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Christ’s Perfect Love

Bible Reading: John 13:1-20

They were twelve ordinary men–amongst them were fishermen, a tax-gatherer, and a political zealot. Jesus had prayed all night, some three and a half years previous, before choosing these men (Luke 6:12-16). They were just like us–far from perfect. Though they had the best of teachers–who spoke as no man had ever spoke–Jesus’ disciples were not great students. This is evidenced in their inability to understand when He spoke of His pending suffering and death. He taught and exemplified love and humility and servanthood and sacrifice, but they remained prideful and on more than one occasion argued amongst themselves as to which of them was the greatest. Any one of His miracles should have garnered in them an unwavering faith, yet there remained in them a stubborn tendency to doubt. They were so audaciously out of step with Him, in spirit and purpose, they once asked if they should call down fire from heaven on a village which had refused Him welcome! They were just like us–frail humans, subject to doubt, prone to pride, selfishness and foolhardy choices, desperately in need of someone to love them and who would never give up on them.

“He knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).  Foot washing was a common practice in those days.  The pathways were dirty.  People wore sandals.  Upon entry into a home, the lowest ranking servant would wash the feet of the guests. The day Jesus and his disciples arrived in the upper room, there was no servant to wash their feet.  Any of the disciples could have taken on the task, or they could have washed each other’s feet, but they took no initiative.  So Jesus, the Master, set aside His outer garments, tied a simple towel around His waist and set about as a servant to wash their feet.  His main concern?  To demonstrate His personal love to the twelve that they might rest secure in it.  So He washed their feet.  One of them would soon betray Him.  The others would all abandon Him.  But “he loved them to the end.”  The word translated “end” means literally, He loved them to perfection.  He never failed in His love for them.  Later, in His prayer to the Father, He would say, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12).

Charles Spurgeon commented on this, “From Gethsemane to Golgotha, along the blood sprinkled road, you see proof that having loved his own he loved them to the end. Not all the pains of death could shake his firm affection to his own. They may bind his hands, but his heart is not restrained from love; they may scourge him, but they cannot drive out of him his affection to his beloved; they may slanderously revile him, but they cannot compel him to say a word against his people; they may nail him to the accursed tree, and they may bid him come down from the cross, and they will believe on him, but they cannot tempt him to forsake his work of love; he must press forward for his people’s sake until he can say, “It is finished.”…Standing, as it were, at the world’s end, at the grave’s mouth, and at hell’s door, the cross of Jesus reveals love to the utmost end, and is a grand display of the immutability and invincibility of the love of the heart of Jesus.”

Take courage, fellow Christian!  He chose these people and “loved them to the end.” So it is with you!  He will never leave you, or forsake you!  Nothing can separate you from His love!  How incredibly blessed we are to have such a loving Lord and Savior! And by the way, about those out of step disciples…not only did Jesus love them to the end, He later worked to transform them and Spirit-empower them to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6)!

Lord Jesus, how we praise You because Your love knows no limits and can never fail!  We stand amazed by the example of how You forged ahead to the cross despite opposition, betrayal, and abandonment.  May the Spirit open our eyes to the majesty of this miraculous love of Yours, which surpasses knowledge.  Let us rest assured in your love for us.  Let us grow up in it.  Let us walk in it!

Oh love that will not let me go

I rest my weary soul in thee

I give thee back the life I owe

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be

The Good Shepherd

Bible Reading: John 10:1-18

Years ago, while driving back to the campground near Roseburg, I came across a distressing scene.  In a pasture adjacent to the road a sheep had gotten its head stuck in the fence.  I had no idea how long it had been there, but it was bleating away, having no idea how to get out of its predicament.  Fortunately, we managed to find the owner who then rescued the poor creature.

The Bible repeatedly compares us humans to sheep.  And there’s a reason for that.  We, like sheep, tend towards making stupid choices which lead us in to trouble.  Jesus once looked upon the crowds and “had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).  Things haven’t changed much, have they?

