Cast down?

 I wonder if you've ever felt like this? I think it's probably that way for all believers at some point... I find it encouraging anyway. I hope you do too.

 

by James Smith 

"I am cast down!"

And why are you cast down?

"My heart is burdened with a sense of my short-comings!

Every duty I perform is so imperfect.

Every purpose I form is so soon frustrated.

Every hope of seeing better days is so soon beclouded.

My heart is so fearfully depraved.

My life is so unlike the life of Jesus.

My temper is so unholy.

My prayers are so brief and heartless.

My praises are so feeble and fitful.

I do so little good.

I live to so little purpose.

My evidences are so dim.

My prospects are so overcast.

I am harassed sometimes with the fear of death.

I cannot realize the glories of Heaven.

I am dissatisfied with the world — and yet glued to it!

I hate sin — and yet fall into it!

I am a riddle, a mystery, a mass of inconsistency!

Is it, then, any wonder that I am cast down?"

No, if you look at yourself, and pore over the things you have named — then it is no wonder that you are cast down! They are enough to cast anyone down! But if you carry them to the throne of grace, if you there confess them before God, if you look to Jesus to save you from them — then, in spite of them — you will not long be cast down.

I know it is difficult to do this. There is a natural proneness to pore over such things. One feels at times a secret liking to indulge in gloomy thoughts.

But we must look away from self — for if we do not, we shall become anxious, doubting and gloomy! We must run the race, not looking at our imperfections, short-comings, and failures — but looking unto Jesus. He knows what we are. He knew what we would be — before He called us by His grace; yes, before He shed His blood for us!

He loved us, as sinners.

He died for us, as sinners.

He called us, as sinners.

He saves us, as sinners. He will have all the glory of saving us, and He will get great glory by doing so, because we are such great sinners; and do not, cannot, do anything to repay Him for His wondrous love! Salvation is by free grace — from first to last! Believe this, and it will raise up your drooping mind!

The life-boat of free grace has put you on board the vessel of salvation, and that will convey you safely to the port of glory! Do not look at your spiritual destitution, or feebleness, or incapacity, or imperfections — but trust in your Pilot, rely on your Captain, and expect His mercy and merit to land you safe in Heaven at last!

As imperfect as you now are, and as imperfect you will be — your dying prayer will still be, "God be merciful unto me — a sinner!"

Hope in God!

His mercy is great unto the heavens,

His grace is as free as the air,

His love is as changeless as His nature,

His promise is as immutable as His love.

Hope in God, for you shall yet praise Him. He will save you for His own sake, and present you before assembled worlds as a monument of His mercy, and a trophy of His grace! 

James Smith on the topic of "God's sweetest attribute"

 Men are deficient in mercy — but God, our God in Jesus, will display the greatest kindness and compassion to His children. This renders Him so amiable, suitable, and glorious in the estimation of His people. Mercy is God's sweetest attribute . . .

  as beautiful as the morning light,

  as measureless as the waters of the ocean,

  as boundless as illimitable space,

  as refreshing as the early dew,

  as glorious as the noon-day sun!

God's mercy is like His nature — pure, lovely, and eternal. His mercy is suited to all the needs of His children — it is free, full, and meets every case! Christian, the Lord assures you that He has mercy for you!

He has pardoning mercy — which will suit your sinfulness; mercy which will blot out your sins, and remove them from you as far as the east is from the west!

He has delivering mercy — which will meet your misery; mercy which will deliver you from . . .

   the power of sin,

   the bondage of Satan,

   the curse of the law,

   the fear of death,

   the terrors of judgment, and

   all the soul-troubles which may fall upon you on earth!

His mercy is tender mercy — which will suit the sickness of your soul. He will sympathize with you, pity you, and manifest the greatest forbearance and love. His mercy is so tender, that it will not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax. It will . . .

  encourage the weak desire,

  fan the feeble spark into a flame,

  and take the will for the deed.

