kang Fun but I am better known as KF Tan in the market place. I am currently the CEO of a health trust company in Singapore. I started my career as an auditor with one of the Big 4 firms before I joined a chemical company back in 1990. In year 2000, I moved to a high-performance material manufacturing plant where I was the Managing Director. Before my present position, I was with healthcare companies where I had different roles at different point in time as the CPO, CFO and COO.

It is always a blessing and delight to be able to have the opportunity to come into God’s presence to share the truth of His words. Today, I am excited to share with you on the series of God’s Unfailing Love after what I had shared on Total Dependence on God earlier on. We shall now continue with Part 2 of God’s Unfailing Love series.

2) In His Unfailing Love, He Shows Mercy

Lamentation 3:32 says “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love (multitude of mercies).”

The assurance here is that God will show compassion. It is not enough to say that He is compassionate, but He will show compassion. That is, even the fires of affliction will be tempered by His compassion, which arises out of His unfailing love. Our afflictions are always accompanied with the compassion and consolation of God.

Paul experienced God’s compassion in the midst of his grief. To prevent pride in his life, God gave him a thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7). What the thorn was we do not know, but we know it was a severe affliction for Paul. On three occasions he pleaded with the Lord to take it away, but God said no (2 Corinthians 12:8). Instead, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God brought grief into Paul’s life for his good, but He also showed compassion. He gave grace, in this case divine strength, to bear the grief. He did not leave Paul to bear the thorn in his flesh alone. In His compassion, He provided the divine resources to meet the trials. So eventually Paul came to rejoice in his affliction, because through it he experienced God’s overcoming power. 

In trouble, God’s people can cry to Him and find mercy. Judgment bringing grief and pain to people is not God’s election purpose. He does not abandon His election purposes. Love dominates His work with the people He created and delivered. The sovereignty of God brings hope to the oppressed. Those who act unjustly face certain judgment. God is aware of all who suffer in innocence and will in His time and way make the situation right.

That’s why at times when you pray for something specific, God may answer immediately or you may have to wait. When one has to wait, it is our human nature to lose patience and start questioning God why my prayer has not been answered. When you do that, you are doubting God’s infinite power. James 1 tells us that he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. We must acknowledge and know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Thus, if you are facing difficult situations in workplace now, know that with much prayers and in God’s timing, He will deliver you from your present circumstances for His glory. I would like to take this opportunity to share God’s “mercy” to someone I know where God truly bless him with keeping the job he loves though the initial prognosis of his condition was bleak. This person had brain infection resulting in him having to stay in ICU for 6 days. After he was transferred to normal ward, both his neurologist and the infectious disease doctor warned that he may not be able to go back to work as his brain had shrunk which may affect his memory, thinking ability and performing everyday tasks. But, lo and behold, with God’s mercy after 3 months break, he was back at work! His employer was very understanding and even allowed him to work part time. Now he is well enough to consider resuming full time work again. His testimony of God’s mercy upon him in his workplace had made a great impact to colleagues around him. All praise and glory to God for His mercy on this brethren.

3). The LORD loves Righteousness and Justice

Psalm 33:5 says “The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love (goodness)”.

God’s righteousness and justice are closely related ideas. His justice grows out of His righteousness. God’s strongest positive feeling, His love, goes out to everything which establishes what is right and just in this world. Righteousness refers to more than God’s work as judge. God is also the righteous Teacher. The righteous God works to develop righteousness in His sinful people. The righteousness of God is the basis of God’s being Saviour. His righteousness means that He protects those who cannot help themselves. He not only opposes what is evil but works to uphold what is right. He seeks to bring about justice. God’s righteousness provided a basis for the psalmist to seek God as a refuge, as the Scripture says “If God is for us, who can be against me?” (Romans 8:31)

God’s righteousness means that He always does what is right. He is faithful and true to Himself and to His people in all circumstances. The righteous God knows and examines the inner thoughts of individuals, judges and brings an end to wickedness, makes His righteous people secure, and is constantly at work against evil. We can count on God to be righteous in all circumstances. It is the very nature of God to do what is right and what is good in His eyes. He is also a God of righteousness who will not treat likely the unfaithfulness and disobedience of His people. Therefore, our response to the work of the righteous God is with thanksgiving and praise, not fear and trembling.

God is a God of justice. He is the righteous judge. Notice the close relationship between the idea of justice and salvation. Salvation is justice. God saves because He is righteous or just. The person who is right with God welcomes God’s judgment as well as praying for Him to judge the enemies. God does not want us to be the judge or take revenge. Scripture tells us “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Romans 12:19). If God already volunteered to take over this task as the eternal judge, why do we need to be “kay-poh” to take on the role of an earthly judge? We must learn to cast all our anxieties unto Him because He cares for us as our righteous and just God.

God is the righteous Judge to whom all must give answer. As Creator and sovereign Lord over all creation, God has the right and authority to hold us accountable to Himself. It reassures us to know the righteous Judge keeps a watchful eye on the pathways of His faithful children. He defends the rights of His people and destroys His wicked enemies. He is determined to establish His justice on earth despite the power of evil and human sin. His righteous judgment brings joy and praise to His creation.

The oppressed can trust Him for refuge. God will use His power to save or defend those who call upon Him in faith when they face trouble. When God helps us, we worship and praise Him. When God judges, the world rejoices, for He will judge justly and fairly. The judgment of God comes certainly, if not swiftly, when we disobey God. Sometimes God moves swiftly in bringing judgment; sometimes He moves slowly; but He always moves to judge sin. God prefers that His judgment be positive and redemptive rather than negative and vindictive. Even in judgment, God is loving rather than vengeful.

God tempered His judgment of Adam and Eve by providing more adequate clothing for them than they could provide for themselves. Though God drove them out of their sheltered place in the Garden, they were not driven beyond the reach of His loving concern for their wellbeing. Their work now became difficult toil, and life was supposed to be punctuated with suffering. Life was still possible in God’s world. God would still give them a harvest for their labour.

The whole story of redemption that emerges as the Bible progresses is proof of God’s continuing interest in people despite their sin. God’s judgment should be understood in the light of His grace. If His judgment were not tempered by His grace, there would be no salvation for any of us.

Now, I shall end Part 2 of the series on God’s Unfailing Love. Thank you for listening ……………. Part 3 to be continued.