“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” (Ephesians 2:4–5, NLT)
A.W. Tozer revealed how much God’s mercy meant to him personally. He wrote:
“A human being is never really aware of the great boundless sea of the mercy of God until by faith he comes across the threshold of the kingdom of God and recognizes it and identifies it!
My father was 60 years old when he bowed before Jesus Christ and was born again. That was a near lifetime in which he had sinned and lied and cursed. But to him, the mercy of God that took him to heaven was no greater than the mercy of God that had endured and kept him for 60 years.
I recall the story of an ancient rabbi who consented to take a weary old traveler into his house for a night of rest. In conversation, the rabbi discovered the visitor was almost 100 years old and a confirmed atheist. Infuriated, the rabbi arose, opened the door and ordered the man out into the night. Then, sitting down by his candle and Old Testament, it seemed he heard a voice, God’s voice: “I have endured that sinner for almost a century. Could you not endure him for a night?” The rabbi ran out and overtaking the old man, brought him back to the hospitality of his home for the night.” (Mornings With Tozer)
Religious people are often like that Rabbi. Out of a deep sense of justice, judgment, or maybe even self-righteousness, self-centered Christians have the capability to show disdain for those who have not lived faithfully or who have lived in sin. As if we are their judge! How dare we throw judgment on another at a moment when God is desiring mercy and love! The scripture for today from Ephesians 2:4 boasts that God is “so rich in mercy”. It bears out the revelation that God “loved us so much” that HE sent Jesus as a sacrifice to save us (Ephesians 2:5). To save you!
God’s plan wasn’t to make Christians into little judgmental minions! In sending Jesus to save us, God’s plan was to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). God’s hope was to rescue the sinner from the depths of sin and bring healing and humility and joy to the one who is in the woes of regret and shame. I hope the world envisions you as “rich in mercy” like your God in Heaven!
There was a man who lived in a run-down neighborhood. He would often go for walks in the early morning or just after dark. Very few people knew his name. When he shopped in the grocery store, people gave him a wide berth. He seldom smiled. He often looked rough. He had tattoos that betrayed a history. He wore a biker jacket. He often wore sunglasses, even in the evening. People worked hard to avoid him when they saw him. Members of my church ignored him or faked a smile upon seeing him. I felt God pushing me to talk to him, bring some hope and the gospel. I mentioned this to a member of my church. He just looked at me and replied, “Good luck with that!”, as if to say it were an impossible task. While speaking with an older woman in the congregation, I told her that I believed God was working on the tattooed man. She believed me. She went out of her way to drop by his house in the next few months, bringing cookies, offering a hello when she saw him out in public, and going out of her way to greet him whenever she could. I also did what I could to reach out to him.
It took more than two years for us to get to know this man with the tattoos and biker jacket and rough appearance. What we found out during that time was that he was a former special forces soldier. He often was sent behind the lines of combat during Vietnam in order to find out the plans of the other armies. When he left the U.S. Army, he went through depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He worked through it alone. The only people that showed him support were a group of bikers. The man came from a broken home. His wife left him while on a tour of duty. He felt forsaken, forgotten by the Army, overlooked by America, and suffering. This one woman from the congregation and I would not let him feel so lost and alone. We found every means possible to shower mercy and grace and love his way. We talked about God’s love to him. After months, he began to pray with me. Then, he told me how much closer he felt to God. He cried the day I moved five hundred miles away. This rough and tumble old soldier could not hide the tears in his eyes that we would no longer pray together every few weeks or greet each other at the grocery store with a warm hug.
That soldier died a few weeks ago. I never stopped caring about him. I never stopped praying for him. Others in his life, those that passed him by on the street, had little or no time for him. I felt God’s mercy and grace flowing through me to him. I felt God's mercy showering him in a special way. I couldn’t ignore how much God loved that old soldier.
Mercy is a beautiful thing. It can change a hardened heart, bring hope to a situation, and bring peace to a troubled soul. Who might benefit in the next few days from God’s grace working through you? Do you realize how God’s mercy not only changed you but is working on you even now?
