His Mercy Endures!

"The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales."   - John Stott

There is an old story about a lady who went to a photographer to have her picture taken. She was apprehensive about the picture, wanting her best side facing the camera and everything just right.

She said to the photographer, “Now, do me justice!” The photographer took one look at her face and said, “Ma’am, pardon me for saying this, but you don’t need justice, you need mercy!

Justice sees where fault lies, and can be harsh. Thankfully, we have a loving and merciful God. And though we deserve punishment for our sin, He does not do this. Instead, He delivers us from judgment of our sin through His mercy.

The Bible has many illustrations of God's mercy. We see His mercy: toward Solomon (1 Kings 11:13); to Israel in captivity (Psalm 106:45; Nehemiah 9:31); on the Day of Atonement in the ritual sprinkling of the sacrificial blood above the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14), in the Old Testament.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, in the New Testament, describes the forgiveness of a repentant debtor's debt by a rich ruler (Matthew 18:23-27). This clearly describes the situation between God and ourselves.

Because of our sin, we owed Him a debt that we could never hope to repay. But, because of His strong love for us, and His desire to have us join Him in heaven, God mercifully saved us from our merited punishment.

God did this by giving His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins. He was condemned, then put to death in our place. This is a powerful demonstration of God's mercy and deep affection for us (John 3:16).

If any of us got what we truly deserved for our sin, we would be sentenced and sent straight to Hell for all eternity! But rather than judgment, we receive forgiveness that we, in no way, deserve. God's mercy is free, overflowing, and eternal!

Scripture: Lamentations 3:22;  Luke 1:50; Psalm 107:1; Matthew 6:14; 1 Timothy 1:16

Prayer: Dear God, You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in everlasting love; please forgive my sins and have mercy on my soul, amen.

In Christ,

Libby