Mercy.........God giving to me something that I don't deserve..........
Mercy.........God keeping from me something I do deserves.............
The mercy of God is not to be looked upon as the all supernatural power that God alone possesses to clean up our messes. There are some who would base the goodness and mercy of God solely upon the fact that He would come and clean up all the destruction they have brought upon themselves through their addiction. I don't think God moves in this fashion, though He does help us move through and beyond all the destruction we have caused.
First off, what is God offering to me that I don't deserve to have? Salvation! I really don't deserve this. In fact, one particular evening i was at the end of my rope, so to speak, and I lashed out at God in a moment of frustration claiming..."You're not fair!" I never will forget the answer that came back so suddenly that it caught me by surprise. "Your right! I'm not fair. If I was fair, you'd be in hell and I'd never would have had to send my Son to die for your sins." Needless to say I got the point.
I think one point that we sometimes fail to see concerning God's mercy is this..."No matter how terrible things may seem at the moment, they are never as terrible as they could be. Now I don't say this to make light of anyone current lot in life. I'm merely stating that God could remove His hand totally from a situation and allow the enemy to have free reign in our lives.
I am particularly taken with the book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah during one of dark times of Jerusalem's history. Because of the people's sins, God has brought judgement to them in the form of the Babylonian Army. Jerusalem has fallen and the people have been taken away into captivity. There in the streets, sitting among the rubble and destruction, Jeremiah, broken and weeping, pens these words....."Through the LORDS's mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3: 22-24)
Did you catch that? NO matter what is going on in your life........no matter what situation you may be facing......it is because of the Lord's great mercy that you are not consumed. The devil and all the forces of hell cannot defeat or sway the mercies of the Lord. No matter what "addiction" says to you in our mind, it will not win. Addiction cannot hold on to you in the face of God's mercy and grace. I know these words sound "religious" and that you may be reading them with a skeptical view, but know beyond all measure if you will cry out to God, He will respond with great mercy to free you and set you on a path to a different way of living. You do not have to be a slave to the needle, or the bottle, or the pill, or what ever it is you take to escape your pain and darkness.
I like the last part of the Scripture from Lamentations....."The LORD is my portion...therefore I will hope in Him." I lay hold of God because He has laid hold of me. He is my portion....not what He can do for me.......not what I may expect from Him. God alone is the sufficiency for my life. There isn't much I could attest to in this life, but the one thing I have come to know is that having God as your portion....as food for your soul.....as the all indwelling one in my life through my salvation is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, my wife and my family. For that I am grateful beyond measure this morning. It is because of Him that I type a posting in this blog every day. I can't tell you the times I have come to this computer with nothing to say. Almost dreading sitting down to face this because I was empty. I would bow my head and say, "Lord, if you want to say something this morning, I am ready to type it out." I know that I don't have any great insight into life. I'm not a philosopher or a great thinker. But what I know....I know with my heart and I will continue to say it till the day I draw my last breath. God love you and wants to take you out of all the darkness and pain you have brought on yourself through your sin. What love this God possesses.... Turn to Him today....
God on you...
mb
No comments:
Post a Comment