09/21/2021
The greatest example of God’s mercy comes in the form of Jesus Christ, who became the incarnation of God in the body of man. By Him we are saved, and through Him, we receive God’s grace. Jesus didn’t come to us so that He could experience what it meant to be a man, no, He came so that we, who were sinful and fallen, could be redeemed, and experience righteous life, and the fullness of God. Through Christ we were given grace, and it continues to flow through Him to this day; unmerited, unwarranted, and the purest essence of God’s mercy.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
John 1:14, 16-17 KJV
The guilt and shame of sin causes each of us to question why God, who is infinite, mighty, all knowing and perfect in every way, would ever consider us worthy of His slightest attention… much less give His Son to suffer and die for us. We all struggle with this question before we first believe, but once we experience the power of His love for us, His amazing grace makes sense, and we love Him in return.
When I was a boy I found a stray dog, and for no apparent reason I called him to me and petted him. He was so starved for attention that once I did this he began to follow me, and I fell in love with him. He was a mangy cocker spaniel dog who had large ticks, and was covered with fleas; he was obviously abandoned. His tail, which should have been bobbed, was long, straight, and stiff, and he was thin from malnourishment… but I immediately loved him, and brought him home with me where I cleaned him up, pulled the ticks from him, and sprayed him for fleas. As I did these things my love for him grew, and I lavished my attention on him.
Over time I nursed him back to health, his coat became thick and shiny, and we went everywhere together. There was nothing about him on that first day that should have made him attractive to me except empathy. He was pitiful, followed me, and he kissed my face whenever I would bend down to show him the least bit of attention, but for some reason I was attracted to him, and immediately came to love him… then I saved his life. He did nothing to warrant my love for him, but I loved him anyway, and by all rights he should have died in an abandoned side yard somewhere, but I took him in, washed him, and we formed a deep bond, and relationship, in which we were always together… this is similar to our relationship with God, and the unwarranted grace He has poured out on us. We too were lost, homeless, and covered in filth, but His hand was extended to us by the greatest of all mysteries that is found in love, and as a result He sent His Son Jesus to redeem us, cleanse us, and bring us into a deep and abiding relationship with Him… we became His children despite the condition we were in when we first met Jesus.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”
Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV
So we were found, lost in the world, and God loved us, saved us, cleansed us, and called us His own, but He has gone further than that… He has seated us in Heaven, and by His grace is preparing to go even further; He desires to show us his immeasurable kindness for all eternity… through Jesus.
“and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:6-7 ESV
Where are we today in our relationship with God? Are we still asking ourselves why the God of all creation would even acknowledge us? Are we beginning to feel the love He has for us and want to love Him in return? Have we met His Son Jesus and been cleansed of our sin? Or, have we come to that place where, by God’s grace, we are in a lifelong relationship with Him? Wherever we are, He already loves us, and there is nothing we have done to deserve that… it is by grace alone.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your mercy, and the grace that you pour onto us through your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you Merciful Father for loving us while we were yet sinners, and for sending your Son Jesus to redeem us, and lead us to righteousness where we can spend eternity loving, and being loved by, you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has bent down low to show us your loving affection, and to allow us to kiss your face. Praised be your name for every mercy, every blessing, and for your amazing grace that lifts us up from that place where we are unable to lift ourselves. You are good, loving, and true; in this and the unflinching adherence you have shown us in your Word, we love and worship you. We lift up your name in adoration, and love, because who besides you would love us as you do? Who but you would allow such undeserving and lost creatures to call you Father? You have washed us clean in the blood of Jesus, given us your Holy Spirit to be our comforter, and promised us eternity upon the return of Jesus, and by our belief… all of this through your grace, your gift to us. We pray “come quickly Lord Jesus”, and yet are prepared to wait patiently for His return, longing even so, to be fed from your table forevermore.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
John 3:16-17 KJV
Rich Forbes