Note: This post is inspired by the song His Mercy is More by Shane & Shane. If you haven’t heard this song yet, I highly recommend you listen to it.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. – Psalm 136:26
I think a lot of us take mercy for granted. We hear sermons about it. Read verses about it. But often we don’t pay it the full attention it deserves, don’t think about what it means that God is merciful.
Mercy is not getting what we deserve. And you know what we deserve? Death. Hell. Separation from God. But because God is a merciful God, because His mercy endures forever, He made a way for us to be with Him. Because God is a merciful God, because His mercy endures forever, He sent His Son to pay our debt. And because God is a merciful God, because His mercy endures forever, He offers us chance upon chance upon chance.
What I mean is, the whole Bible is about God’s mercy and grace. When Adam and Eve sinned, He could have wiped His hands of us. But He didn’t. When Israel grumbled and complained, He could’ve turned away. But He didn’t. Instead of giving up on us, He gave us the greatest gift: Jesus Christ. And Jesus came for one purpose: to pay our sin debt. He knew all the sins we’d commit. But He died for us anyway. He knew all the people who would turn on Him. But He died for us anyway. He knew all the people who would take His name in vain, who would curse Him, who would abuse His name. But He died for us anyway.
And we don’t deserve it.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; – Titus 3:5
God knows our sin before we commit it, yet He chose to send His Son anyway. (For more on this, read my post Just a Thought: Jesus Isn’t Surprised By Your Sin.) Do you realize the magnitude of that? God had every right to throw us away. But He didn’t. He gives us a chance every day. A chance to serve Him. To love Him. A chance to repent. To follow Him. No matter how many times we stray, He always welcomes us home.
His mercy is more than our addiction. More than our sexual sin. More than our spiritual adultery. It’s bigger than any mistake we could ever make. God is bigger than any mistake we could ever make.
May we never forget the magnitude of His mercy. May we never fail to thank Him every single day.
