“I have trusted in Your MERCY; My heart shall rejoice in Your SALVATION. I will sing to the LORD, Because He has DEALT BOUNTIFULLY with me.” (Psalms 13:5-6)
- YOUR MERCY: Mercy (chêsêd: loving-kindness, compassionate) What exactly is the difference between grace and mercy? Neither are deserved. God has compassion on sinners WHO DESERVE HIS WRATH. The Hebrew for “merciful” means “compassionate” or “full of compassion.” It means “to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow.” This is mercy: We have all sinned against a holy God. WE DESERVE ETERNAL WRATH IN HELL. But in His mercy, God POURED OUT ON JESUS THE WRATH WE DESERVED on the cross, so we could escape his wrath. “For when we were still without strength, in due time CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY.” (Romans 5:6) Our God is compassionate and merciful. So, He didn’t give us what we deserved. HE GAVE IT TO JESUS!
- YOUR SALVATION: The Greek for “grace”, (charis: kindness, favor), “a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ”, or “kindness which bestows upon us WHAT WE HAVE NOT DESERVED. But not only is God infinitely merciful, HE IS INFINITELY GRACIOUS. In His grace He not only withheld His wrath, but HE POSITIVELY SAVED US, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is THE GIFT OF GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- THE LORD HAS DEALT BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME: Bountifully, (gâmal: to bestow on). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in the heavenly places in Christ, just as HE CHOSE US IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that WE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will…” (Ephesians 1:3-5)
THE LORD IS VERY MERCIFULLY TO US BY NOT POURING OUT HIS WRATH (which we deserve) ON US AND INSTEAD SAVING OUR SOULS…
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham