Those Who Are Merciful

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

Blessed (loved and favored by God) are the merciful (not those who only express acts of mercy but those who do so as an expression of  God's character) for they will obtain mercy (receive God's graciousness when He frees them from deserved punishment).

I was a little hung up on the word obtain in this scripture. To obtain something generally means you have to work for it, pay for it, or earn it in some other way.

My New Testament Word Dictionary clarified the meaning for me and proved what I already knew to be true:

It's impossible to earn God's favor and love. Jesus purchased that on the cross for believers. 

Sometimes, it's easy to be merciful. Some things are easy to forgive. Most of the time I stumble. I'm too angry, feel betrayed, or I've been hurt too much. Surely God wouldn't expect me to show mercy to that person!

But remember, that's exactly what He did for us when He gave His only Son.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were 

still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his 

Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:10

Be still for a moment and reflect on God's extreme mercy. Where would we be without it? He loves us beyond our comprehension. He took us when we stood in unbelief, lived as sinners, and were His enemies to bring us to faith through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. 

Amazingly, God's grace and mercy pour on us even more. He filled us with the Holy Spirit and He empowers us to express His character to those around us. He understands our humanness but He's there to give us the help we need to allow His mercy to flow to the others around us. 

We serve a God of infinite love, grace,   and mercy! 

How long has it been since I rejoiced in Him?

What about God causes you to rejoice? 

1 + 1 = Eternal Salvation

Note: Usually, my posts reflect my passion: to bring God's Word off of the page and into our daily lives. To discover how to live it, to be encouraged by it, and how to make it real and alive. But, every once in a while, I want to share something deeper. A new understanding. This is just such a post: 

To explore the depth of God's Mercy and Grace.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:4-5, 8 (NIV) (Emphasis mine)

Mercy and grace. So often we use these words interchangeably. But they are not interchangeable and to understand that is to bring a deeper richness to our salvation.

I know, you probably think I'm splitting hairs here, but bear with me.

Let's begin with mercy because that is where God begins.

In Ephesians 2:4, and in most New Testament verses about God's mercy, the Greek word is

éleos: to pass over deserved punishment. To extend forgiveness instead of punishment. Mercy rescues us from the penalty of sin.

Mercy is proclaimed on the cross. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we are passed over and we do not experience the death we deserve because of our sins.

God's mercy is expressed in our redemption and forgiveness.

But what if we stopped there? What if God's mercy is all that was offered?

Hear me out...this might seem a bit crazy.

God's mercy is great, to be sure, but, without grace, it is finite.

Christ's death on the cross mirrors the sacrifices of the Old Testament. This sacrifice pardons the sins in the past but not in the future.

How does this forgiveness - this mercy - come forward through time to all men who have ever lived and to all who have yet to live?

Enter grace.

In Ephesians 2:4, and in most New Testament verses about God's grace, the Greek word is

chráis: an absolutely free expression of God’s loving-kindness; His unearned and unmerited favor toward men. A gift with no return expected.

God's loving-kindness toward us is absolutely free. We can't earn it and we can't be worthy of it. It is given, out of the depths of His heart. 

God bathes His mercy in His grace. 

Because of His grace, His mercy is eternal. 

Because of His grace, the mercy of the cross is gifted forward to all men who have ever lived or who have yet to live. 

Because of His grace, the mercy you and I received at the cross reaches through all time to forgive all our sin: yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's.

Because of His grace, we are forgiven and saved for eternity.

His Mercy, His compassion on and forgiveness of our sin through Christ’s death on the cross, is completed by His Grace, the unmerited gift of eternal salvation. 

Mercy + Grace = Eternal Salvation

God's mercy and grace are both centered in God. We can do nothing to gain or to lose them. Saved by God's grace alone, through our faith alone.

Once we are cleansed by His mercy and saved by His grace, it is for eternity. 

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:18a (NIV)

Christ died for our sins (mercy) once for all (grace).

Once - for all men, for all time. 

God's mercy grace-gifted to all men for, all time. 

The key to grace is found in the word gift. A gift unaccepted is an expression of love missed. A gift unopened is a joy missed.

Jesus died for your sins - that's a fact!

The gift offered is eternal salvation. 

Have you accepted and opened God's gift?

Perhaps this post will start a discussion about mercy and grace. Please do! I have much to learn!!

Done Any Grumbling Lately?

