Glorious Day!

Yesterday my thoughts stayed focused on God’s Best. Having God’s best for all of my family, friends and those of you who are faithful readers each day.

God always does His best; anything less and He wouldn’t be God. From the beginning of time, He’s shown His best to the world. He said, “light be” and it has never quit shining. He created the animals and separated the dry ground from the waters and those things still remain.

He said, “let’s make mankind in our image” and He did. We are living proof for his creative abilities. We are unique individuals created to show His likeness and love.

The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him. Dear friends, now we are children of God. We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him. We will see him just as he is. He is pure, and everyone who has this hope in him keeps themselves pure like Christ.” I John 3:1-3 ERV

Sin came into the world to separate us from the love of God. Satan wanted our worship and allegiance. He wanted to steal our hearts and devotion. God introduced mercy and grace so that we could continue to have relationship with Him.

“But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace that people received from God was much greater. Many received God’s gift of life by the grace of this other man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:15 ERV

Our relationship with the Father isn’t based on our efforts; we can’t earn it, but we can receive it as a gift. The gift of life!

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ERV

And this gift of grace is available to everyone, not just a few.

“Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:2 ERV

This truly is God’s best for us!

I came out to the living room this morning, not ready to be about my morning routine. I wanted to lay quietly on the couch just a little bit longer, wrapped in the peace of the moment. Then my heart began to sing an old hymn.

“One Day When Heaven Was Filled With His Praises
One Day When Sin Was As Black As Could Be
Jesus Came Forth To Be Born Of A Virgin
Dwelt Among Men, My Example Is He

(Chorus)Living, He Loved Me
Dying, He Saved Me
Buried, He Carried My Sins Far Away
Rising, He Justified Freely Forever
One Day He’s Coming
Oh Glorious Day, Oh Glorious Day

One Day They Led Him Up Calvary’s Mountain
One Day They Nailed Him To Die On A Tree
Suffering Anguish, Despised And Rejected
Bearing Our Sins, My Redeemer Is He

(Chorus)

One Day The Grave Could Conceal Him No Longer
One Day The Stone Rolled Away From The Door
Then He Arose, Over Death He Had Conquered
Now Is Ascended, My Lord Evermore

(Chorus)

One Day The Trumpet Will Sound For His Coming
One Day The Skies With His Glories Will Shine
Wonderful Day, My Beloved One Bringing
My Savior Jesus Is Mine”

One day – some day – a glorious day, we will see Him face to face but until then we will be examples of His love and grace on the earth!

If Not For Mercy

Mercy is the word that was forefront in my thinking yesterday afternoon and all through the night. Not the mercy that I should extend to others but the mercy that has been lavished on me.

God is rich in mercy!

How many times have I been the receipient of His mercy? Countless! Many are the times I have failed, knowingly and unknowningly. His mercy is new every morning.

We all have seasons in our lives when we walk away from God. Our ambition leads us on a life of selfishness. Pride, self-reliance, justification, greed, anger, reckless living, bitterness, even low self-esteem all raise their ugly voices and scream for recognition.

Just like the prodigal son who walked away from his father’s house for a better life, we walk away thinking we can have it better on our own than we did living with the One who loves us most. Eventually, we come to the realization that life will be better with the Father. Ashamed and embarrassed we head home. Our speech is prepared.

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” Luke 15:20-24 NLT

Those words “filled with love and compassion” are the very essence of mercy. Notice the Father didn’t ridicule or lecture the returning son, He celebrated his return. Here we see both the mercy and the grace of the Father. He didn’t give the son the punishment or chastisement he deserved, mercy. Instead He gave him the blessing and favor he hadn’t earned, grace.

Mercy is life changing!

“But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.” Ephesians 2:4-7 ERV

Mercy and grace are God’s gifts to us, gifts of His kindness. Our Father wants us to be constantly aware of His love and forgiveness. This awareness isn’t so He can lord over us, reminding us of our past sins and failures. Not at all. Instead, it changes our hearts to be more like Him and we can extend mercy and grace to those who need it.

Let mercy change your life. Receive it from the Father and then give it to others!