God is Ready to Pardon

 Neh 9:17b
.. but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

The children of Israel historically wavered in their faith. Any time things started to get bad, they would turn from trusting God and relying on the gods of the world around them. We find over and over again that God would deal harshly with their sin, but would always make a way to turn back to Him. Nehemiah recalls the days they were set free from Egyptian slavery, and it was not long after they were complaining about the prospects of dying. Because of their unbelief, they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their disobedience. But God did not cast them away, He would not forsake them. We serve a God who is merciful and full of grace. If any man wavers, or falls into sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate to the Father, and be forgiven. Like the story of the prodigal son, God’s arms are wide open, ready to pardon. He is a God of second chances, and extends His mercy to any who will turn to Him with a sincere heart of repentance. God does not tolerate sin and will not abide by it. Through the blood of Christ, He has provided a way of escape. We don’t have to succumb to the temptation of Satan and fall into sin. Our faith does not have to waver in times of temptation. He will not forsake us in our time of need. We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. But it is possible that one could fall from fellowship and communion with God, but one does not have to despair, for God is slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will not forsake His own. “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)

God's Thoughts

 Isaiah 55:8,9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s love and mercy are beyond human understanding. We are quick to judge and quick to serve justice. Many times our first reaction is, “They deserve what is coming to them.” Israel turned their backs on God. Why should God pursue them? God told Isaiah, tell my people to turn back to me, tell them I have water and food to satisfy their hunger. Tell them I will listen to their cries of confession of sin and unbelief. Let them know that I will not turn them away if they only seek me. Time after time, Israel rejected and left the covenant that God made with them, yet God continues to call out to them. 
We may have friends and loved ones that have turned away from God and their faith for whatever reason. They cannot see their way back to God and don’t feel that they deserve God’s mercy. They have lost their way and in their thinking God is far away, and nowhere to be found. They have failed God over and over again and have given up trying to serve Him, and like the prodigal son, they seek to find happiness in the pleasures of this world. But in their lostness, God's thoughts are toward them and desires that they should turn from their ways of sin and turn and run to Him. With jealous love, God pursues them and shows His love and mercy. His thoughts are of love and forgiveness, thoughts of reconciliation, thoughts of redemption. This type of thinking is beyond comprehension. We must not give up on those that God has not given up on. Let our thoughts be like Jesus, and love others unconditionally and extend hope to all who have lost their way.

Forgiveness for All

 John 8:11
Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.

The power of forgiveness by Jesus is found in the words, “neither do I condemn you.” Who can forgive sin but God. God hates sin and does not tolerate it. The Scribe and Pharisee were not incorrect.  The law was clear what happens to those who violate His commandments. I find it curious that they did not also bring the man who was also found in the very act. God in the OT punishment for adultery was for both the man and the women. It was a serious break of the law to violate one’s marriage vows. The deity of Jesus gave Him the power to overrule the law, for He is the giver of the law. As God in the OT often showed mercy, Jesus who knew the heart of this woman, spoke words of mercy. The laws of our land do not arrest or punish those who commit adultery, but God’s word is not mocked, whatever man sows, that shall he reap. Every man will answer to the deeds done in the flesh when they meet God face to face at the judgment. But as long as we live, there is forgiveness for all who will come to Jesus and ask. He reaches out with tender love and care, and there is no sin that His blood will not cover. It is not God’s plan that man continue in sin, Jesus told the lady to go and sin no more. “He who is born of God will no longer live in sin.” (1 John 5:18). The example of Jesus given to us here, should help us to see that there is hope for all who stubble in sin, and like Christ, we should also show love and compassion.

Not By Our Works

 Titus 3:4,5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

It is a marvel to think that a holy God would consider dwelling with sinful humanity is beyond my comprehension. Man is inherently influenced toward selfishness. There is a part of man that desires to do good and will manifest this goodness through acts of mercy and human compassion. Humanity has the capacity to love, born from being made in the image of God. Civilization has worked to cultivate this goodness, creating laws and statues to help govern the behavior of people to act civilized. The influence of religious organizations has contributed to this influence by teaching us to be kind to each other. Jesus Himself, in the Sermon on the Mount taught us to love your neighbor as yourself. But being good is not enough, for all have sinned and come short of redemption. Our good works come short of meeting the requirement for atonement for sin. But God, in His tender mercy and love sent His Son to pay the price for our redemption. He died on the cross, the sinless One, the lamb of God who is able to take away the sins of the world paid the debt that was ours. Through His death and resurrection we now can have new life, The Holy Spirit is given to us, purifying our hearts by faith. The world is filled with good people doing their best, and only God knows the heart of man, but salvation does not come by good works that we have done, but by faith in the One who is able to save us to the utmost.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Wisdom is knowing God and applying God’s truth with gentleness and mercy. Standing for what is right in a harsh and judgmental spirit is not wisdom from above. Wisdom from above is given without guile or evil intent. It seeks to bring peace to a situation and not division. Wisdom from above is transparent, it does not seek to deceive or manipulate. The danger that faces Christians is that the influence of the world can impair our thinking and attitude toward others and life. The wisdom of the world is to look out for self, depend on human ingenuity, and the arm of flesh. Instead of depending on God to see us through, we try to figure it out ourselves. When we seek first the kingdom of God, we are seeking the wisdom from above. Each day we face situations where we need wisdom in the words we speak and the actions we do. May we pray that God will give us the wisdom from above to do what is right, full of mercy and good fruit.