And in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, 

because he has heard your grumbling against him. Exodus 16:7

Moses said these words to the Israelites who were grumbling like crazy - again. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and they saw Him perform miracle after miracle. But, when it came time to eat one evening, they started complaining again.

"We wish you'd just left us back there in Egypt. We were slaves but at least we had lots to eat. What good is being free if we starve to death?"

Moses' first words?  “And in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD.”

We can all agree with that. Sunrises proclaim His glory. I might even stretch it so far as to say a cup of steaming coffee declares His glory.

Who do you suppose the “you” refers to?

Someone who seeks Him. Someone who walks with Him every day. Certainly someone who’s obedient.

Not so fast! Read the rest of the verse, “because he has heard your grumbling against him.”

He chose to show His glory—His mercy and grace—to the very same people who complained, who didn't trust Him, and who doubted His provision. He didn't zap them into pieces of coal. He understood their weak faith and and revealed Himself to them in a way that would bolster their confidence in Him.

I'm one of those people. We all are.

We've seen God do some awesome things but, at the slightest hint of trouble, we grumble.
We don't trust Him. We doubt His love.

It’s amazing that our Father God responds to our lack of faith and our grumbling with love rather than to thump us on the head (my Mom’s favorite mode of scolding).

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, 

abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

When did you last praise God for His infinite patience?

When has He shown you grace when you deserved a thump in the head?

Photo credit: 1,

I Only Did It ONCE!

The guy who mows our walking park must be on vacation.

He hasn't mowed for a couple weeks.

If he sees all these weeds, he might say,

"Look at that! It's impossible!"

Isn't it amazing how fast things get out of sorts?

How about that diet?

"Well, I blew it last night. surely another day won't hurt."

Second day, "Oh, what's the use! I'll feel better after some brownies."

Cleaning house?

Why dust the coffee table? I need to leave hubby a message anyway.

Every time we come up with a good excuse to skip something, it gets easier the next time.

That's particularly true for me and my quiet time.

First day:

Oh dear, the time got away from me and I need to get ready to go.

I'll skip it just this once.

I'll only do it this once.

Next day:

It's so nice outside. I'm going to take a walk before it gets too hot.

I'll do it after lunch.

Just this once.

The evening of the next day:

Oh, shoot, I forgot all about you, God.

I'll be back at it tomorrow.

And the days roll on.

It all started with

"I'll do it later."

Isn't it amazing, staggering that Jesus didn't say


"I'll do it later."

He faced the cross and said

"I'll do it now."

• I'll suffer to heal.
• I'll shed my blood to redeem.
• I'll die to save

Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace!


Photo credit Cross: DesignPicsInc via DepositPhotos.com

Do You Need God's Restoring Rain?

 

 

 

 

Let my teaching drop as the rain,

my speech distill as the dew,

as raindrops on the tender herb,

as shower on the grass. Deuteronomy 32: 2

 

For several years, the land in west Texas has been parched.

We prayed, even begged for rain.

 

The past few weeks, God’s blessed us – and the transformation has been remarkable.

 

Overnight, the bare, dusty fields exploded in green of every shade.

 

Life returns, seemingly out of nowhere.  

 

Many times in the past, my life has seemed parched.

• The loss of the Columbia crew with whom I had worked for three years 
• The deaths of my mother and father-in-law within a few months
• The loss of my job
• The move from my long-time home to a new area

During these times, I prayed

• For rain to soothe my heart
• For dew to refresh my spirit
• For a shower to wash away the stubbornness that created a dry, dusty life

God answered my prayers, when I opened my heart to Him.

 

Let me repeat that: when I opened my heart.

 

God never forces His healing on us – but, because of His great love, He enables us to desire healing.

 

He flooded my heart with mercy – undeserved but given freely to me

 

He refreshed my spirit with grace – the riches of a relationship with Jesus, my Savior

 

He showered my life with the truth of His Word – restoring my faith and joy

 

Was it overnight?

 

No.

 

It was a slow process; with every step I hungered for more.

 

He became my

• Companion,
• Guide,
• and Friend

 Every day with Him is sweeter than the day before.

 

Does your heart feel parched?

Pray for His rain of mercy

Is your spirit aching with grief, anger, or bitterness?

Pray for His love and grace to cleanse you and fill you with joy

Is your life dry and hopeless?