His mercy is supplying mercy — to meet your needs and defects. It will supply all your needs,according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Whether your needs are temporal or spiritual — He will supply you. He will give you both grace and glory; and no good thing will He withhold from you, if you walk uprightly.

It is also sanctifying mercy — to suit your impurity. It will wash you in the laver of the Word, and in the fountain of a Savior's blood. It will teach you to wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. It will sanctify your troubles, and make all things work together for your good.

It is rescuing mercy, which will appear for you, and deliver you from all the dangers which may line your way — and at last present you faultless before the throne of God!

In a word — God's mercy will meet every case, circumstance, and condition in which it is possible for you to be placed!

Reader, let me exhort you to dwell much on this excellent attribute of your God. Meditate on God as all-merciful and all-sufficient for our every state!

Latest song called Maranatha

 https://youtu.be/krA83x6jGng

Here's the latest song I wrote and recorded, stemming from a few conversations and sermon snippets...

As the days are getting darker, we need to be reminded to look up for our Redeemer is coming quickly! 

Thank You Heavenly Father for the blessed hope!!

I hope you are blessed and encouraged.

 

The Greatest Friend

Reading through the book of Matthew this morning, I came across this little phrase that struck me... 

"But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”" 

The Lord looked with love on the one who was betraying Him. 

Obviously we cannot hear the tone in which the Lord spoke it but what tender compassion He displayed for the man who was by that time personally indwelt by the enemy.

How amazing that our Saviour would condescend to call any human "friend" but at that moment in those circumstances is past comprehension!

He knew the depths of depravity and He still chose such a gracious loving response!! 

I don't think I've ever suffered betrayal, but knowing our human nature I would imagine I would not feel at all kindly towards a betrayer.

Only recorded in Matthew's account, Mark and John say nothing of Jesus's words to Judas in the garden of Gethsemane, while Luke recorded another equally challenging sentence, "But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”"

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." 

Thank You Lord Jesus for being willing to suffer such treatment because You love and forgive those who put their trust in You!

Heavenly Father please help us and keep us from treachery. How we need Your Grace and Mercy to live a life that will bring honour and glory to Your Holy Name!

I find it truly remarkable that Jesus spoke this to all His disciples... 

"for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."

Thank You Heavenly Father for such a precious gift! We believe and are saved because You enabled us to hear and respond! Thank You for demonstrating Your great love and compassion for us! 

Alan Redpath quotes

I searched some sites and found all these quotes from Alan Redpath.

I know very little about him but nearly all of these greatly encouraged me in some way. 

I hope you are also blessed, challenged and encouraged. 

(This first one is abridged to make it more personal.) 

"God expects nothing from (insert your name here) but failure. We are no different today from the day before we were converted. We would be capable of committing any sin imaginable but for the grace of God. We are no different as people from what we were as youngsters. And the sins that beset us then beset us now, were it not for a constant, continual dependence upon the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Ghost to keep us.

 As long as I seek by His grace to maintain the attitude of committal and surrender to Him, then every demand, however unexpected or grim, hard, tough; every decision, however difficult; every temptation, every fierce dart of the Enemy of my soul is an attack upon the life of Christ within me. And He is always greater than Satan himself. For every situation in life God has implanted within me One who is altogether perfect, if only I let Him have His own way. How urgent therefore is this need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

I believe that the discovery of God's will for your career is dependent upon the acceptance of God's will for your character. Far too often in seeking to know God's will for our lives we're at the wrong end of the line. Our concern should never be our relationship to the problem of a career, but our relationship to the person of Jesus Christ. Then He will look after the career. What we are is much more important to Him than what we do for Him. We mean far more to God than the work we do.

Faith is two empty hands held open to receive all of the Lord.  

God's mercy with a sinner is only equalled and perhaps outmatched by His patience with the saints, with you and me.  

Before we can pray, "Lord, Thy Kingdom come," we must be willing to pray, "My Kingdom go."  

The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.  

