Mercy kissed me, even though I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor of believers, and a scorner of what turned out to be true. I was ignorant and didn’t know what I was doing. I was flooded with such incredible grace, like a river overflowing its banks, until I was full of faith and love for Jesus, the Anointed One! 1 Timothy 1:13-14 TPT
It may not seem like it, but yesterday we saw the mercy of God for all to see. What am I talking about? Because it snowed, I know you think I must have lost my mind, but I want you to think about this; with the intensity and duration of the snow that fell, one can only imagine what a mess and disaster heavy rains would have been. Instead of a car, you would need a boat. With all the storm drains blocked or already overwhelmed, roofs packed with ice and snow and frozen gutters would have made an already bad situation a nightmare. See sometimes we don’t see the mercies of God. Makes us wonder how many mercies we have missed, simply because we haven’t embraced God’s mercy.
Paul spoke today’s Scripture from a heart and mind that has embraced God’s mercy. If you read verses 12-17 you will hear three products that come from embracing mercy. 1) Forgiveness, Paul experienced being forgiven on a level he never learned being a Pharisee. It was unconditional and freely given by Jesus when he called him Lord and accepted Him into His heart. For the first time he knew it wasn’t about what he could do for the Lord, but what Jesus did for him. As he wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 2) Generosity, the overpowering experience of being forgiven meant now all he wanted to do was share that freedom of forgiveness with others so they too would know the love of God and their lives too could be transformed. 3) Thankful and grateful heart, Paul couldn’t stop thanking God for showing Him such love, grace and mercy to someone as sinful as he was. He never got over the goodness of God to him. Through this he learned to thank Him in any situation or cirucmstance. A grateful heart brings amazing transformation and helps us see God as He truly is, a loving heavnly Father.
God’s mercy never changes and endures forever. Although because of God’s heart of compassion and loving-kindness even those who have not accepted a relationship with Jesus still experience a level of His mercy. But those who have accepted Jesus and received His forgiveness will experience His mercy on a different level and not only here, but for all eternity. God’s mercy is holding back His judgment for now, if your heart is stirring and you feel that you want to have a relationship with Jesus, then don’t wait. Pray now and tell Him you believe He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross and rose again so that you could receive His forgiveness and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.
If you have prayed to receive Jesus into your life and heart, please let us know. We want to rejoice with you and have a small gift booklet to help you live your new life walking with the Lord. You can go to our Contact Page, our Prayer Wall, or e-mail us at info@efchurch.net. We’d love to hear from you.
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