King David had been a Shepherd.  He praised God as his Shepherd, recognizing his need to be fed, watered, and protected, and kept safe from wandering (Psalm 23). Spiritually speaking, and whether we realize it or not, we all have need of shepherding.  The problem is there are those who would pretend to be shepherds, but are instead “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”  Having no concern for the sheep, these “would-be” shepherds come only to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day fit into this category, as did the false prophets and teachers of Ezekiel’s day (Ezekiel 34).

By way of contrast, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for His sheep. He enters by the door and “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (10:3). Their ears are tuned to his voice and they follow him as he goes before them (10:4). He knows his sheep and his sheep know him (10:14). His love for his sheep is so strong he “lays down his life” for them (10:11, 15, 17, 18; 1 Peter 1:19). As the Good Shepherd, he came that we “may have life and have it abundantly (10:10). King David praised the Shepherd Lord, saying, “my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). So Jesus has come so we might have the abundant life which is bound up in knowing Him; experiencing the love, joy, peace and purpose He alone can provide.

In these distressing times how good it is to know we have a Good Shepherd who loves us. In fact, he cares so much he was willing to die to save us from our sins. Peter wrote of this: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25). The word “overseer” in verse 24 has special relevance. It refers to someone who watches over, superintends, or exercises vigilant care. Jesus is your Good Shepherd. Through His saving work, He has availed to you the eternal and abundant life bound up in knowing Him (Cf. John 17:3). As Your Good Shepherd He is even now watching over your soul–everywhere and always. No one, or nothing can snatch you out of His loving hands (John 10:28)! A Good Shepherd indeed!!!

Lord Jesus, we praise You as the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down Your life for us.  No detail in our lives is outside Your concern, as You provide for us and protect us and lead us along.  Thank You for watching over our souls and for the security of knowing nothing can work to snatch us out of Your loving hands.  Grant us grace that we, Your sheep, might listen and follow well.

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,

Much we need Thy tender care;

In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,

For our use Thy folds prepare:

Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,

Thou hast bought us, Thine we are!

The Temptation of Christ

Bible Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Have you ever been tempted? Silly question right? Who hasn’t been? Have you ever sinned? Another silly question. Both Scripture and my own experience testify to my many sin failures. Is it not amazing thing that Jesus walked through His life and ministry in this sin-filled world without ever having sinned! As we shall see, there’s much regarding this wonderful truth for which we should be incredibly thankful!

The first event recorded by Matthew after Jesus’ baptism is His temptation. Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After He had fasted forty days and forty nights, Jesus became hungry. In the face of that weakness the tempter came…” (Matthew 4:1-3). Three times our Lord was tempted. Three times He responded by quoting Scripture. Through it all He did not sin.

Jesus never sinned.  Not then, not ever.  He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He never thought a sinful thought, never did a sinful deed, never said a sinful word (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15).  He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will in every respect.  Never before, or since has there been anyone like Him.  The Devil tempted Adam and Eve and they sinned.  Sin entered into man’s existence and every other soul born since has sinned (Romans 3:23).  Yet Jesus never sinned.   O Blessed truth!

In his allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan likened our world to a “Vanity Fair ” where travelers are enticed by countless temptations.  He wrote of the temptation of Jesus: “The Prince of Princes Himself went through this town to His own country and that upon a fair day too; yea, and as I think it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited Him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made Him lord of the fair, would He but have done him reverence as He went through the town. Yea, because He was such a person of honor, Beelzebub had Him from street to street, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that He might, if possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but He had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities.”

Jesus knew no sin—He never sinned.  Because of this He was singularly qualified to be offered up as a substitutionary sacrifice for us, as a “lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19).  On the basis of His death and resurrection He provides salvation from sin in every respect–freedom from its penalty, power, and—in heaven—its presence.