If you look up into His face and say, "Yes, Lord, whatever it costs," at that moment He'll flood your Life with His presence and power. 

When I think of that story (of David and Jonathan) , my heart is stirred by a desire not only that I might have a Jonathan in my life—that is surely very wonderful, but very selfish—but also that I might find a David somewhere to whom I could be a Jonathan. Would you ask the Holy Spirit to make you a friend like that, to help you to cultivate in your life sanctifying disinterested, steadfast friendships? Oh, that the Lord might let us play a part in shaping and fashioning another life in the image of Jesus Christ!

He died for the ungodly, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. There wasn’t one lovely or good thing in any of us that could draw out love from the heart of a holy Savior—there was everything to repel. Yet the infinite God, the altogether lovely One, whose ideal of love surely is far beyond anything we could ever imagine, whose capacity for love is beyond our understanding altogether, He loved us and gave Himself for us.

This is the Lord of glory, dying amidst the scorn of the people He came to redeem. Think of Him in heaven with all authority in His hands and the angelic host around Him. Then look at Him hanging on a cross with the riff-raff of humanity sneering and gaping at him. When I realize that there He took my sin, the pollution and filthiness of my life, as if it were His very own, and then poured it into oblivion as far as the east is from the west, I say, “Lord Jesus, Thy love to me was wonderful!

I want to make the issue crystal clear. There can be no possible doubt, according to the Word of God: either Jesus must be King, or He cannot be your Savior.

The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependent upon God, and know it.

The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart... If a man in his heart is right with God, God will deal with the problem.

Any battle for victory, power, and deliverance - from ourselves and from sin - which is not based constantly upon the gazing and the beholding of the Lord Jesus, with the heart and life lifted up to Him, is doomed to failure.

The man who gazes upon and contemplates day by day the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who has caught the glow of the reality that the Lord is not a theory but an indwelling power and force in his life, is as a mirror reflecting the glory of the Lord.

No sin which we are capable of committing has ever taken God by surprise for He knew we were just like that.

Return to the battle again, no longer trusting in the false and insufficient human resources which so foolishly we had taken into the battle, but now trusting in the limitless resources of our risen Lord.

When God wants to do an impossible task He takes an impossible man and crushes him.

I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart.

There's some task which the God of all the universe, the great Creator, your redeemer in Jesus Christ has for you to do, and which will remain undone and incomplete until by faith and obedience you step into the will of God.

Obey God in all things today! Drive out the enemy! Lay the ax to the root of the tree, and the capacity for Jesus Christ will be increased tomorrow.

Circumstances which we have resented, situations which we have found desperately difficult, have all been the means in the hands of God of driving the nails into the self-life which so easily complains.

Alan Redpath

Latest song: Abundant Mercy

 Abundant mercy, praise His Name,

For His gift we don't deserve.

Glorious salvation, through His blood.

God has been so good to us!

Obey His statutes, keep His Word,

In your life, He'll be glorified.

Choose to walk His way, He will give you strength, 

Rejoice in Him all your days. 

Beloved, accepted, child of God,

By His Grace, He has set you free

So be diligent to be found in peace

By the Lord Who reigns over all.

Reserved in Heaven, kept for us;

An inheritance undefiled.

He has granted us this living hope.

Blessed be our Heavenly King!

Thinking of Heaven

 "Heaven is a wonderful place

Filled with Glory and Grace

I want to see my Saviour's face

Heaven is a wonderful place."

(written by Debby Kerner & Ernie Rettino)

 I remember hearing this chorus as a child and singing along. I think it means more to me now than it did then. 

I'm also looking forward to seeing again the faces of the dear saints I knew and loved who are already experiencing the joy of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. 

As I looked through many references about Heaven, I was encouraged. 

He is the One who keeps us and has reserved a place for us. 

(I had only heard this partially quoted previously; I'm glad I found the fuller version as I find it encouraging and hope you do too.) 