Pray for His Spirit to fill you with the truth of His Word and to restore your faith.

 

 

 

How God has ministered to you when you were desperate for His rain?

If you know someone who might be encouraged by this post, please share.

The 7 Wonders of Psalm 23: Part Eight

Who said a series of 7 can't have 8 - or even 9 - parts?
If you don't believe me, ask Douglas Adams.
Look him up - if you haven't read his books, they're hysterical!

Most believe that this psalm was written during the years David fled for his life from Saul’s jealous rage. He hid in forests and in dark caves. 

Even in this difficult situation, David expressed total faith in his Lord.

Surely goodness and love (mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Do you hear the change in David’s tone?

He doesn't describe how the Lord ministered to him in the darkness.

There were no choices to make.

Instead, he proclaimed the certainty of his Lord’s promises, now and forever

Surely…

We don’t use this word a lot today and when we do, it’s usually to express disbelief or dismay.

“Surely he won’t do that.”
“Surely she won’t say that.”

There’s no disbelief in David’s voice when he said, “Surely…”

He was filled with

• Total confidence
• Complete faith
• Absolute trust.

Can you imagine? He’s in a cave, hiding from a man who wants to kill him.

If I were in that cave, I wouldn’t be talking about God’s goodness and mercy! I’d be shouting,
“Don’t You love me? Do You care??"

David didn’t freak out - He was confident in his Shepherd’s love and care

Goodness and love...

He believed God’s promise that he would be king of Israel and, in that assurance, he looked beyond the cave to the blessings that lie before him.

• Goodness – kindness, abundant blessings, benevolence
• Love – faithfulness, patience, forgiveness

We’ve all been trapped in dark caves – caves of sorrow, of pain, of hopelessness. We look around and fell overwhelmed with fear and desperation.

But, somewhere deep inside of us, our hearts echo God’s promises of goodness and love for us – at that moment and for the rest of our lives.

Promises built on His unchangeable character.

I will dwell...forever

David was running for his life but he didn’t panic – he placed his faith in God’s sovereignty and stood on the assurance of an eternal life spent with Him.

Now, I don’t think David said,

“Nah-na-na-nah-na-na! You can’t kill me because God told me I’d be king someday!”

He knew death was inevitable, but he found joy in the surety of eternal life.

He knew that he knew that he would dwell in the house of the Lord – that he would live with God as part of His family

For believers, there is no fear in death. We’re not expected to be excited about it but we know that, when we leave this temporary life, we enter into an eternal life as part of God’s family.

• Goodness
• Love
• Eternal life

Surely God showers us with His blessings – now and forevermore!



How does surety in God’s promises enrich your life?

If you do not have this assurance, God’s reaching out to you. Find someone who can show you God’s love for you.
Photo credit: cave SimpleFoto

Rainbow's Promise

Most of us know about God's promise as He set the rainbow in the sky. After the floodwaters receded from the earth, Noah, his family, and the animals left the ark and walked out onto dry land. What a joy it must have been after days of being crammed in that boat!

"I now establish my covenant with you and with your

descendants after you and with every living creature

that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the

wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with

you--every living creature on earth. I establish my

covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off

by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a

flood to destroy the earth." Genesis 9:9-11

 

Now that I've walked through many storms in my life, the rainbow has come to mean so much more to me.


Such a beautiful arc of color: red, yellow, blue, purple, and many shades between.

It's the colors of God's mercy - we never receive the punishment we deserve because Jesus took it for us on the cross. Through His death, we are offered total forgiveness.

It's the colors of God's victory - never again will death reign over those who believe in Him. His covenant with us declares that death has been defeated by Jesus' burial and resurrection.

It's the colors of God's grace - just when the storm seems too hard to handle, a rainbow appears to remind us that He will never leave us and, if we are His children, we will be with Him forever because of Jesus' resurrection.


Forgiveness, victory over death, eternal life. These are the gifts offered to those who accept Jesus as their One and Only Savior.


Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus and entered into the promises of the New Covenant? If not, respond now to His great love.


Over the next several weeks, I'll be sharing the beauty of each color and the promises God makes to us in the richness of His love. Each week, I'll include excerpts from my award-winning Bible study, Storms of Life. I pray you are blessed.




As a child of God, what do the blessings of this New Covenant mean to you?


Next post - Silver Lining: Hope


If this post blesses you, please share.