"The Difference between Mercy & Grace"
Day 54
Today’s Reading: Levit. 17-18, 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chron 25, Jeremiah 39-40, Micah 6, Proverbs 12, Psalms 101-102, Luke 10, 1 Timothy 1-2
Many people lack an active appreciation for the theological concepts of God’s mercy and His grace. For Paul, that was quite different. He was viscerally aware of God’s mercy and His grace. He knew he deserved death for not only his sinful nature and inability to gain merit with God in his flesh, but he also realized in the ignorance of his unbelief, he was guilty of offending God personally.
1st Timothy 1:12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Simply put, mercy is not getting the justice you deserve; grace is getting favor you don’t deserve. In His mercy, the Lord showed mercy towards Paul by not condemning him for his sin and persecution of the church. In His grace, God gave him eternal life and filled him with the Holy Spirit along with the privilege of carrying the gospel to the nations.
1st Timothy 1:15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
The deeper your awareness of God’s mercy and grace in your life, the deeper your appreciation of God’s love will be. Paul considered himself to be the worst of sinners. He realized his utter dependence upon God’s mercy and grace on a daily basis. His heart was overwhelmed with the expression of God’s love towards him even though he knew he didn’t deserve it and could never earn it.
Luke 10:21 At that time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 22 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.”
Prayer: Gracious Father, thank You for your mercy and your grace. In Your mercy, thank You for forgiving me of my sins. In Your grace, thank You for giving me eternal life and for filling me with Your Holy Spirit. Fill my heart with deep awareness and appreciation of the love You have poured out into my life through Jesus Christ. Let’s it overflow in abundance that I might share Your goodness with others. In Jesus name, Amen.
Did this post bless you? What questions do you have about grace? Do you have a question about what it means to follow Christ?