“A human being is never really aware of the great boundless sea of the mercy of God until by faith he comes across the threshold of the kingdom of God and recognizes it and identifies it!
My father was 60 years old when he bowed before Jesus Christ and was born again. That was a near lifetime in which he had sinned and lied and cursed. But to him, the mercy of God that took him to heaven was no greater than the mercy of God that had endured and kept him for 60 years.
I recall the story of an ancient rabbi who consented to take a weary old traveler into his house for a night of rest. In conversation, the rabbi discovered the visitor was almost 100 years old and a confirmed atheist. Infuriated, the rabbi arose, opened the door and ordered the man out into the night. Then, sitting down by his candle and Old Testament, it seemed he heard a voice, God’s voice: “I have endured that sinner for almost a century. Could you not endure him for a night?” The rabbi ran out and overtaking the old man, brought him back to the hospitality of his home for the night.” (Mornings With Tozer)
Religious people are often like that Rabbi. Out of a deep sense of justice, judgment, or maybe even self-righteousness, self-centered Christians have the capability to show disdain for those who have not lived faithfully or who have lived in sin. As if we are their judge! How dare we throw judgment on another at a moment when God is desiring mercy and love! The scripture for today from Ephesians 2:4 boasts that God is “so rich in mercy”. It bears out the revelation that God “loved us so much” that HE sent Jesus as a sacrifice to save us (Ephesians 2:5). To save you!
God’s plan wasn’t to make Christians into little judgmental minions! In sending Jesus to save us, God’s plan was to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). God’s hope was to rescue the sinner from the depths of sin and bring healing and humility and joy to the one who is in the woes of regret and shame. I hope the world envisions you as “rich in mercy” like your God in Heaven!
There was a man who lived in a run-down neighborhood. He would often go for walks in the early morning or just after dark. Very few people knew his name. When he shopped in the grocery store, people gave him a wide berth. He seldom smiled. He often looked rough. He had tattoos that betrayed a history. He wore a biker jacket. He often wore sunglasses, even in the evening. People worked hard to avoid him when they saw him. Members of my church ignored him or faked a smile upon seeing him. I felt God pushing me to talk to him, bring some hope and the gospel. I mentioned this to a member of my church. He just looked at me and replied, “Good luck with that!”, as if to say it were an impossible task. While speaking with an older woman in the congregation, I told her that I believed God was working on the tattooed man. She believed me. She went out of her way to drop by his house in the next few months, bringing cookies, offering a hello when she saw him out in public, and going out of her way to greet him whenever she could. I also did what I could to reach out to him.
It took more than two years for us to get to know this man with the tattoos and biker jacket and rough appearance. What we found out during that time was that he was a former special forces soldier. He often was sent behind the lines of combat during Vietnam in order to find out the plans of the other armies. When he left the U.S. Army, he went through depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He worked through it alone. The only people that showed him support were a group of bikers. The man came from a broken home. His wife left him while on a tour of duty. He felt forsaken, forgotten by the Army, overlooked by America, and suffering. This one woman from the congregation and I would not let him feel so lost and alone. We found every means possible to shower mercy and grace and love his way. We talked about God’s love to him. After months, he began to pray with me. Then, he told me how much closer he felt to God. He cried the day I moved five hundred miles away. This rough and tumble old soldier could not hide the tears in his eyes that we would no longer pray together every few weeks or greet each other at the grocery store with a warm hug.
That soldier died a few weeks ago. I never stopped caring about him. I never stopped praying for him. Others in his life, those that passed him by on the street, had little or no time for him. I felt God’s mercy and grace flowing through me to him. I felt God's mercy showering him in a special way. I couldn’t ignore how much God loved that old soldier.
Mercy is a beautiful thing. It can change a hardened heart, bring hope to a situation, and bring peace to a troubled soul. Who might benefit in the next few days from God’s grace working through you? Do you realize how God’s mercy not only changed you but is working on you even now?