Hello everyone

We have just celebrated Easter, a beautiful time to relive the greatest story ever lived and told. As I sit today and reflect on both the story and the weekend, I am humbled by God’s grace and mercy.

It’s easy for us to simply take these terms as Christianised, just words we say because we are Christian but devoid of meaning. But I believe there is depth to these words. God’s mercy means that we do not get what we deserve, even after we have sinned, i.e., missed the mark. God has mercifully forgiven us and tells us that he does not count our sin against us.

Grace, on the other, is a higher bar. If mercy is not getting what we deserve, God goes a step further and gives us what we do not deserve, i.e., all the blessings we encounter, and how much God comes through for us even when we are unaware of it. So, when we say that God is gracious and merciful, those words have a profound meaning. David, in Psalm 103, writes it this way…

8  The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9  He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbour his anger forever;
10  he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11  For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12  as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13  As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;


Reading this can bring up a myriad of thoughts and feelings
in all of us, depending on the season you are experiencing currently. My
response to this is to feel both honoured and humbled. Honoured because God
sees me and who I am. Humbled because God does not hold anything against me,
even when I have held things against others. I consistently miss the bar when
it comes to showing grace and mercy to others, yet God does not miss a beat
when showing grace and mercy to me.

 

We’re starting another season, which goes by a few names. In
the business world it’s called ‘Q2’, in the education world it’s called ‘term
2′, and in the church world it’s called ‘waiting for Pentecost’. I pray that
each of us will remember that God’s grace and mercy transcend all our
misgivings in all seasons, and we are called to celebrate and also show grace
and mercy.

 

Have a gracious and merciful week.

 

Mato