Have Mercy On Me, God

I could say this about myself…. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

I, like David, have cried out to the Lord, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2) He answered me. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) At times in my life I have hidden from God just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden because I was also filled with shame and embarrassment. I listened to my own heart, the harsh words of others and believed the lies that I wasn’t worthy of His love. Jesus Christ is perfect, holy and righteous and I am a sinner in desperate need of His forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. I had my eyes on myself instead of on Christ and what HE did for me (and you) on the cross.

David was a murderer and adulterer. Moses killed someone. Peter denied Jesus three times. Abraham didn’t trust God for a descendant. None of the disciples actually believed that Jesus would rise from the dead. That’s why they scattered like rats on a sinking ship after the crucifixion.

Jesus loves the unlovable, forgives the unforgivable, patiently waits for the prodigal to return home and restores the unrestorable. He is sinless, yet He loves sinners (“for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”), proving that love on the old rugged cross.

Your past mistakes don’t disqualify you from being used greatly by God. People can’t disqualify you either when God calls you to something. At the end of the day, their opinion doesn’t matter because His will trumps people’s opinions. God loves a good redemption story because He is a God of the unlikely. He is a God of Wonders and can take the mess you made and somehow make it into something beautiful.

It’s never too late to come home to Jesus.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

When we are awakened to see ourselves as we are really are, in the depths and weight of our own sins, how can we not have compassion and mercy on others?! The Bible says, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged…Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:2-3) We may wonder how the Lord can love us in spite of our sins even though He is perfect and holy in all His ways?!

“For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9) He can make all things new. The Lord loved us so very much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place. He bore our shame (Hebrews 12:2). Since we have experienced His abundant grace and abounding love, we are commanded to, “love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) He desires a relationship with each one of us, including the one who has never known Him as Savior and Lord and also the prodigal.

Jesus died for my sins on the cross. “He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) According to this verse, each one of us stands before the Lord guilty, but through Christ’s blood… “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)!! As His children, repenting before Him, He has removed our sins as far “as the east is from the west!” (Psalm 103:12) Glory!!! We can be restored into a right relationship with the Father. God says, “that mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13)