“He was tempted in all things as we are” (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Yet He never sinned.  Because of this He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” and “come to our aid” (Hebrews 2:18).  Jesus was tempted with the temptations which are “common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13)–“the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16; Cf. Genesis 3:6).  But He, the Word, responded with the word (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  In this respect Jesus has provided a great example.  It is as the Word, the sword of the Spirit, is treasured in our hearts that we have victory over sin (Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 6:17; 1 John 2:14; Cf. Colossians 3:16).

How precious to know in this world where sin is an ever present reality–there is One who never sinned and indeed won the victory over our greatest foe (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).  “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

Lord Jesus, how we praise You in Your utter triumph over the forces of evil!  There’s been no one like You, either before, or since.  That you walked on this earth in sinless perfection is a precious and amazing truth!   Thank you for Your triumph at the cross, whereby You have won our salvation and victory over sin. Thank you for Your wonderful example to us in how we should respond to temptation, for it is in Your Word alone we can stand firm. Give us the strength to walk in righteousness, even as You have walked before us.

I am weak but Thou art strong

Jesus keep me from all wrong

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

The Creator of All

Bible Reading: John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:1-3

All three of today’s passages plainly set forth the truth that Jesus Christ is the creator of all things.  When we read in Genesis 1:1 “God created the heavens and the earth,” we tend to think of Creation as the work of the Father.  In reality the Scriptures speak to the involvement of all three persons of the Triune God.

Colossians 1:15-17 explains how “all” things were created by Christ. The word “all” is used four times in the passage, emphasizing the truth that everything which exists can trace its existence back to him. John 1:3 likewise states the matter plainly, both in the positive–”All things were made through him”; and in the negative–”without him was not anything made that was made.”

Look at Colossians 1:16. Notice what it says of Christ’s role in creation: “For by him all things were created…all things were created through him and for him.” All things were created BY him, THROUGH him, and FOR him. A good analogy of this would be the construction of a new home. I once oversaw the building of a house on a piece of property we owned, where we built our dream home amidst the trees right next to a pond. In our minds we had conceived a plan for the kind of home we wanted to build. The house was constructed BY us. There’s much labor involved in the construction of a house. We utilized many contractors. But the house was built THROUGH US via the efforts of all those who worked under my direction. The house was being built for a specific purpose, FOR us, and when it was done we moved in and enjoyed that beautiful home for many years. That house was built by us, through us, and for us. With respect to all of creation, it was created BY Christ according to his wisdom, THROUGH Christ, according to his power, and FOR Christ according to his preeminent right to occupy and rule over it.

It is as the Dutch theologian, Abraham Kuyper, has said: “When Jesus looks at his universe from his exalted throne at the right hand of the Father, and he sees the great galaxies whirling in space, the planets and the people upon this planet, and all the minute details of life here including the details of our individual lives, there is nothing that he sees anywhere of which he cannot say, “Mine!”

Colossians 1:15-18 is all about the supremacy of Christ.  He is the creator of all things.  As the head of the church and as the firstborn of the dead, He is the One who is before all things and the One who holds all things together.  The great British preacher, Charles Simeon cited Colossians 1:18, “that in everything he might have the preeminence,” and then added “And he must have it; and he will have it; and he shall have it!”  There will come a day in which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ to be Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).  Herein lies both meaning and purpose in life, to know, love, and worship the One who not only created all things, but Who came in humility to die on a cross to rescue those whom he created!  Do you know him?  Does he have first place in your life (Cf. Romans 10:9)?

Lord, we praise You as our creator and the rightful ruler over all Your creation. Forgive us our negligence in being ever mindful of Your preeminence. As we consider these lofty matters, we are reminded of how much of our lives are devoted to things which will not stand the test of time. There will come a day in which all will be brought into subjection to You, may my heart gladly respond even now to that rich reality, for You are well-deserving of my soul, my life, and my all. Amen!

