Rich In Mercy

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”  Ephesians 2:4-5

Mercy is a divine attribute that extends far beyond the spiritual world and encompasses the natural world in ways that are beyond our imagination. This is because the very character of God is one of mercy. Why does God show mercy to us? The answer is simple: love. God loves His family, and we are all part of that family, whether we realize it or not. We were created to be part of God's family, and He has always seen us as such, even before we were aware of it. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”  Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

Compassion lies at the heart of mercy, and God's compassion for us is unlimited. This compassion is expressed fully in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus embodies the full compassion and mercies of God in human form. It's almost unimaginable that God would love us so completely, so fully, and so unconditionally. His love is incomprehensible, and yet it's filled with loving-kindness, faithfulness, steadfastness, and loyalty. There are many adjectives that can describe the beauty of His love, but one word stands above them all, and that is 'True'. He is true to Himself and true to His word, and true to us.

Do you ever feel unworthy and sinful when you approach the love of God? Do you believe that your past actions or words spoken against God or others make you undeserving of His love? It's a common feeling, but it's important to remember that in receiving God's love there has never been a requirement or demand to do anything on your part to receive it, In fact, none of us are truly worthy of it. But the good news is that God offers His love freely to us, even when we are lost in our sins. His mercy is boundless, and He reveals the depth of His love to us, making us alive in Christ Jesus. So don't let your past mistakes hold you back from experiencing the love and mercy of God. It's freely offered to you, just as you are.

God's ultimate goal is to reunite His family, and the only way to achieve this is by making us alive and connected to Him through Christ. God unites us with His Son, which allows us to be alive through Him and His power over life and death. What's truly remarkable about Christ is that He transcends both the spiritual and natural worlds, bringing us life from the heavenly world down to ours. When we share Christ with others, we become aware of His presence in our being and among others. As fellow family members, we are built up and encouraged with the goal of growing into the family of God.

In the above verse, Paul makes a bold and powerful statement - "by grace you have been saved." This means that our salvation was accomplished on the cross of Jesus, two thousand years ago, and it is finished and completed. However, it is crucial to understand that we need to put off the old sinful nature and put on our new nature in Christ  "… assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

The phrase "putting off the old self" is often misunderstood. Many people assume that it requires personal effort to become holy or righteous. However, this is far from the truth. No amount of personal effort can make a person holy or righteous before God. It is like asking a dead man to come back to life, an impossible feat. Only Christ can transform us through a personal relationship with Him. He is the source of our salvation and our righteousness. As Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 ESV).

Within Gods mercy lies the grace that changes us, and helps us realize that we don’t deserve it, grace is undeserved favor. The Hebrew word “channun”, in its verb form, means to be considerate, to show favor. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV

We have a God of great mercy who demonstrates immeasurable grace toward us.

Stephen Barnett