May 5 – Able to Sympathize

“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 4:15-16 (ESV)

 

As we look at the promises in today’s passage, let’s glance back just a bit at our promises from yesterday and remember our sleeping savior. On the stormy sea, the disciples were fearing for their lives. Experienced fishermen had to have been in storms before so to frighten them this had to be a really serious storm. Jesus needed sleep, he finds a cushion for comfort and goes to sleep unbothered by the storm. The very fact that Jesus needed to sleep reveals that He had a real human body that knew the feelings of fatigue and thirst and hunger. Hebrews tells us our high priest, is able to sympathize with human weaknesses. If Jesus had not known the weaknesses and temptations of humanity, He would not be a sympathetic High Priest, capable of offering us mercy and grace from the heavenly throne. But He does know our weaknesses because His experienced weaknesses too. He knew the pain of rejection: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11) There’s no pain or insult we might know that Christ hasn’t had—and because He knows such struggles, He invites us to come to Him.

 

200

 

April 28 – He Hears When We Call

“I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”  Psalm 116:1-2 (NASB)

What reasons come to our minds when we think about why we love the LORD God?. This is an intensely personal “thank you” Psalm to the Lord for saving the psalmist from death. The occasion and author are unknown, although the language used by Jonah in his prayer from the fish’s stomach is remarkably similar. Compare Psalm 116:3-4 with Jonah 2:5-6. In these words the psalmist tells how he reacted to the way the Lord responded to his call for help. These words may well also express our feelings in reaction to how God responses when we cry for mercy. It's surely true that when the Lord responds by turning his ear to our call for help our hearts respond in love for Him. Yes He is a wonderful, faithful Lord and we do love Him. And isn't it true that when God does hear our prayer it encourages us to again and again call on Him whenever we need help? This is a habit we want to have throughout our lives. Let’s join with the psalmist, saying what he said in our verse “I will call on him as long as I live.”

193

December 31 – We've Been told

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8 (ESV)

Considering what resolutions you’ll make this New Year? New resolutions? Maybe rerun some for past years? It’s really a guessing game to help us believe we do have a renewed chance get it right. Right? God never conceals His expectations from us. We never have to guess how we should live. In response to the misguided ways in which people still seek to please God, the prophet of God, Micah clearly spells out what God does and doesn’t expect. It’s not the making of resolutions that God expects, He knows we will eventually fail them again. The people Micah addressed were being outwardly religious but inside stinking thinking and acting. These words were Micah’s rhetorical suggestions in hyperbole reflecting their hypocrisy. How about burnt offerings of year-old calves? Maybe thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil. Even go so far as to suggest giving their firstborn to cover their sins. This year perhaps we form our resolutions each day to show justice, to love kindness which is mercy, with humility walk with God. We do not have to make our life in Christ complicated. It is pretty simple how we should live. Let’s resolve to do so.

198

October 25 – All Spirit Generated

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” -  Titus 3:4-6 (NASB)

How and why God saves people is a general point of discussion. This is because it is nearly impossible for one to consider any salvation is accomplished without some contribution on their part. It’s simple to read what God’s promises are about salvation from the curse and wages of sin (Romans 6:23). It’s more difficult for some to imagine their salvation having nothing to do with how they live their lives. But God promised, and we read His promise in the passage for today: kindness, love, and mercy, all represent aspects of God’s grace. Mercy is goodness given and conferred when it is not deserved or earned. Our our best and purest deeds are never good enough to save. This salvation brings for us divine cleansing from sin and the gift of a new, Holy Spirit-generated and Spirit-empowered, and Spirit-protected life as God’s own children and heirs⸺this is our new birth. It is a promise that is poured out upon us according to His riches in Jesus Christ, our Savior. What a promise it is and one that we can depend upon and live by.

185

October 17 – Permanently Raised

“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—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV)

When the Apostle Paul packed the promises into what he wrote, such as today’s passage, we end up with long sentences and more verses. Sometimes the verse divisions* break up Paul’s intended flow. Four verses today are full of promises. Reading the parts of this long sentence together will help us to see the inclusive promises from God. All that God has done for us and all that He will do comes from His mercy and great love for us. We were dead when God made us alive in Christ. The power that raises believers out spiritual death and makes us alive spiritually is the same power that energizes every aspect of Christian living. It is by grace of God we are saved being raised up and seated – we know from the tenses used – “raised” and “seated” that these are immediate and direct results of salvation. Salvation of course, is very much for our blessing as believers, but even more its purpose is to demonstrate God’s eternal glory for giving believers His endless and limitless grace and kindness. All of these promises are only ours because we have by faith been permanently placed in Christ.

195

September 25 – Crying Out for Mercy!

