Matchless Mercy

Mercy: a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior; mercy, clemency, pardon

God's mercy is what delivered us from the penalty of sin. He took Jesus' substitutional sacrifice as payment for our sins and granted us His mercy. Because of this, we stand righteous before the Lord, we're able to come boldly into His presence, and are guaranteed to have an eternal life in Paradise with Him.

The Father's mercy is renewed to us every morning. (Lamentations 3:22, 23) Even though we are human, fallible, sinful beings in our nature, every day our Father chooses to show us mercy all over again. Despite how we may have failed Him the day, hour or minute before, our pleas for forgiveness are always heeded and granted. The Lord is faithful!

Isn't that amazing? The Lord gives us favor in spite of ourselves! There is nothing that can separate us from His love! There is nothing we can do to make Him take away His mercy. Once we accept His Son as Lord over our life, we are brought into His family for good. All of our mistakes, sins, and shortcomings are covered by Jesus' precious blood, and we are seen as pure beings in the eyes of the Lord.

The Lord's mercy is manifested in the blessings we receive as we develop a right relationship with Him. We enjoy peace in our minds, joy in our hearts, love for others, and wisdom as we navigate through life. God's mercy is a powerful tool!

None of us are worthy. None of us deserve it. None of us can ever live up to it's powerful effect.

But it's ours just the same.

Doesn't that make you love God all the more?

Verse of the Day: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9, 10

Love Is What You DO

Love is a verb. It is an action. It is something you do. However, when it comes down to it, many of us resort to declaring our love rather than portraying our love.

Jesus was someone who exemplified love in literally everything He did. He came to this world out of love. He chose a humble life out of love. He took the time to befriend, mentor, train, and inspire the twelve apostles out of love. He performed miracles out of love. He taught the multitudes out of love. Even when Jesus was dying on the cross, He made it a point to forgive His killers out of love.

Jesus' life was a model of what it means to love.

Think about your life. Do you really show love? Or, are you one of those who just say that you love someone? When you do something for someone else, is it truly out of love for them? Do you limit your love to just those who are close to you, or is your love available to all? Do you love no matter how you feel, or do you continue to show love even when it's inconvenient for you?

As children of the King, we should allow God's love to transform us to the point where we show love like Jesus did. God's love should permeate our beings to the point where we can't help but to show love everywhere we go and to everyone we meet.

Yet, too many of us are comfortable being selfish or stingy and we allow our love-growth to go lacking. We don't allow ourselves the joy of knowing what it really means to exemplify love. We stop ourselves from reaching the maturity that go wants to bring us to in Him.

And we wonder why the world is in the amount of disarray that it's in...

Today, make the choice to show love. Allow the love of Christ to take over. Let love challenge you to grow in your Christianity. Choose to show love not just talk about it. When opportunities arise, consider what Jesus would do and choose to follow His example.

Our Savior chose a life of love and was able to bring salvation to mankind. What can you accomplish if you follow His example?

Verse of the Day: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Ephesians 5:1, 2

Thanksgiving Friday!

Friday's come 'round again. I'm grateful for another opportunity to give God thanks.

Today I'm thankful for my church. We are celebrating 25 years of ministry this week! God has kept us and brought us through so much, and we are not the worse for wear. In fact, we are a strong unit displaying God's love to everyone who comes through our doors. We are truly blessed. Thank You, Father, for keeping our ministry. You've brought us so far, and I know that the best is on it's way!

This week I'm also giving God praise for vision. Through His wisdom, we all can look at the road ahead and have His insight on the matter. We can avoid pitfalls, see ways to excel, and save ourselves time and energy with the Lord's help and guidance. This week has been a week of vision for me. I can see where God is taking me, and I'm excited. Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your vision for my life! My future is bright!

I'm praising God for His faithfulness as well. Jesus is a keeper. He has kept my heart, kept my mind, and kept my spirit at peace. Whenever a need has shown up, the Lord has never let me down. I am so blessed that even when I messed up, God remained faithful to me. His Word has never failed. I'm certainly not worthy, but He has deemed me righteous in His sight through His dear Son. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness.

I'm sure you're over there bubbling up with your prayers of thanksgiving also. Go ahead and give God some praise for what He's doing for you!

Verse of the Day: Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations... Deuteronomy 7:9

What Would He Say?

The book of Job begins with satan presenting himself to God and telling of his whereabouts. In their conversation, God takes the time to boast on His servant Job. God proudly tells how righteous and God-fearing Job is and confidently allows satan to test Job to prove that His admiration of Job is justified.

This story got me thinking about what God would say when talking about me. Would He be able to beam with pride and say, Have you seen My girl, Tiara...? and be able to celebrate my walk with Him? Would He have just as much confidence in my faith as He did with Job? Even just in general conversation, what would God have to say about me?

It's pretty humbling considering God knows it all, down to our very thoughts. He knows our every heartbeat, intention, and emotion. With all of that, God knows whether we're really trying to live righteously, if we're actually living a life of love, or if it's all a facade.

What would God have to say about you?

Today, think about the life that you're living. Think about your relationship with the Lord. If God were to test your faith, would you pass? If God was asked to describe you, would He have more positives than negatives?

There is no question that God loves all of us. There is no question that we were made righteous by the blood of His dear Son. But, are we living lives that reflect that righteousness? Are we carrying ourselves in a way that God can be proud of?

Verse of the Day: And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8

Celebrate Your Freedom!

Well, the barbecues are heating up, the fireworks have been purchased, and the partiers are on their way. It's time to celebrate our nation's freedom once again!

As we celebrate the fact that we are a free country, let's also take some time to rejoice that we are free from the bondage of sin! We don't have to be held captive by the enemy anymore! Any time the devil comes with his suggestions and lies, we have the power to throw him out!

We have the privilege of being seen as righteous in the eyes of God. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, those sins we used to carry are now washed away, and we stand as pure as clean snow in the eyes of God. Amazing!

No longer do we have to be ashamed, no longer do we have to bear guilt, no longer do we have to feel like we are "less than". We are joint heirs with Christ! We, who used to be outcasts, are now called children of God!

So, enjoy the cookouts, the laughter, and the fireworks. However, in the midst of your festivities, make sure you take some time to thank Jesus for cleansing you from the detriment of sin.

Verse of the Day: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

Afternoon Ti, Anyone?

Good morning! I pray that today finds you blessed and refreshed! I'll be blogging this afternoon today. See you then!

It Is Well With My Soul

There's an old hymn with a refrain that says: It is well with my soul. Over and over the psalmist repeats that despite all that's going on, despite the trials that come from the enemy, no matter how much things try to block the way: It is well with my soul.

Life can be overwhelming at times. Things happen unexpectedly. Trials come unnanounced. Hardships pop up in our paths. But, not matter what goes on around us, we should be able to find God's peace buffeting us in the midst of any storm. We should be able to find courage to face any trial because the Lord is with us.

Sometimes that peace and assurance is right there. The trial may come, but it finds us strong and able to face it down with no problems. Other times, we may have to call upon that courage like David. Or, we may have to rehearse God's promises to us in our own ears. We may have to take the time to pray and ask our Father to visit us with His peace.

Either way, the Lord is there with everything we need to face any situation. That's why the psalmist can sing It is well with my soul. No matter what comes up, we have a way to face it, endure, and overcome. Nothing should shake us, scare us, or beat us. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.

Be encouraged today! You have all the tools you need to face your situation. There is nothing too hard for the Lord, and He is with you! So, you can sing along with the psalmist: It is well with my soul!

Verse of the Day: As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me... Psalm 55:16-18