Grace, Mercy, and Peace - Isaiah 62-64 and I Timothy 1
As Paul wrote to his son in the ministry, Timothy, he wished him not only grace and peace, as he usually did, but he also wished him mercy. Mercy is so important. We all need mercy from the Lord. We are so weak and unable to do His will on our own, and we often give in to the flesh, instead of following His Spirit. Therefore, we need God's mercy on a regular basis. Mercy is when God does not punish us quite as much as He could. Mercy is when God lovingly corrects us and leads us to see His way, so next time we can follow him. Thank God for His mercy!
In Isaiah we read about the unrighteousnesses we commit. These are the times we fail the Lord, and we fail to keep His covenant with us. Then, we read about the lovingkindnesses of the Lord. Both of these words are plural, which seems strange to us. It should not be strange, though. God takes each of our actions on an individual basis, and He reacts to each one. God always acts in lovingkindness to those who belong to Him. This word is akin to mercy. It means that God always keeps His part of the covenant, even when we fail. It means He is faithful, even when we are not faithful. The result of His lovingkindness is mercy to us. Sometimes, He ends up doing something better for us than we deserve, because He is faithful to keep His covenant with us. God is so good! I pray that we will confess our unrighteousnesses to the Lord and that we will thank God for all of his lovingkindnesses and mercy toward us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 65-66 and I Timothy 2.
In Isaiah we read about the unrighteousnesses we commit. These are the times we fail the Lord, and we fail to keep His covenant with us. Then, we read about the lovingkindnesses of the Lord. Both of these words are plural, which seems strange to us. It should not be strange, though. God takes each of our actions on an individual basis, and He reacts to each one. God always acts in lovingkindness to those who belong to Him. This word is akin to mercy. It means that God always keeps His part of the covenant, even when we fail. It means He is faithful, even when we are not faithful. The result of His lovingkindness is mercy to us. Sometimes, He ends up doing something better for us than we deserve, because He is faithful to keep His covenant with us. God is so good! I pray that we will confess our unrighteousnesses to the Lord and that we will thank God for all of his lovingkindnesses and mercy toward us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 65-66 and I Timothy 2.