Awestruck by Jesus

Bible Reading: John 1:1-18

“We beheld His glory” (John 1:14, NKJV).  So wrote the elderly Apostle John a full half century removed from the experience he wrote about.  Much has transpired for John since those days when he and his fellow Apostles walked with Jesus.  His friends?  They’re all gone now, each having suffered a martyr’s death.  Over the course of decades of ministry, none of them could ever stop speaking about the miraculous events they had seen and heard.  From Pentecost forward, they were Spirit-led to go out to share the good news of the gospel.  Their love for Jesus compelled them to go.  And that’s the cause for which they were martyred.  They had beheld His glory–they’d been Awestruck by Jesus–and that changed everything for them!

What did they see?  We should note the term “beheld” means more than just “see.”  It speaks of a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object.  Over the course of Jesus’ earthly ministry, His disciples were watching closely and forming an opinion about Jesus, based on what they saw.  Which brings us to the other word used here “glory,” which speaks to “the honor resulting from a good opinion.” They walked with Jesus and what they saw in Him was awe-inspiring!  

What did they see?  They saw Jesus do things no mere man could ever do.  His glory was shown through the miracles He performed.  In turning the water into wine in Cana, Jesus “manifested His glory,  And His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11).  The raising of Lazarus was the same, “so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).  These miracles testified to the truth, Jesus was “the Only Son from the Father” (John 1:14; 20:30-31).  Jesus was no mere man, He was God incarnate.

What else did they see?  They saw Him full of “grace and truth.”  The contrast is made between Moses and Jesus (verse 17).  The Law, an expression of God’s truth, was given through Moses.  Though the Law was good, it had no power to save because men could not keep it.  “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).  As Divine attributes, grace and truth almost seem at odds with each other.  Truth can be demanding and foreboding.  Grace is giving and forgiving.  We are exhorted to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) because there’s a tendency to favor one to the detriment of the other.  Yet in Jesus both were expressed in perfect harmony, and from him “we have all received “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).  Jesus was beautiful to them in His person!

The disciples were awestruck by Jesus and their experience was transformative!  If you are a believer in Christ, you’ve had your own eye-opening experience with Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:6)!  But that was just the beginning.  The Spirit is even now working to unveil the fulness of Christ’s glory to you (2 Corinthians 3:18)!   “Lord, cause me to become awestruck by You!”  

Lord, the more time we take to behold You, the more amazed we become. Open the eyes of heart so we will see You in the beauty of Your person and perfection of Your Ways.  This world is filled with sights and sounds which attract and distract us.  Let us become awestruck by Your beauty, so nothing can divert our focus.  As we endeavor to fix our eyes on You in the here and now, keep us ever mindful of that coming day in which we will marvel at You in Your presence.  

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 

In the light of his glory and grace

God is Just

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 19:7; Psalm 89:14; 1 Peter 1:17; Romans 3:21-26

Jerry Sittser was driving his family home from a visit to a Native American Reservation in rural Idaho.  A drunk driver, traveling eighty-five miles per hour, jumped his lane and smashed head on into the Sittser minivan.  The driver’s pregnant wife was killed, along with Jerry’s mother, wife, and young daughter.  Amazingly, the drunk driver was later acquitted of wrongdoing, though he was clearly the driver and was at fault.  The loss, the grief, and injustice of it all was a lot for Jerry to deal with–and it would be natural for him to want revenge–but he wrote later of his experience, “I think that I was spared excessive preoccupation with revenge because I believe that God is just, even though the judicial system is not.  Ultimately, every human being will have to stand before God, and God will judge every person with wisdom and impartiality.  Human systems may fail; God’s justice does not.” (By the way, I’d heartily recommend his book “A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss.”).