His Lovingkindness

 Isaiah 63:7a
 I will mention the lovingkindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel…

Before Christ came to earth to show His lovingkindness and grace, it was manifested in God the Father throughout the Old Testament. God is often portrayed as a God of judgment before He sent His Son to the world. There is no denying that God hates sin and those who refuse to follow the commandments of God, reaping what they sow. But His goodness and lovingkindness is demonstrated throughout the Old Testament by showing mercy to all who would repent from their wicked way and turn back to Him. Over and over again, Israel would return to their idols and forget what God had done for them, and endlessly, God would entreat His people to return back to the old paths of living according to His righteousness. He still shows His lovingkindness in this present age. His goodness is seen through the work of the Holy Spirit who continues to work and convict the hearts of men. May we keep our hearts and minds open to what God wants and let others know of His lovingkindness

His Love Never Fails

 Lamentations 3:22-23
 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness
God’s Love never fails. He is faithful to love us regardless how often we have failed Him. He is faithful to call us back into the light of His presence. He will not give up on us, His faithfulness reaches out to us even when we turn away from Him. Like the prodigal son, we may decide to go our own way and waste our life with the pleasures of sin. But, the Father waits faithfully for the son to return. He never stops loving His son, and with open arms is ready to embrace the return of His son. It is not too late to return to the Father. As long as we have breath, His judgment stays. His mercy continues to extend to everyone who will turn from their own ways and turn to Him confessing their need. We, like sheep, have gone astray, and have turned to our own ways. Great is His faithfulness to love us unconditionally.

Plenteous in Mercy

 Psalm 103:8,9
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
Because God is a holy God, His anger toward sin and rebellion is evident throughout scripture. Humanity was born in sin and with a nature that is in enmity against God. Every child born into this world has inherited this nature. At some point in a person’s life, God holds us accountable for our sinfulness. The simple Gospel message is that Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again to provide a remedy for this sinful nature. It is God’s love and mercy for us that it is now possible to turn away the anger of the Lord. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us or our sins.” It is not our fault that Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and cursed the human race, but we are given the choice to believe in Jesus for the remission of sin and be made reconciled back to God. This free gift from God shows that He will not reprove us or scold us. His mercy is plenteous to those who call out to Him for forgiveness. He will not turn away a repented heart who cries out for mercy. He is loving and gracious.

God Hates Sin

Psalm 90:7,8
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled…Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
The image of God given to us here is a God of judgment. A God that hates sin. It is impossible to hide our sins from Him, the light of his presence reveals our sinfulness. This is the picture and perception that many people have of God. A God ready to strike us down as soon as we do something that misses the mark. It is true that God is Holy, and hates sin and is displeased with those who commit sinful acts of rebellion. But He is also a God of love and mercy. He sees our humanity, and our inclinations to satisfy self. It is because of His love that He sent Jesus to provide a way to save us from our sinful condition. We are all judgment bound and will stand before Him. We can stand before Him with clean hands and a pure heart if we have by faith accepted His love of grace and our sins have been covered by the blood of Christ. We can be judged guiltless because Jesus is standing in our place as our advocate.

Pray For Restoration

 Obadiah 1:12

Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah On the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast On the day of their distress. (NASB)

The downfall spiritually of a nation or an individual should cause us to grieve and pray. Pray for restoration, pray for healing, asking God to show mercy. The attitude, “They brought this on themselves, now they are reaping what they sowed” may be true, but this is not a time to judge. We are all human and subject to failure and temptation. It is only by the grace of God that we can stay faithful. We are not immune to temptation, and Satan is out seeking whom he can destroy. Pray for the restoration of our brothers and sisters. The day of judgment is upon us, and our hope is to trust in the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously in these perilous days.

He Is Faithful

 Lamentations 3: 23, 25
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
He is faithful each morning to extend His mercy to us. It is a new day and God’s mercy never runs out, even though we have sinned and owe a debt we cannot pay, His mercy fails not to see our condition and hopelessness. How great is the mercy of God. It may seem that He has left us, but we must wait on Him and trust Him to take care of us. We don’t deserve His mercy, but He has  chosen us and our hope is in Him. Even though we may fail, He desires that we remain faithful and keep our trust in Him. He will not leave us or forsake us, as long as we continue to call upon Him and put our faith in His faithfulness to guide and direct us, He will keep His promise.

A Godly Home

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Deut. 6:6, 7 And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart…And you will teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you’re sitting in your house, and when you’re walking by the way, and when you’re laying down, and when you’re rising up.

Saturating your kids with the presences of God. A Christian home is created when Christ fills the home with His presence. The home is God’s sanctuary, He is not only the head of the church, but He also becomes the head of the home. My home is my castle, and I have been given charge to follow the commandment of God within the home. The first rule of business is to have a home that loves God 1st and put God at the head of every conversation and action. We honor Him by teaching our children His word, making  prayer in the home a natural occurrence. A good Christian home is not really known by the rules it keeps, but by the love it manifest. This does not mean that sin in the home is allowed to flourish, but love, grace, and mercy are the banners that hang on the walls of the home.

Praise & Thanksgiving

Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

We praise God for who He is and give thanks for the things He does for us. Praise is always in order, even when things are not always going the way we think they should. We show our thanksgiving or gratitude to Him by praising Him for all His marvelous works. He has blessed us with many things in life that we often take for granted. But even if such blessings were not given, we can still be glad and rejoice because He loved us and bought us with His blood. When we receive such a gift from Him, we then lift our hearts in thanksgiving for the grace and mercy He bestows on us. Thanksgiving and gratitude are reciprocal, it applies that there is a giver and a receiver. Praise is not depended on receiving. We praise Him because He is worthy of our praise, and thank Him for giving us salvation. “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter is gates with praise.”