There are many things we don't know, but we do know that Heaven is wonderful. How could it not be when we remember Who created it? His Name is Wonderful so everything He does must also be wonderful! (even though it might not always feel like that to us at the time. When we reach that land of pure delight we will thank Him as we realise the things we couldn't understand down here and recognise He led us every step of the way. How we need His grace and mercy daily!) 

The thing that most stood out to me as I looked through the verses, was the paradox of Heaven being the Lord's dwelling place when the Universe / Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him. Also, how amazing that He condescended to dwell on this earth with us and offers us the way to share this bliss of Eternal Glory with Him!! 

I didn't include the descriptions given in Revelation; the Water of Life, the bountiful fruit trees, the pearly gates, the golden streets, and the other precious gems. 

These will all be outshone by the radiance of the Glory of the Lord. 

When the things of this life are taking up too much headspace, I like to reread the last 3 chapters of Revelation to remind myself of these truths. The Lord Jesus is returning for His people soon! And Heaven will be infinitely more amazing than my mind can think!

We who have trusted the Lord for salvation will be with the Lord, the angels, and the saints forever! It will be so glorious! I need to make sure I'm living ready! 

I'm so glad of the reminders that it is all by His grace as none of us could ever hope to earn a place in Glory. The Lord Jesus Christ has done everything necessary! We just need to trust, love and thank Him! 

As I was writing this, this verse came to mind... "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20. I think that's definitely worthy of rejoicing, don't you? 

I'll close with these, 2 of my favourite passages from the last 2 chapters. 

I hope they bless you as they do me! 

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son." Revelation 21:4-7. (BTW, I composed this blog last week and these verses have cropped up 3 or 4 times since then.) 

"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:3-7.

New Year : some thoughts and a poem

 For many, 2021 has not been a happy year, but rather an extremely difficult one. While there are no guarantees 2022 will be any happier, we who have trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ have the assurance that our life and times are in His hands, and that is the safest place for everything.

 We can rest in His faithfulness and rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We can remember how He has shown us His goodness numerous times and we should always praise Him for His great mercy and grace, as without these, we would not have survived.

  At the beginning of 2021, I did something  silly (I'll spare you the details so none of you are tempted to try it yourself 😉) which gave me the idea that I might not still be around in 2022. Yet we've reached the final day of 2021 and I'm still here. Yet, none of us know how soon our life may be taken. I hope that I will learn not to take anything for granted, but to be grateful to the Lord for every day He sees fit to keep me alive.

 I'm glad we don't have the ability at the beginning of a year to know all that will happen through it. I'm very glad the Lord invites us to walk with Him, each day, step by step and if we can learn how to do that, we will be greatly blessed. He has proven Himself trustworthy throughout the generations past, and He never changes!  Despite our fickleness and wayward wanderings, the Lord continues to lovingly draw us closer to Himself.

 Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” How good and kind the Lord has promised to be.

 I'm so glad He has chosen to forgive and forget my sins because I trust Him that His death on the Cross paid the price I owed. Thank You Lord Jesus that You were willing to take my place so I can have a restored relationship with the Holy God!

 I was catching up reading a few devotionals and these verses from Psalm 116 "jumped out" at me. 

"What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord."

Later that evening a dear friend read excerpts from that same Psalm to me, including:

"Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." 

He has truly dealt with me far more bountifully than I even realise! I need to choose every day to remember His goodness and forget the other stuff that would drag me down. 

I'll leave you with a poem, and pray, (whether you have a Happy New Year or not,) that the Lord will bless you. 

Some encouragements I was glad of today.

"My heart and voice I raise" a "Sacred poem" by Benjamin Rhodes

Hi!
My Dad was trying to remember the words to this hymn last night. I only knew different words to the same tune. I thought he was humming Fairest Lord Jesus! I may have glanced at this hymn before but I didn't know it. I found 5 verses in the Methodist hymnbook and the Redemption hymnal. I found 9 online at hymnary.org, and that had a link to page scans of "A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs.
From this I learned that there are 21 verses recorded!