Given the current state of affairs, we might wonder, as did the prophet Habakkuk, what has happened to justice (Habakkuk 1:4)?  Has Lady Justice lost her blindfold?  Are her scales no longer accurate?  It’s good in such a climate to remind ourselves that there is a higher throne and on that throne justice always prevails (Psalm 89:14).  God is just and He always acts consistent to His character.  He rules His creation with integrity, always keeps His word, and renders to all His creatures their due.  God is just and fair, completely rational and predictable in His dealings, without any shadow of capriciousness.

Of course, in consideration of this particular attribute of God, there is another matter we must deal with.  The fact is that in the courtroom of divine justice we all stand guilty before our Creator (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  How is the Judge to remain just if we are not punished for our crimes?  Though all have sinned, those who believe in Christ “are justified (declared righteous) by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).  God put forth Christ to satisfy, by His blood, the punishment due.  In this manner God is “just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26)!  Praise God!

John MacDuff, “Wondrous Thought–Justice, the very attribute which excluded the sinner, has become the first to throw open a door of welcome, proclaiming that infinite merit has canceled out infinite demerit–infinite holiness has covered infinite sin!  While “justice and judgment” are the habitation of God’s throne, provision has been made whereby, in perfect consistency with every principle of His moral government, “mercy and truth” may go continually before His face!”

Heavenly Father.  Our hearts are burdened by all the injustice we see in our world.  We praise You as the One who is always perfectly just, whose justice will never fail.  Thank you for providing a way that You might be both just and justifier of those who believe in Your Son!  Help us to leave the injustices we deal with in Your hands for You to deal with in Your timing.  

Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

My Beauty are, my glorious dress;

‘Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed

With joy shall I lift up my head.

God is Faithful

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:89-90; Hebrews 10:23; Philippians 1:6

Ray Pritchard defined the faithfulness of God by way of contrast: “How many people do you know who do exactly what they say? Before you answer, let me rephrase the question. How many do you know who do exactly what they say every single time? Now before you answer, let me rephrase it again. How many people do you know who do exactly what they say every single time and do it with such thoroughness and perfection that you never have to worry about anything they say or do? Again, before you answer, let me ask it one more time: How many people do you know who, no matter what the circumstances and no matter how they feel, will always do exactly what they say they will do every single time and do it with the same thoroughness and perfection that you never have to worry about anything they say or do because you know if they say it, they will definitely do it without fail, without change and without excuse?…God’s faithfulness means that because he is the truth, everything he says and does is certain. That means he is 100% reliable 100% of the time. He does not fail, forget, falter, change or disappoint.”

The fact that God is faithful means that He will always do as He has promised.  We can rely on Him.  Because God is faithful, we can count on Him to sustain us and finish the work He started in us (1 Corinthians 1:8-9).  Because God is faithful, we can rest assured that He won’t ever allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Because God is faithful, we can trust Him to sanctify us completely, that we might be prepared for the coming of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).  Because God is faithful, we can rely on Him to establish us and guard us from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  Because God is faithful, we can entrust our souls to Him in the midst of any suffering that we are faced to endure (1 Peter 4:19).  Because God is faithful, we can trust Him to always forgive when we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).  Because God is faithful, we can lay hold of every promise in His Word, and know without a doubt that He will fulfill it.

A.W. Tozer, “Upon God’s faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness.  Only as He is faithful will His covenants stand and His promises be honored.  Only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful may we live in peace and look forward with assurance to the life to come.”  Think back on the ways God has proven Himself faithful, the things He has done in your life which He promised in His word to do.  God’s faithfulness is the basis for our confidence in Him.  But it’s one thing to accept the faithfulness of God as a Divine truth, it is another to act upon it.  Are we even now actually expecting Him to do for us all that He has promised (Hebrews 10:23)?  God would have us trust Him in all..  

Heavenly Father.  Praise You God that You’ve fulfilled every promise You’ve made.  Though others fail us, You never will.  Though we’ve failed You and others, You can be counted on to do everything that You’ve said.  How incredibly blessed we are in Jesus!  May Your faithfulness work to encourage us to trust You all the more, as You work out Your perfect plan in our lives.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail.

