Albert came home from school with bruises, a torn shirt and tears. “Fighting again?” sighed his mother. “I thought it was clear that you were to be a good Christian, not get angry and to stop getting into fights. Did you count to a hundred like I told you to?” she asked.
“Well, I tried,” he said with resentment in his voice. “But John’s mother told him to only count to fifty, and that’s when he knocked me to the ground and jumped on me.”
Many of us get angry quickly. But not the Lord. In Psalm 103:8 we read that “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Imagine what life would be like with an angry God - one who was quick to punish us for any and every sin. Imagine, if you can, living life in fear of being “hammered” for breaking a commandment. And, if He were not compassionate and merciful, there would be no provision or pardon for our wrong-doings. Or again, if we were suffering and brokenhearted and filled with grief and guilt for betraying Him we would never hear Him say, “My grace is sufficient.” In the Lord, we find mercy for our sins and comfort for our sorrows.
If God were not gracious, there would be no grace - no matter how wonderful and needed it is. But it only has significance when we understand that it means God, at no cost to us, will unconditionally and willingly forgive us of all of our sins. The Lord erases the ugliness of the past and provides us with clean, blank pages to fill with the potential of a new life committed to Him. Amazing grace!
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for Your love, combined with Your mercy that is freely ours because of Your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
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