“And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”” – Luke 18:38-39 (NASB)

Jesus and his disciples were passing through Jericho. Leaving the Jewish Jericho they approached the Roman Jericho*. As was usual, the people mobbed around Jesus. When Jesus healed the sick and the lame and the demon possessed, He did it totally, completely. He did no partial healings. In this story, when we read the account in the Matthew, there were two blind men. Mark gives us the name of one, Bartimaeus (Son of Thomas). Only Bartimaeus called out to Jesus. He had to ask what the commotion was and he was told it was Jesus. He immediately cries out calling Jesus the Son of David. And he asks for mercy. He knew it was only by mercy that Jesus would stop and heal him. Jesus asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The men’s faith was evident and they knew who Jesus was and what He could do. “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” Immediately Jesus healed him with the words, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” Matthew records that “Jesus in pity touched their eyes and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him. What a merciful Savior He is.

198

* Which Jericho is identified by Luke and the others? 

September 24 – More Tender Mercies

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God…” -  Luke 1:76-79 (NASB)

More on the tender mercies of our Lord. The passage is excerpted from the prophecy Zacharias offered at the birth of his son John the Baptizer. Zachariah is a common name found in the Bible. This one is not the prophet who wrote the Book of Zechariah many years before. As a priest, Zacharias served his turn in the temple. The Bible tells us that he was chosen by lot to enter the temple and burn incense. Because of the large number of priests, most would never be chosen for such a duty, and no one was permitted to serve in this capacity twice. Zacharias regarded this as the supreme moment in a lifetime of priestly service. It was then that the angel appeared to him as he was alone in the Holy Place. He was foretold that a son would be born to him and his name was to be John. When John is born, Zacharias offers a pray with this prophecy. The words, would be familiar to Zacharias because they are part of prophecies by Old Testament prophets*. The Father of the Baptizer confirms what was said by the prophets regarding his son. 

*Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 9:2 and Jeremiah 31:34.

195

September 23 – Undeserved Credit

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” – Jude 20-21 (ESV)

As true believers we can all be thankful that we have a sure foundation and cornerstone in Jesus Christ. This foundation is ours through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. The truths of our Christian faith are found in the teaching of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). It is by the Word of God that Christians can build themselves up. Praying in the Holy Spirit is not a call to some ecstatic form of prayer, but simply our call to pray consistently in the will and power of the Spirit, as one would pray in the name of Jesus Christ. This imperative establishes our responsibility to be obedient and faithful by living out His salvation, while God works out His will through our lives (Philippians 2:12-13). It means for us to remain in the place of obedience where God’s love is poured out on His children. We are to wait in eager anticipation of Christ’s second coming to provide eternal life in its ultimate, resurrection form, which is the supreme expression of God’s mercy on us to whom Christ’s righteousness has undeservedly been credited to our account (imputed) by His mercy and grace.

195

September 21 – Staying Steadfast

“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” – James 5:11 (ESV)

In our passage today our promise is mercy if we remain steadfast in suffering. It is those who suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ that are promised this mercy. Not only receive mercy but show mercy when we face tribulation, persecution ⸺ any undeserved action because of our confession of faith in God. As faith believers we recognize that suffering is a part of the life that comes with proclaiming the Gospel of salvation which comes only from believing in Jesus. His half-brother James, had not always believed in Jesus during His earthly ministry on earth. But James came to believe and was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. James had seen the suffering firsthand. This included decapitation, stoning, imprisonment, whippings, beatings, and attempts to eliminate or squelch the believers of Jesus. So James reminds us to consider two things in this verse. First, that we remember how Job remained steadfast through the worst trials and suffering we can imagine. Second, that the Lord is full of both compassion and mercy – that means Jesus delights to show mercy to those who are suffering. That is why He willingly went to the cross to die.

197

September 20 – When Mercy Counts

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” – James 3:17 (NASB)

Mercy! What a concept. For one might bestow it on one who cries for it but does not deserve it. A man arrested for taking part in the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021 petitioned for release from jail. The judge refused. As the judge stated his reasons for denial, the man cried out “Your honor, have mercy on me! Please!” Circumstances, prior actions, published videos and words, left Robert Sandlin only able to beg for mercy. Mercy is shown to the undeserving yet needy. But not this time. “No mercy!” said the judge. The author of James instructs us to live by Godly wisdom from above. That wisdom comes with spiritual integrity and moral sincerity (it is pure). It is “peace loving” or “peace promoting” (peaceable). It includes kind, courteous and patient humility (gentle). It marks someone who is teachable, and willingly submits to both moral and legal discipline (reasonable). Has the gift of showing concern, pity, compassion for those who suffer pain and hardship (full of mercy). Such a person produces good works (fruit), steady in conviction (unwavering), and makes no unfair distinctions (without hypocrisy). Such not only displays mercy but has mercy within.