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Bible Reading: Lamentations 3:19-26

God called Jeremiah into his prophetic ministry, forewarning him of troubles to come both for him and especially for his people.  Jeremiah was faithful to fulfill his ministry, undeterred in the face of persecution, repeatedly warning the people of God’s pending judgment.  The people refused to heed Jeremiah’s warnings, and in God’s timing judgment came.

King Nebuchnezzar of Babylon captured Jerusalem after a very long siege.  Over the next few months the temple and royal palace were destroyed by fire and the city walls were torn down.  All the vessels and furnishings from the temple were confiscated and sent to Babylon. People lay dead in the streets.  Others were taken captive to Babylon.  Only a few poor people were left to tend the land. Jeremiah was a witness to it all–the death, the sorrow, the pain, the cries for help, the tears, the utter gut-wrenching horror of it all.  So we are not surprised when we read of Jeremiah’s response: “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord” (Lamentations 3:18).

It’s not just that Jeremiah’s circumstances were terrible, which they were, but they were a direct affront to all he loved and held dear–the city, the temple, the priesthood, his people.  It’d be hard to imagine the agony he must have felt.  It’s in this context that we read, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:21).  Here’s a great example of why it is important that we think rightly about God.  Jeremiah’s circumstances were saying one thing (doom), but there were better thoughts, truths bound up in God, that Jeremiah needed to remind himself of if he were to find hope.

“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).”  Jeremiah reminded himself of the steadfast love, mercies, and faithfulness of God.  Perhaps he thought back to the promises of future blessings God had spoken of through him.  Or, maybe he reminded himself of how God led him to buy a piece of property in that doomed region, assuring Jeremiah that “houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land (Jeremiah 32:15).  In reminding himself of God’s faithfulness, the fact that He will always do as He has promised, Jeremiah found hope.  What about you?  Are you facing challenges that threaten to overwhelm you?  Are you losing hope amidst the chaos of these uncertain days?  Remind yourself of how God has proven Himself faithful in your past.  Lay hold of some promises in His word that you can meditate on.  Encourage yourself in the precious truth that you can always count on God!  

Heavenly Father.  How we praise You for your faithfulness!  No matter what we face in life, You are always faithful.  We can count on You to fulfill every single promise in Your Word.  Forgive us that though You’ve proven Yourself faithful to us time-after-time, we have not always trusted You as we should.  May our hearts find great hope and assurance in Your faithfulness, that we might walk in a manner pleasing to You.

God is Merciful

Bible Reading: Joel 2:13b; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Hebrews 4:16; Luke 6:36

His days on earth were fast drawing to an end—and he knew it. I introduced myself to him, having never met him before. His first words to me were “I’ve spent my whole life sinning.”  He then went on to share some troubling things from his distant past that were undoubtedly haunting him in the realization of his pending death.  Mercy is one of those things we don’t give much thought to, until we find ourselves in need of it.  My friend opened a door, so I proceeded to talk to him about God’s mercy made evident to us in Jesus, and the salvation He has availed to us through His death for sins and resurrection from the dead.  I spoke to him of the need to trust in Jesus, and on a subsequent visit he professed his faith in Him!

A.W. Tozer defined God’s mercy this way: “Mercy is an attribute of God, an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes God to be actively compassionate.”  As with God’s love and grace, God’s mercy is revealed in different ways to differing folks.  By way of His general mercy, God shows pity to His entire creation and provides for the needs of men (Psalm 145:9; Luke 6:36).  By means of His special mercy, God compassionately intervenes on behalf of the redeemed (Hebrews 4:16).

John MacArthur wrote of God’s mercy: “Doesn’t it give you great joy to know that God not only removed your guilt but looked at you and had compassion? And He’s not through giving us mercy: “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). We can always “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

This world can be sometimes cold and harsh.  We might wonder if there’s anyone who cares.  In God we have a compassionate friend who not only cares, but is able to come to our aid.  The Good Samaritan sacrificed much and thought of everything in caring for that beaten stranger.  How much more will the Father of mercies and God of all comfort work to bind your hidden wounds and bring you to safety?  

