God Said, IF I, THEN I

The Lord gave a word to Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house in order to receive His message to him.

Jeremiah 18:3,4
So I went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

While Jeremiah watched the potter reshape the pot, the word of the Lord came to him.

Jeremiah 18: 6-8
6. "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hands of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
7. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
8. and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

The Lord can at will be forgiving to a people who are willing to repent and denounce their evil practices.

Jeremiah 18:9,10
9. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
10. and if it does evil in My sight and does not obey Me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

So does this mean that God is unjust? Paul says in the book of
Romans 9:14,15 ...."Not at all!
15. For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion of whom I have compassion."

Pauls says, Romans 9:16, It does not, therefore depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Romans 9:18 Therfore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

Paul ask the question,
Romans 9:22 What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath -- prepared for destruction?
Paul further asks,
Romans 9:23,24 What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory --
24. even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Paul has already previously informed us of our status as more than conquerors.

Romans 8:28-30
28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
29. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be comformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firsborn among many brothers.
30. And those He predestined, He also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

And so, Paul ask this question,
Romans 8:31,32 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things?

However, God requires something of us. God imposes an "IF" on mankind to be the catalyst for His "THEN."

2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

If today you and I want to receive God's "then", we need to follow His word, do what it says and if we show ourselves to be worthy of His blessings, then He will.