Abundant Mercy

Abundant Mercy (I Peter 1:3)

I Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Oswald Chambers said, “We are going to meet unmerciful good people and unmerciful bad people, unmerciful institutions, unmerciful organizations, and we shall have to go through the discipline of being merciful to the merciless”. Two attempted car thieves in Denmark turned themselves into police to avoid the wrath of the angry victim of their crime. The owner of the car the thieves stole witnessed the robbery. He quickly hopped into another car and began chasing the criminals. According to a local paper, when the 19 and 21-year-old thieves realized the victim was chasing them, they decided to call police and report themselves. Instead of facing the angry car owner, they arranged for the police to pick them up at a nearby intersection. We may find it strange, although the thieves feared the police, they recognized that they were more likely to receive mercy and protection from the authorities, instead of the person they had just victimized. In the spiritual realm, it is the opposite. The giver of great mercy is the one we’ve violated with our sin. Yet in grace, He gives us what we don’t deserve—forgiveness, and in mercy, He doesn’t give us what we do deserve—punishment. In short, we deserve God's wrath, but He is merciful; He relieves us out of His incomprehensible compassion.

God's mercy always comes just when we need it most. As just and pure as God is, His mercy reaches out to us in our sinful state and saves us from the worst of punishments. Many people point to catastrophic events in the world and question the mercy and goodness of God. They use tragedy as a case against the love of God, yet a more correct view of trials would be to look at our own sin. Our actions deserve more punishment than we receive, yet God's mercy intervenes out of love. Thank God for His mercy. Life without the mercy of God would be absolutely unbearable. Notice: This is what R.G. Lee said about mercy, “God's mercy is like a cluster of diamonds to those impoverished by sin. It's like a garden of flowers to those whose lives have been damaged by the torment of sin. It's like a huge tree, casting shadows in the terrific noonday heat of a summer's day, providing refreshment to a weary soul. God's mercy is like a palace of many glories, a wayside well to a thirsty traveler, an oasis in the desert, a fire dispelling chill, a balm and bandage for the wounded, and healing medicine for the sick.” God's mercy is marvelous. Great men in the Bible understood this and sought desperately for it.

A. W. Tozer said, “God's mercy is boundless, free and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, available to us now in our present situation.” Jim Williams of Butte, Montana, writes, “I was driving too fast late one night when I saw the flashing lights of a police car in my rearview mirror. As I pulled over and rolled down the window of my station wagon, I tried to dream up an excuse for my haste. But when the patrolman reached the car, he said nothing. Instead, he merely shined his flashlight in my face, then on my seven-months-pregnant wife, then on our snoozing 18-month-old in his car seat, then on our three other children, who were also asleep, and lastly on the two dogs in the very back of the car. Returning the beam of light to my face, he then uttered the only words of the encounter. ‘Son”, he said, ‘you can't afford a ticket. Slow it down’. And with that, he returned to his car and drove away.” Sometimes mercy triumphs over law. So it is for sinners who call out to Jesus. Realize that despite the struggle, trial, difficulty, or consequences you are facing, God's mercy is ever present. God will not place you through more than you can handle. Praise Him for His loving mercy. Thank Him for His grace even though you deserve more consequences than He has given. He truly is a merciful God!

Point to Ponder:
Believers who are mature and merciful are often the prayer warriors within the church.

Question to Consider:
Will God’s mercy transform your heart and remold your thinking?

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for Your abundant mercy towards me. In Jesus name, AMEN!

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