“A Sacred Poem by Benjamin Rhodes (born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, in 1743, died 1815.

(Part 1)
"My heart and voice I raise, To spread Messiah’s praise: Messiah’s praise – let all repeat:
The Universal Lord, by whose prolific word Creation rose in form complete!

Let there be light – he said- then sullen darkness fled, Obedient to his high command!
And massy orbs above Began to shine- and move- Sustained by His Almighty hand.

Creation’s utmost bound, (how high, or how profound) Declares his Majesty divine:
Thou Everlasting Sire, Thee- shall Thy works admire, and all proclaim the glory Thine.

Man- the supreme of all on this terrestrial ball, in wisdom’s purest gifts arrayed;
From Eden basely fell: To ransom him from hell, - Messiah – suffered in his stead!

A servant’s form he wore, and in His body bore our dreadful curse on Calvary!
He like a victim stood, and poured His sacred blood, to set the guilty captives free!

But soon the victor rose, Triumphant o’er his foes, And led the vanquished host in chains;
He threw their empire down, His foes compelled to own, O’er all the great Messiah reigns!

With mercy’s mildest grace He governs all our race in wisdom, righteousness, and love:
Who to Messiah fly shall find redemption nigh, and all His great Salvation prove.

Hail, Saviour, Prince of Peace, Thy kingdom shall increase, Till all the world Thy glory see!
And righteousness abound, As the great deep profound; And fill the earth with purity.

(Part 2)
In fierce consuming fire shall destined worlds expire! And in his might Messiah rise:
The raging fervent blaze shall lift its voice in praise, While all dissolve in earth and skies!

The mighty Lord of all shall then the nations call – “Ye dead arise, to judgment come:”
The crowds arising see His sovereign majesty, and trembling wait their final doom.

Great day – that shall descry to every wondering eye the secret deeds of day and night!
The sacred volume large its record shall discharge, and bring our every thought to light!

The bold blasphemer there, in rage, and wild despair – In vain would shun impending ire:
Where shall the guilty hide? Or the fierce day abide, The Day of God, revealed in fire?

With pangs unfelt before, Urged by their pain – implore A refuge from tremendous wrath!
Too late! – transfixed with awe, They hear the fiery law condemn them to eternal death!

Bound with relentless chains, they sink beneath their pains, Nor shines one beam of hope from heaven:
With the infernal host, are now forever lost! and down to fiery regions driven.

(Part 3)

Ye happy sons of light, who conquered in the fight, and steadfast to the end endured!
Now view the great reward Messiah hath prepared, and to his faithful saints secured.

In ecstasies of bliss, they see Him as He is, Whose glory fills the eternal Throne:
He bids His servants prove Their Master’s joy above, and be with Him forever one!

City of God, in thee is full felicity: Thy treasures, an unbounded store!
Where- from the Source of Love, The saints, transported, prove, Unbounded joys for ever more!

There saints and angels join in fellowship divine, And rapture swells the solemn lay:
While all with one accord adore their glorious Lord, and shout His praise in endless day.

Salem, secure above, Thy joys when shall I prove, And to thy holy hill attain?
Where weary pilgrims rest, and in thy glories blessed, with God their King forever reign.

May I but find the grace to fill a humble place in that inheritance above:
My tuneful voice I’ll raise; In songs of loudest praise, to spread thy fame- Redeeming Love.

Reign – true Messiah – reign, Thy kingdom shall remain when stars and sun no more shall shine:
Mysterious Deity, who ne’er began to be! To sound thy endless praise – be mine."

I thought it was worth sharing. Hope you're challenged and blessed by it as I have been.

The LORD is on high forevermore

"The LORD is on high forevermore." 

In another place we read, "He is highly exalted." 

He is still sustaining all things.

He has shown us wonderful things and we should praise Him for them. 

I think these verses are a great reminder of how faithful the LORD is to His promises. 

