The Grace & Mercy of God

Psalms 103:10 NKJV
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

What is your personal view of God? Do you view Him as being ready to pounce and punish you for EVERY sin? Do you view God as only having a military style of leadership where you can’t ask Him questions and you are not allowed to show Him your true feelings? Or maybe you view God as being always angry with you because of a past sin you did.

Sometimes our perception of God can have an effect on how we relate to God. If you want to know the Lord, you have to spend time with Him and you have to read His word. You also need to look at Jesus and the life of Jesus in order to have a clear perception of what God is like. (John 14:9 – Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?)
Therefore in order to have a real understanding of God, you need to have a relationship and knowledge of His begotten Son, Jesus.

Psalms 103:8 NKJV
The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

Grace is defined as : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification.; a virtue coming from God.
Mercy is defined as : Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm

One of the characteristics of God is His MERCY and GRACE towards us. It is very important for us to know and appreciate God’s qualities of mercy and grace.

1. If God were not merciful and gracious then no human would be alive right now on earth because He would have destroyed all mankind because of sin. (Genesis 9:11 – Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”)
2. If God were not merciful and gracious then Jesus would not have come as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. (John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.)
3. If God were not merciful and gracious then God would not have made SALVATION to be a FREE GIFT through Jesus. We therefore are not saved by our own works, but we are saved by FREELY accepting and receiving Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8,9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”)
4. If God were not merciful and gracious then we would be punished according to our sins and iniquities. (Psalms 103:10 – He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.)

2 Corinthians 10:17 NKJV
But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord”

Nobody is perfect because of sin. However thank God for His mercy and grace. He is kind and good to us even though we don’t deserve it.
We can never boast in ourselves or in our own goodness – because our own effort is not good enough for God. However we can boast in the Lord and give praise to Him because of the grace and mercy to which He shows to us despite our flaws. We can thank Him also that in Christ Jesus we are complete and we have access to Him.

TODAY. Thank God for His grace and mercy.