Tag Archives: Mercy

2013 Day 271 – Jeremiah 10-12, Isaiah 14

28 Saturday Sep 2013

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Today we read one of Jeremiah’s prayers to God in Jeremiah 10:23-25, 23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. 24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland. Because of God’s mercy and grace He does not punish us with His full anger or we would be completely destroyed. God is loving and wants us to come to Him so we can enjoy His love, grace, and protection. But those who go against God are at risk of experiencing His wrath and the consequences of their sin.

2013 Day 270 – Jeremiah 7-9, Isaiah 13

27 Friday Sep 2013

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At the beginning of Jeremiah 9 you can feel how conflicted Jeremiah is with his people. He is angered by their sin: lying, treachery, adultery, and idolatry which had become common among them. But he also felt compassion. While he knew God had set him apart to accomplish his mission, he also knew he was one of them. Jesus had similar feelings about Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37, 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” This is a great example for us to remember. While our sins may not be the same as others, we all require God’s forgiveness. We are no better than anyone else without the grace and mercy God gave us through His Son.

2013 Day 253 – Job7-9, Psalm 120

10 Tuesday Sep 2013

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In today’s reading you can begin to hear Job’s desperation in trying to reach God. He wants the ability to plead his case for mercy, but he does not know how to reach out for God and wishes he had a mediator between himself and God. In Job 9:33-34 it says, 33 If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, 34 someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. This is what the Holy Spirit is for us. He is the mediator between us and God to intercede for us. In Romans 8:27 it says, And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. What Job longed for in his suffering we already have. Don’t ever forget that we are never alone no matter alone we may feel.

2013 Day 252 – Job 4-6, Psalm 119:161-176

09 Monday Sep 2013

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One of the hardest things about reading Job is reading the words of Job’s friends who assumed Job was suffering because he had committed a great sin. Neither they nor Job knew about Satan’s conversation with God in Job 1:6 – 2:8. It is easy to blame people for their own troubles, but Job’s story clearly shows that blame cannot always be attached to those who are struck by troubled times. We must always show compassion and help people who face trials and suffering without judging them. We all face rough times and it is always good to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

2013 Day 238 – Nehemiah 4-7, Psalm 119:1-14

26 Monday Aug 2013

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Sometimes we need to recognize where evil comes from and whether it is something that God has allowed to enter in our lives. Nehemiah 6:11-12 said, 11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Nehemiah recognized that the persecutors in his life were not authorized in his life by God and he was able to rebuke them. We must know that not all bad things in our lives are allowed by God and whether we know it or not, it is ok to ask God to remove bad things from happening to us. God does not expect us to meekly take all the bad things in our lives. He expects us to continuously ask for help and mercy.

2013 Day 225 – 2 Chronicles 31-33, Psalm 109

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Psalm 109:21 is a very interesting verse, But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. The note in my Bible for this verse says the following: “A name is more than a label; it is a representation of character and reputation.” David is pleading with God to live up to His name. “For your name’s sake”, means to live in accordance with His character of both love and mercy. It is ok to plead with God for something. It is ok to call God to act in accordance with His character. Don’t be afraid to have authentic conversations with God. We will know our relationship with Him is maturing when we begin to ask as many questions as we ask for favors and requests.

2013 Day 222 – 2 Chronicles 22-24, Psalm 106:24-48

10 Saturday Aug 2013

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Psalm 106:44-46 is a wonderful picture of God’s love for His people who deserve nothing more than judgment for their sins, 44 Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. 46 He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy. God does not limit Him grace and mercy based on our faithfulness to Him.

2013 Day 214 – 1 Corinthians 15-16, Psalm 101

02 Friday Aug 2013

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It is important for us as believers to remember the purpose of the Law in the Old Testament; to show us our need for salvation from our sin. Paul spells this out in 1 Corinthians 15:56, The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But then he goes on to show us the beauty of God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice to us in verse 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. In the end, God gave us victory over our imperfection. Even the worst sinners have the opportunity to take part in God’s grace. We must never take it for granted that we are incapable of salvation without the Love of God and the gift he has given us through His grace and mercy.

2013 Day 204 – Hosea 9-11, Song of Songs 8

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

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God shows much sorrow through the words written in Hosea. He has repeatedly shown His love to His people and yet they have turned away from Him. God is not pleased when we turn our backs on Him, but His love is never ending. Even when we do things that displease Him, He never stops loving us. And even when the consequences of our sin finally catch up with us, He is right there beside us walking through whatever pain we may face. We are never alone because God never leaves us.

2013 Day 167 – Jonah 1-4, Psalm 84

16 Sunday Jun 2013

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Today we read the story of Jonah. Jonah is very much like most of us. God has a plan and wants to use us to fulfill His plan, but many times we fight Him on it. We make excuses and find ways to avoid doing what we know He wants us to do. In the end, Jonah was finally obedient to God and when God blessed Jonah’s effort by turning the people of Nineveh from their evil way, Jonah became resentful of God for allowing the people of Nineveh to be forgiven. We can sometimes be like this too. There are people in our pasts who have hurt us or caused pain in our lives and God has blessed them. This is sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but it is God’s prerogative to forgive who he chooses to forgive. It helps to remember that God forgave us too. None of us is exempt from a sinful life and all of us need His mercy and grace to come into His presence.

We also read Psalm 84 today. The beginning of verse 10 is one of the most beautiful passages I have ever read, Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. We are nothing without God’s presence in our lives. If we could only be in God’s presence for a single moment, it would be enough. Thankfully God desires for us to be in His presence on a constant basis. It is up to us to take advantage of that desire and choose to be with Him.