196

September 18 – Mercy, Continual and Everlasting

“Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” -  Psalm 119:77 (ESV)

The biblical meaning of mercy is exceedingly rich and complicated, in fact several Hebrew and Greek words are needed to understand the depth of this attribute. There are many synonyms used in our various Bible translations to express the dimensions of meaning involved. Our favorites might be “lovingkindness,” and “steadfast love.” Well-known in the concept of mercy is the compassionate nature to forgive an offender or adversary and to help or spare him in his sorry plight. Many other words in the Bible describe the character of our Lord. Perhaps we can say God’s mercy is the foremost attribute revealed. In revealing Himself to Moses, the Lord declared His great mercy (Exod. 34:6–7). The prophets likewise take great pains to remind Israel of this facet of God’s divine love. Micah 7:18 in particular provides a challenging statement: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression  for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” The Lord our God is not merely merciful, but delights in the opportunity to grant mercy. God’s very nature is to show continual and everlasting mercy without limit. 

195

September 14 –Have Mercy Lord Jesus

“ What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” – Romans 9:14-16 (ESV)

There might be many different reasons that we find ourselves not understanding the ways of God. Today, is one of those times. Our temptation is to question the why of something that happened because we didn’t want it to or thought it shouldn’t be. As true faith believers, we know that God has not made any mistake today because He never makes mistakes. We have prayed fervently for a close friend who today was called home to be with Jesus. Now, we continue to pray for his family. His wife and daughter and father-in-law in need of God’s mercy and compassion. This family lost both grandmothers in the last year and a half. But our promise today is a good one. God promises no injustice (that’s the no mistake promise). So if in weakness we may argue God is not just, Paul the Apostle says BY NO MEANS! “May it Never Be!” The Authorized Version says, “God Forbid!” NO MISTAKES, even in the toughest circumstances. It is God who gives and who desires to give Mercy and Compassion in abundance as He wills. It is God who has unbounded supply of mercy and it is He who will give it as we need it.

199

April 20 – Wrath and Mercy

“O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” – Habakkuk 3:2 (ESV)

The book Habakkuk is one of the “Minor Prophets” in the Old Testament. Not minor is significance or message but in size. Some believe that Habakkuk wrote the book in two phases which he joined together. Chapters 1 & 2 record the prophet’s dialogue with God. Habakkuk questioned God regarding His method and purposes for Israel. The note at the end of chapter 3, identifies that it is written in the form of a psalm to be sung with stringed musical instruments. The prophet knew of God’s past dealings with Israel – by hearing and learning. He personally experiences an awe-filled respect at the power of God. He also uses this knowledge of God’s previous dealings to make a twofold petition. He calls on God to revive His way with Israel. He calls on God to make it known that even in His wrath, His mercy. He requests that God allow his mitigating mercy (cf. Ex. 34:6; Lk. 1:54). This is our promise: for both wrath and mercy are part of God’s nature. God loves us even when we have strayed from Him and turned our backs on His word. He will not turn His back on us.

197

February 4 – Home Forever

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” -  Psalm 23:6 (ESV)

Such protection, provision and love from God was what brought David to realize that the Lord’s good loyal love would go with him everywhere through all his life. God’s blessings on us, His people, remain on us no matter what the circumstances are in our lives. When we need substance he gives food and water…good calm water. He restores us when we are overspent. He makes sure we know the right path. If the path gets dark and scary we need not fear because He is there with us. And then, God spreads a banquet for us right in front of those who hate us. We are refreshed with anointing oil. All this goodness comes from God, from His promises. When times are up or down, in the darkest night or brightest day God has our back, and front, and both sides. He watches over us with His goodness and His mercy. Our reservation in God’s house is promised and secure. The 'house' is the presence of God, wherever we meet Him and worship. Not a specific building. “I will dwell, there” is our way of saying we’ll be frequently with God returning often to worship Him.  

- 197 -

January 19 – Done Deal Here and Now

“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—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”  Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV)

This passage assures us that our salvation is by the grace of God. We did nothing to make it ours, we can’t. God’s love has done three things: (a) it has made us alive with Christ, (b) has raised us up with Christ, and (c) seated us with Him in the heavenly places.  This is all promised and done because what Jesus did for us. It becomes what happened to us in Christ Jesus.  Although still flesh and bone walking on this earth breathing air, what Christ did, became a reality so true that God considers it a done deal for us. When God draws us to Himself and offers us a new life in Christ Jesus, we received it by grace. Although this is difficult to understand with our human reasoning, and various questions arise as we’re trying to grasp how it is; we rest on the faith given to us by grace and accept it as truth. We do not have to fully understand everything we receive for it to be true. It’s true because God has declared it true by His will⸺that is what makes it true and for us right here, right now, it's accomplished. 

