Mercy, Grace and Love
(NRSV) Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
When I think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I do not think of just one quality or attribute. But three things immediately come to mind—His mercy, His grace, and His love.
I see mercy, grace and love as the legs on a three-legged stool. Without either of these supports the stool could not stand. Likewise, without either of these qualities God would not function as God.
When God sees our sin, yet spares us from the penalty of sin, that is mercy. Mercy is generally paired with power, for it only means something if one has the power to grant forgiveness. I often find myself singing the old hymn “At Calvary” by William Newell:
- Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died On Calvary.
o Refrain:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul found liberty At Calvary.
- By God’s Word at last my sin I learned; Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned, Till my guilty soul imploring turned To Calvary.
Verse 2 of this song reveals such an important truth—we learn of our sin by reading God’s Holy Word. We also hear of our sin from the pulpit, and the Holy Spirit impresses upon us our need for repentance, at which point we turn to a holy God for mercy.
Grace, which we do not deserve and cannot earn, offers us that most blessed gift of salvation, and both Grace and mercy is brought to us by the love of God. As much as I love the Word, I love the old hymns of the church. Both are sources of such comfort.
The Love of God by Frederick Lehman.
O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure— the saints’ and angels’ song.
May we each meet Jesus at the foot of the Cross, accepting His mercy, grace and love which is abundant and free.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Gardens
(NIV) Gen 2:8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
(NIV) Matt 25:36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Have you ever thought about the gardens mentioned prominently in the Bible? Thera is a dichotomy that I began thinking about early this morning. Gardens, where growth and transformation take place. Gardens, where community happens. And gardens, where betrayal leading to death occurred.
In the first garden, new life began. By all accounts, Eden was a paradise where man walked with God. Eden was teeming with life, new life, and there was nothing lacking. But as soon as man disobeyed God, Eden was transformed from a garden of life into a garden of doom. Indeed, if Adam and Eve had remained in the Garden, they would have tasted of the Tree of Life and lived forever in their sin.
Likewise, The Garden of Gethsemane which contained a grove of olive trees, was transformed from a quiet place of introspection and prayer into a place of chaos. Where Jesus called His most trustworthy disciples, asking them to pray, Could you not tarry one hour? He was betrayed first by their inability to remain awake. He was betrayed by their incomprehension of the seriousness of the time. The final betrayal came when Judas brought Roman soldiers to arrest Him.
As I consider these two places, I wonder if each of us has had our own garden experiences. Was there a time when we relied on God more than we do today? Did we linger in God’s presence, finding our communion with Him and our Christian brothers and sisters life giving and life affirming?
May we return to the place where our first thought when we awake is of God, and our hearts desire is to walk with Him in our own personal garden.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Growing in Grace
(NIV) 2 Pet 1: 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When I read these verses, I am immediately reminded of two things: Paul’s admonition that we work out our own salvation, and the phrase, “growing in grace,” or what is sometimes called “sanctification.”
I love that there is no magic formula for living a godly life. Instead, Peter says God’s power gives us everything necessary to achieve godliness. Paul tells us in Romans 12:3 we were given a measure of faith. We needed faith to accept the free gift of salvation, and from there our faith continues to grow. As our faith grows, our spiritual gifts grow.
Today’s scripture shows a progression of spiritual growth. I’ve known for years that our spiritual life is never really stagnant—we are either growing (moving forward) or backsliding (moving backwards). While some of you may not be familiar with the term backsliding, in general it means a Christian who has fallen back into old habits or old sins. It is not a good thing.
Instead, God provides a way of remaining true to our faith, and that method is by growing in the grace gifts of God. (NRSV) Gal 5:22 … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
When I first accepted Christ and came upon this scripture, I thought, “Oh, no…I don’t have any of these gifts.” But then I saw joy, and I said, “Wait, I have joy. I’ll start with that.” When we spend a portion of each day with God, we will begin to grow into His image. The more time we spend with our Lord and Savior, the more we begin to act like Him, talk like Him, and even look like Him.
May we make use of our time, learning of God and then sharing Him with others.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Book announcement
My third book, “Hope for Tomorrow, Peace for Today,” was released 10/2/2024. It is now available both in print and as an eBook on Amazon and other bookstores.
Cast Your Cares Upon Him
(NIV) 1 Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
I have always loved 1 Pe 5:7, but if we pluck that one verse out of this section then we are missing the full impact of these scriptures. It is so reassuring to have the promise that we can and should give our anxieties and cares to Jesus. Why? Because He cares for us. But Peter says we should humble ourselves before God, and He will then lift us up.
Humility. We’ve talked about this before. Why is pride such a major issue? I have always held the belief that pride was the original sin. It was pride that caused Lucifer to oppose God, starting a war in Heaven that still has implications today. It was pride that caused Adam and Eve to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit, and it is pride that continues in the 21st Century to pull us away from God.
Peter warns that the devil is always on the lookout for those he can devour. He says the devil is like a roaring lion, but it would be a mistake to view Christ followers as victims , cowering in fear. We are not victims, but we are strong in the Lord, empowered by the Holy Spirit! Stand firm and resist. How? Pray, read the Word, and stay connected with other believers because our help truly is in the Lord and He is so faithful.
May we remain humble in spirit, but bold in our faith, giving encouragement to our fellow believers and always, always know and believe that God is our very present help in time of need.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
