Mercy and Goodness
If we look to the world for happiness or forgiveness, we will often be disappointed. Thankfully, we serve a merciful God, and His mercies are new every single day.
1 John 1:9 tells us “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Have you stopped to really think about this? How incredible is it that even though we are such sinners, despite our best efforts, God is still merciful to redeem, through the finished work of the cross. He loves us so much that He is willing to forgive all of our transgressions. All that He asks of us is that we repent and believe in Him.
There are so many days that I lay my head down for the night, and I can’t help but ache over how the day went. The frustrations, the attitudes, and the lost tempers all weigh on us. None of these are from God, and they sting when we stop and think about how often they were a part of just one single day. I think that, as believers, we all begin each day with the goal for it to be perfectly joy-filled and glorifying to God in every single moment.
In his devotional, New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp says,
None of us has the strength of character to live this way. Even the evil that is done to us exposes the depth of our need for God’s grace. Thankfully, that grace is yours for the taking!
How refreshing to the soul is that? On our own, we are so inadequate to lead perfect lives, but this just further underscores our absolute need for a Savior!
No matter how awful our day went, no matter how many times we lost our tempers or felt overwhelmed by frustration, He STILL wants to love us and forgive us. He wants us to be refreshed and renewed by His mercy.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Every morning, God gifts us a clean slate to start with; a brand new chance to honor Him and glorify Him through our thoughts, words, and actions. We are inherently sinful – ever since the fall of man with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we have been shackled by the chains of sin. As my favorite hymn puts it, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” We don’t have to be bound by sin, though. We need only to trust in Jesus for what He has already done for us and for what He promises to do. “You can trust him because He is your sovereign Savior King.” (New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp)
Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.
COME THOUGH FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING
God gave us the ability to pray because He wants us to utilize it as the greatest tool that we have. It is a direct line to the Savior of the world; we should use it accordingly. Whatever sin you are struggling with, pray for God to help you overcome it. Pray for forgiveness; “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Draw near to Him and you will see his mercy and goodness in every nook and cranny of your life.
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
Titus 3:5