The Mercy of God

Sometimes thoughts come into your mind that are not good. Thoughts that tear you down are not from God. God is a good and merciful God.

 Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

When thoughts condemn you then seek God , call upon him and seek him in the words in the Bible.  God loves you and is merciful. Mercy defined is goodness, kindness, faithfulness.

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

Mercy and grace are closely related. Mercy has to do with kindness and compassion and the withholding  of punishment for our sins.  Grace includes kindness and compassion, but also carries the idea of bestowing a gift of favor.  

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; ) 

By grace we are saved from the wrath of God and also we are given favor with God. Thank you God for giving me eternal life by believing in the salvation given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Justice of God

 In our nation justice has given way to political power. The Supreme court justices have been selected by politicians who choose the judges often because of their political views. This ought not to be. They swore an oath to uphold the constitution of the United States. Some, however seek to upend the constitution.  A judge should uphold the laws. Unfortunately some think they are above the law and allow politically correct lawbreakers to escape justice.  The highest justice is from God. His laws and precepts are absolute and good and in the end all people will be judged by Jesus the Son of God,  who has been given all authority to judge by His Father. In our land we have justice of the peace judges " appointed to hear minor cases, perform marriages, grant licenses, etc., in a town, county, or other local district." There is another judge who is called the Prince of peace who will judge all people according to His word.

Pro 21:15  When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. 

Mat 23:23  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 

The ultimate criteria to be free from the punishment of a holy God is to receive the forgiveness by believing in the salvation given by Jesus Christ.

Rom 2:16  on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you face the judge thinking you are a good person, that will not save you from separation from God and eternal punishment.    God cares about you and loves you and has given you a way to escape the judgement and wrath of a holy God.

 John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

I tell you the truth. Jesus in you satisfies the justice of God.

The Immutability of God

 The immutability of God is an attribute that "God is unchanging in his character, will and covenant promises." His word is truth and he keeps his promises. Great is his faithfulness and he loves us. A critic may find a verse that shows the LORD changing his mind. No, his character is to show mercy. If not so most of us would have perished in our sins long ago.

Mal 3:6  “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

Isa 46:9  Remember what happened long ago. Remember, I am God and there is no other God. There is no other like me. 

Isa 46:10  "In the beginning, I told you what would happen in the end. A long time ago, I told you things that have not happened yet. When I plan something, it happens. I do whatever I want to do. 

2Ti 1:9  God saved us and chose us to be his holy people, but not because of anything we ourselves did. God saved us and made us his people because that was what he wanted and because of his grace. That grace was given to us through Christ Jesus before time began. 

2Ti 1:10  And now it has been shown to us in the coming of our Savior Christ Jesus. He destroyed death and showed us the way to have life. Yes, through the Good News Jesus showed us the way to have life that cannot be destroyed. 

The good news is that God sent his son to pay for our sins. Blood was required for sins. Jesus had no sin and was our just and perfect sacrifice.  He arose from the grave into eternal life and those who believe in him and have turned their minds and hearts to Jesus will be saved from sins punishment and inherit eternal life with God. He loves us so much to have done this. This is the promise of God.

Immanence of God

 God is actively involved in his creation.  This gives the believer rest in the knowledge that there is no place or situation that is too far to be under God's protective hand. We do not hug a tree, but love the one who made it. All good things he made and is involved with.

Psa 145:18  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 

Psa 145:19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 

Php 2:13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

Php 2:14  Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 

Php 2:15  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 

Jesus is the Son of God and by him we receive the Holy Spirit.  God is with us and he hears our prayers and knows our needs. Be at peace, he cares for you. Call on the name of Jesus.

Holiness

I was going to do a lesson on the holiness of God, and then Google had changed my account name and I was unable to make the blog. After my efforts that made things worse, I called to my daughter for help. There was a new button added to the blog program that I needed to push to make a new blog enttry. By this time I am not feeling holy at all, but God remains holy and there is a lesson in that.  The only holiness we can have comes through our salvation in Jesus Christ. In him we are holy people, not as holy as God who is forever holy and so much above his creation. I grumble and complain and get frustrated.  He asks us to wait upon him, to listen to his inner voice. I called on my daughter for help.

Isa 6:1  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 

Isa 6:2  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 

Isa 6:3  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 

Isa 6:4  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 

Isa 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 

1Sa 2:2  “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 

1Pe 1:15  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

1Pe 1:16   since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 

God is holy and righteous, unchangable in his glory. The only holiness we may have is in our connection to God by his spirit. Jesus was sent to be our. substitute sacrifice for sins. We are through his power to become more like him.

The Grace of God

 The human race had little chance to escape the separation from God because of our sins. Nothing we could do of good works would remove our sins and separation from a holy God. God knew that we were but dust and he himself gave grace to those who would be saved. Grace is unearned favor. God's grace is the favor and power of God given to a person by the will of God. Do you want to be free of sin and in the favor of God? Then he is drawing you to himself by his grace. The justice of God and the grace of God come from the finished work of Jesus. He had no sin and was our substitute sacrifice for sin. By faith in him we receive the grace of God.  All by God's power and not our own. This should humble us before the Almighty God.

Rom 3:23  All have sinned and are not good enough to share God's divine greatness. 

Rom 3:24  They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. 

Rom 3:25  God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people's sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus. 

Rom 3:27  So do we have any reason to boast about ourselves? No reason at all. And why not? Because we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law. 

Rom 3:28  I mean we are made right with God through faith, not through what we have done to follow the law. This is what we believe. 

2Pe 1:3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 

God gives us grace to have faith in Jesus Christ and through his Spirit we have grace to accomplish his will for us to do.

God is Good and evil is punished

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel is a good God . He is the standard of goodness and being good he cannot abide evil.  Christians often assume that God is good like a heavenly Santa Claus and that he winks at evil. Where is the fear of God? God knew that sinful people would be punished so he sent his Son Jesus Christ to shed his blood as payment for our sins.  Jesus is the only way to God. We cannot earn forgiveness by our good deeds. No one is good enough to be forgiven of sins. We should fear God and run to Jesus. In Jesus we receive His righteousness, the goodness of God. 

Psa 111:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. 

Psa 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 

Removing the teaching of God from our schools and the nation results in a great increase of evil.

Psa 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. 

Psa 33:4  For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 

Psa 33:5  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 

Psa 33:6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

Psa 103:13  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 

Psa 103:14  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

Nah 1:7  The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 

God knowing that we could not save ourselves, provided Jesus to be our substitute taking our punishment for sins upon himself.  This is the new covenant in his blood. All who believe in God and trust in Jesus will be under the goodness of God and receive eternal life with him. That is our good God who loves us that much.