Romans Chapter 9: Verses 22-23 (NIV)
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory.
Psalm 103: verses 10-12 (NIV)
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
On a bit of a theme here, following on from the last couple of days. These verses remind me that God shows us patience and mercy, but He is also just. When we sin and decide to do our own thing, our decisions often have consequences. God doesn’t necessarily spare us from these consequences – we have after all made our choice. Nevertheless, He will often use those same consequences and the circumstances that we find ourselves in, to show us that He is God and He still loves us.
As the Psalmist reminds us God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He can turn things around and draw us back if we are willing to repent and come back to Him. When we do that, the Psalmist tells us that He remembers our sins no more, so powerful is the work of Christ on our behalf. Surely indeed that proves God’s mercy to sinners like us.
Dear Lord,
We would be in a fearful place if You treated us as our sins do indeed deserve. Thank You Jesus that You took that penalty on Yourself so that we may know the love of God the Father and the riches of His Glory. How great is our God! Amen.