Is your heart heavy, troubled by life's circumstances? 

Look up friend; our Heavenly Father is still on His throne. He is on high forevermore.

I'm not saying life won't be tough, but if we keep looking to Jesus and continually remember our blessed hope of eternity with Jesus, He will strengthen us to be able to bear the troubles that will come.

Because He is faithful and has shown such great lovingkindness to us, we can choose to sing His praise with glad hearts.

He has been very good to me. 

I will choose to remember His mercies;

 I will sing praises to the LORD who reigns on high forever. 

Make Your face shine...

Echoes of the Aaronic blessing here. I don't recall ever giving much thought to what it means to have His face shine upon one, but what an amazing thing it must be. I'm reminded by this verse that He doesn't save us for any reason other than because He is merciful and gracious. We certainly can't earn salvation; it's a gift that cost the Lord Jesus Christ His very life!

Because He gave everything for us, we should certainly be willing to be His servants. As Romans 12 puts it, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

I've always found these verses a great challenge.

Aren't you glad that God is so faithful? Excerpt from Traveling toward sunrise

"For I AM the LORD, I change not." Malachi 3:6

..."let this be our ceaseless joy: that God is ever with us. Always the same Gospel. He, who year in, year out, sends the shower and the sunbeam, dresses highway and byway with beauty... will not forget the least of us.
His goodness is ever new; His kindness always outpoured, His tenderness greater than our uttermost demand, and the same springtime over and over is sent by the same dear Lord and Father."

It was these three phrases that caught my attention: "His goodness is ever new, His kindness always outpoured, His tenderness greater than our uttermost demand."

Will you join me in praising Abba Father today for His amazing mercy and faithfulness to His children?
None of us deserve any of it.

Selected verses from Psalm 66

Don't you just love the Psalms?
I usually find them very comforting and encouraging.
How about you?

A few verses from Psalm 18

3 verses that jumped out at me from this morning's reading.

Aren't you glad that the earth is full of His mercy? 

and that His words give light (and life!)

and that His righteousness is everlasting!

Who knows which Psalm these are from?

(No prizes, just curious.)

Today's Tozer

Nothing Can Change His Tender Mercies

If we could remember that the divine mercy is not a temporary mood but an attribute of God's eternal being, we would no longer fear that it will someday cease to be. Mercy never began to be, but from eternity was; so it will never cease to be. It will never be more since it is in itself infinite; and it will never be less because the infinite cannot suffer diminution. Nothing that has occurred or will occur in heaven or earth or hell can change the tender mercies of our God. Forever His mercy stands, a boundless, overwhelming immensity of divine pity and compassion.

As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt. Were there no guilt in the world, no pain and no tears, God would yet be infinitely merciful; but His mercy might well remain hidden in His heart, unknown to the created universe. No voice would be raised to celebrate the mercy of which none felt the need. It is human misery and sin that call forth the divine mercy.

"Kyrie eleison! Christe eleison!" the Church has pleaded through the centuries; but if I mistake not I hear in the voice of its pleading a note of sadness and despair. Its plaintive cry, so often repeated in that tone of resigned dejection, compels one to infer that it is praying for a boon it never actually expects to receive. It may go on dutifully to sing of the greatness of God and to recite the creed times beyond number, but its plea for mercy sounds like a forlorn hope and no more, as if mercy were a heavenly gift to be longed for but never really enjoyed.

Verse

For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, / and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."Romans 9:15

Thought

As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt.

Prayer

How great You are, Father, and how great are Your mercies!

Just a couple of verses from Jude

I'm just processing this out loud...

This tells us that our faith is most holy, we should build ourselves up on it.

It would seem to be a command, along with praying in the Holy Spirit, 

and keeping ourselves in God's love,

and looking for mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we keep doing these things, Jesus gives us eternal life.

How amazing is that!

Thank You Heavenly Father for Your Grace and Mercy!

Aren't you glad that the Lord is so merciful?