November 3 – Absolute, Abounding, Almighty Love

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” - Exodus 34:6 (ESV) 

God’s heart: It’s infinite in love and faithfulness, isn’t it? We’re promised that God’s love is steadfast. That it’s permanent too. So, no need to worry or fear that we will lose our connection to it. A mountain spring that might be headwaters of a great river is at the beginning only a stream bubbling up as it fills a small depression and then overflows, running downhill. We could watch a long time waiting for the source to run out but it probably won’t. Behind the spring is a mountain full of limitless pure fresh water waiting to spring out. God’s love is like that, if you can imagine it. In Hawaii  Kilauea seems to be nearly an endless series of eruptions since 1790 with increasing, decreasing, and increasing lava flows but always active to some degree. The most recent massive eruption was in 1983. God’s promise of mercy and grace and his promise of patience and love can be trusted to be far more abounding than either a mountain spring or furious volcano. God’s faithfulness will never be exhausted and even if we conceive of the others possibly ending someday, God’s promise never will, it’s not possible. 

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January 16 – Fail Not to Be Mindful

“They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” Nehemiah 9:17 (ESV)

The company of people in this passage, had resisted the wonderful and miraculous acts God had done for them.  After 400 years as slaves in Egypt, God freed them and led them out from under Egyptian oppression. But the Children of Israel were stubborn, stiff-necked and rejected God’s plan. Where He might have said, “Alright then, go your way and be damned for all I care.” Or, perhaps, “I did all this for you and this is how you show thanks and appreciation to Me?” But God is not like that. God forgives graciously and shows mercy. He doesn’t lose His temper and his love toward us is unfailing. God does not forsake us when we refuse to remember what He has done to rescue us from death and eternal separation from Him. And fail to acknowledge what He does for us each day. The list of what God did for Israel is long as is the failures in response. Even when we idolize someone or something other than God, He does not forsake us in our wildernesses. Great promises should encourage us to remain faithful by the grace He gives us.  

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December 1 – God's Love Abounds

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”  - Exodus 34:6  (ESV)

One image that comes to mind from these words about God is that of a fresh spring of pure water that bubbles up to the surface, providing a limitless supply of pure water.  Never drying up during the greatest drought it gives and gives and gives for century after century.  Available to all who come to draw the water.  That is the idea of 'abounding' in steadfast love and faithfulness. We might think of the power of a perpetual volcano that pours out an endless flow of lava from deep in the earth and is like the love of God that never ends for us.  It comes from the very core of God's character, His absolute existence and omnipotence.  This verse was how God described Himself to Moses as He, a second time, inscribed the Ten Commandments on the new stone tablets. They were and are the essential elements of the Law given to Moses. In anguish over the sin of the people, Moses had smashed the first tablets but God reminds Moses that He is merciful, gracious and slow to anger.  That is what our God is and He abounds in all of it.   

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July 15 – To All The World

“...for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” Jonah 4:2b (ESV)

The words in this verse from the prophet Jonah, were not necessarily given in the best attitude.  Jonah is giving his reason, or excuse, for why he disobeyed God's instruction to go to Nineveh and when he did go, he complained.  Jonah knew all this about God but he thought only the people of Israel should benefit from it.  He didn't think their enemy in the heathen city of Nineveh should be included.  We are gald that God's goodness and righteousness and love have come to us and all nations.  We can now experience God's grace and compassion and His abounding love in our lives.  And, we can experience it every day.  We can stand behind those who spread His message of love to all who do not know it – in our community and our state as well as the ends of the earth.  Jonah declares a promise of God that is as true to us today as it was in his time.  Gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, relenting from disaster for those who call on Him and believe in Him.

August 26 – Seek His Face

“Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Psalm 27:7-8 (NIV)

Our verse today is from the song-book of the Bible, the book of Psalms. In it we find these words addressed directly to God. The psalmist knew from past experiences how good it is to have God in heaven. He knows how the longings of his heart could be satisfied as he turned to His God. The same experience can be ours today. We find ourselves in situations which cause us to long for God and His promise is that he is there. All we need to do is turn to him and seek His face. Yes, when we sense a spiritual need in our lives we can feel the urge in our heart to seek the face of the Lord. He will be there because He is faithful now just as He has been faithful in the past. 

April 30

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” Exodus 34:6 (NIV)

This is an occasion of a meeting between God and Moses at the mountain of Sinai when God tell Moses what kind of God He is. Although God did go on to state that He also punishes the guilty, it is impressive to me that He began by stressing how loving and how merciful and gracious He is. Are you not glad that our God is first of all compassionate, ready to forgive, always giving us a chance to ask for forgiveness? He does all this because of His love for us and because that is what His character is.