199

December 19 – Generation to Generation

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.” Luke 1 49-50  (NASB)

When we sing at Christmas time we usually think of the singing of angels at the time Jesus was born. They were not the only ones who sang. There is a song recorded in the Gospel of Luke from which our verses today are quoted. This is commonly known as The Magnificat. This is a song which Mary, the mother of Jesus sang several months earlier.  We're so glad for the promise of His Mercy upon all generations. They show us that Mary was not thinking only of what God was doing for her in choosing her to be the mother of our Savior. She was praising God for what He was doing for others, even for us. Yes, in Jesus, God was showing His mercy and love for us. She sang of what He was doing for people from generation to generation. Many generations have lived since that time and the promised truth is that God's mercy has been and is available to us all. Mary knew that God was using her to do this and what she knew became the glorious gift of Christmas. 

- 186 -

November 23 – Most Gracious Throne

“ 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 4:16 (ESV) 

Coupled with words of warning, the promises in the fourth chapter of Hebrews offer comfort and encouragement. We all need help because of weaknesses and confusion from the limitations of understanding God’s wisdom. In our natural state, our sins keep us from deserving the help we need. Those who deny their need and try to be their own superman or superwoman who do not need help end up with paralyses of despair. Jesus Christ became a High Priest to shatter the despair with hope and to humble our proud hearts when we believe that we can get through it on our own. The overarching need that we have is the grace that God provides for us. Without that grace given and the faith God provides for us to believe, our situation is hopeless. But we have hope in Jesus Christ. Who or which of us do not find that need in our own life? Our promise from God today and every day is that we may come at any time to God’s throne of grace. It is from there that He dispenses mercy and grace in our time of need if we believe.

- 193 -

 

April 4 – Hope that is Alive

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, …”  1 Peter 1:3  (ESV)

Taking special notice of our passage today that tells us of incredible promises God has made to all who have chosen to believe the message of salvation.  This salvation was secured by Jesus Christ when He willingly went to the Roman cross to be executed for crimes He never committed.  The only pure and sinless human to ever live and walk on this earth was accused, beaten, lied about and killed for the sins of the world.  It is through what followed three days after the cross that each one who in faith believes and through confession and repentance receives, a new birth into a living hope.  And not just for a finite time in the future but for eternity, forever and ever.  When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, resurrected himself from the dead, He was raised to a new life.  That new life is given to all believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus who is one with God the Father.  That is a promise that we can cling to and count on because it is ours forever as well.  And there is much more. 

# # #

December 26 – Guidance on the Way of Peace

“…because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Luke 1:78-79 (NASB)

These words are from a prophecy spoken by Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist a few months before the birth of Jesus.  Because of his disbelief in the promise of a son for his barren wife, God had made Zacharias mute until the birth of his son.  When John was born and Zacharias wrote down his name as the one God had given him, his ability to speak returned.  This was the first words out of his mouth.  Of course, Jesus was the Sunrise who came from on high. He has given light in our hearts replacing the darkness that was there before. I trust that He is shining in your heart today.  God promised this for all who believe in Jesus Christ. Without the light of Jesus, we would remain in darkness. Part of that darkness would be an uncertainty and a fear of death. Death would cause a shadow ahead of us but now we can look ahead to eternity in God’s presence. Instead of fear we have been promised guidance as we walk in the way of peace. 

# # #

November 6 – Sufficient Grace and Mercy – Seven of Seven

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  - Matthew 6:34  (ESV)

It is the seventh promise of seven from the larger passage we have considered. Matthew 6:25-34  The passage instructs us to not be anxious for anything but especially not for our personal material needs.  Jesus tells us to seek not the supply of our those needs but to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. He promises to be the supply we need for all things. And then we have the instruction in today's verse.  Do not be anxious (worry or be concerned) about tomorrow.  How often when once we have dealt with today's challenges we begin to worry about tomorrow's challenges.  Tomorrow there are other challenges we do not need to take up today.  Here is the promise from Jesus: Today we have enough trouble to deal with.  And God always gives us enough grace and strength so that we can bear the trouble.  Each day also has all the mercies we need from God.  New mercies come each morning that are sufficient for that day's trouble.  Don't take them up today.  Let's face today with all the grace and mercy we need and God promises to be with us tomorrow to help us as well.  

# # #

*Some of this content has been drawn from a series of articles from "Solid Joys" a daily devotional by John Piper.  Desiring God