Praise You, God, that You are a God of compassion.  By your gracious intervention we sensed our need and cried out to You.  You heard our plea and came to our aid.  It seems that we often find ourselves in trouble, but You never grow weary of hearing our pleas to help.  Nor do you ever lack in Your ability to assist Us.  Thank You that Your Throne is a Throne of grace in which You freely dispense mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.  May we ever draw near with confidence.  Amen!

Saved by Grace

Bible Reading: Titus 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 8:9

I can still recall how shocked I was when I read for the first time, in the book of Acts, the account of Saul’s conversion.  That God would save a man like that was amazing to me!  It speaks to the majesty of God’s grace.

Saul was a religious man, incredibly so, but he was not saved.  According to his own account, he possessed an impressive religious pedigree, position, practice, and passion (Philippians 3:5-6).  Underneath the religious veneer, however, was a man who was radically depraved.  He hated Jesus and His followers.  He was “breathing threats and murders against the disciples” (Acts 9:1-2).  When they were being “put to death (he) cast (his) vote against them” (Acts 26:10).  In “raging fury against them (he) persecuted them” (Acts 26:11).  “(He) persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13).  He was, in his own words, “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1 Timothy 1:13).

Saul was not in any way seeking after Christ.  He was engaged in his murderous activities at the time of his conversion.  He would have undoubtedly been voted “least likely to be saved,” had any such vote been taken.  So repugnant was his reputation that God had to convince Ananias to go to him (Cf. Acts 9:10-14).  It was to such a man that Christ appeared.  How are we to account for Saul’s salvation?  Obviously there was no Pauline contribution to it–no goodness of heart or work of his own which led up to it.  He was headed in the wrong direction when God turned him around.  Years later Paul himself explained that which transpired—“But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:13a-14).  By what means was Saul saved?  By the love, grace, and mercy which are found in Christ Jesus.  We deserve judgment.  Through Christ’s mercy and grace we receive forgiveness instead.  The distance between what we deserved and what we have received is infinite and speaks to the “overflowing” nature of the grace of God revealed to us in the gospel.

Grace is commonly defined in terms of “unmerited favor.”  And we’ve addressed the “unmerited” part when it comes to Paul.  But what about the “favor” part?  It’s not just that God saved a man who was seemingly impossible to save, the majesty of God’s grace was unveiled in how God showed “favor” towards Paul in so mightily using him.  That former Christian persecutor, was transformed by grace to become the church’s greatest missionary.  In three missionary journeys he started dozens of churches and witnessed to thousands of people.  He wrote many of the books of the New Testament.  God unveiled the truth to Him, and he was even once caught up into the “third heaven.”  By His grace, God protected Paul through countless trials, and ultimately worked to bring him and the gospel to Rome.  Paul never lost track of his spiritual roots.  He called himself “the foremost of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) and the “least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9).  “By the grace of God I am what I am” he said (1 Corinthians 15:10).  God only knows the full measure of the impact of the ministry of the Apostle Paul both in his life and legacy.  Look how God saved that man!  Look how God changed that man!  Look how God used that man!  

God is able to do the same with any of us.  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).  To save lost sinners like Paul.  And Paul explained why he himself was shown mercy: “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16).  In other words—if Jesus could save Paul, He can save anybody.  His ability to pardon exceeds our ability to comprehend (Cf. Isaiah 55:6-9).  God is amazing in His grace!

Heavenly Father. Thank you for saving me by Your grace! Thank you that Your ability to save by grace transcends our capacity to comprehend. Our hearts are gladdened by every testimony regarding your saving and transforming work. Every part of it is by Your grace, help me to always keep that in mind, and praise and thank You accordingly. Amen.