The Attributes of God
In Psalms 86:15 David gives us a great list of God's attributes. Of course, it is not exhaustive, but it gives us a view of God that helps us see His character well. All of God's attributes are perfect, but these were important to David in his times of trouble. I believe they will speak to us, too.
God has so much compassion that He is full of compassion. The word means "to feel with." He made our feelings, and He knows everything we are experiencing, so He feels with us. He rejoices when we rejoice, and He suffers when we suffer. Therefore, He knows just how to comfort us in our times of pain.
God is gracious. He always gives us more than we deserve. We can always count on the Lord to be there for us with just what we need in a huge supply, as we are trusting Him to supply what we need and to lead us.
God is longsuffering toward us. He gives us plenty of time before He punishes us. It is another word for being patient. He keeps trying to get us to do the right thing, and He gives us plenty of chances.
God's mercy is abundant. He does not punish us as much as we deserve. I am glad that is true, and we all should be. We would be sunk if we got what we deserved every time we sinned. Instead, His mercy shows us how much He cares for us. It breaks His heart to have to punish His children.
Along with all of these characteristics, God is abundant in truth. He never lies. He always lives by the truth. He is Truth. That is why He has to punish sin, but at least, when He corrects us or punishes us, we know that He will do it according to the truth and be fair to us.
What a Wonderful God we serve!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 87-89.
God has so much compassion that He is full of compassion. The word means "to feel with." He made our feelings, and He knows everything we are experiencing, so He feels with us. He rejoices when we rejoice, and He suffers when we suffer. Therefore, He knows just how to comfort us in our times of pain.
God is gracious. He always gives us more than we deserve. We can always count on the Lord to be there for us with just what we need in a huge supply, as we are trusting Him to supply what we need and to lead us.
God is longsuffering toward us. He gives us plenty of time before He punishes us. It is another word for being patient. He keeps trying to get us to do the right thing, and He gives us plenty of chances.
God's mercy is abundant. He does not punish us as much as we deserve. I am glad that is true, and we all should be. We would be sunk if we got what we deserved every time we sinned. Instead, His mercy shows us how much He cares for us. It breaks His heart to have to punish His children.
Along with all of these characteristics, God is abundant in truth. He never lies. He always lives by the truth. He is Truth. That is why He has to punish sin, but at least, when He corrects us or punishes us, we know that He will do it according to the truth and be fair to us.
What a Wonderful God we serve!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 87-89.