I take great comfort in the goodness of God—in his kindness, his compassion. Being able to rely on God’s mercy means more than we could possibly say. But there are moments when I read the Bible that I feel a kind of chill, because there are two sides to this question. I’ve mentioned it before to you, and I know you understand this: God is not only a God of mercy; he is also a God of justice. And while there is a good side to these things, there is also a more sober side; and today I want to share a couple of passages with you which need to give us pause and make us think from time to time, rather than just going merrily on our way and assuming that everything is going to be alright.