Mercy, by biblical definition, is God holding back judgment we rightfully deserve or, as it is often said, God not giving me what I deserve. No wonder the psalmist writes that the earth is full of His mercy. How often we see tragedy and sorrow caused by others and wonder why God has not yet seen fit to address it, to balance the books, to punish the offender. Indeed the earth is full of His mercy. God waits long for each of us to turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation. If not, then the mercy we see around us will only be temporary until we die and stand before our Judge.
But if we turn to Jesus in faith and cry out for His mercy, it will be permanent as Jesus paid for all our sins. Look around and see the mercy of God waiting patiently for us to turn to Him. Then pray, oh God, teach me Your statutes!
So amazed at God’s merciful ways,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
The last protective piece of the whole armor of God that Paul teaches every believer to put on to battle the enemy is the helmet of salvation. The salvation referred to here is not the salvation we receive when we first put our trust in Jesus. There are three stages to our salvation: first is our justification, becoming right with God as soon as we accept Him as Savior. The second is sanctification where, because we have God now living inside of us we are to walk or live in this new identity, becoming conformed to the life of Jesus. Then there is the third stage, glorification. This is what Paul is referring to in regards to putting on the helmet of salvation.
The helmet of salvation is the understanding that we will one day be freed entirely from this body of death. We will walk with Jesus in heaven and no longer be tempted or challenged. It is eternal life where we share in and enjoy Christ’s glory. To put this on means to be reminded every battle we face is temporary. It will soon be over and there will be no more; the reward to persevere is glorious and worth every bit of the difficulties we face now. Without this mindset, the battle can begin to wear on you and you begin to doubt.
Keep your eyes on the prize, put on the helmet of Salvation, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Pastor Jason Witt
We come to the last chapter of Job. We learned from the first chapters that Job had a list of things that happened to him. He and his three friends tried to make sense of it, but still face the Lord’s rebuke. When Job finally realized that God is God and nothing escapes Him, he says the above verse.
Job heard of God and knew of God but now because of everything that has happened, he can see Him clearly. Sometimes that is the case with us, isn’t it? We think we know God and we think we know why He is allowing for this to happen. But what we can’t see is the reason why God allows us to go through various trials. Romans 8:28 tells us “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
I’ve heard of you, but now I see You.
Joshua Navarro
Earlier in this chapter, the Lord had explained to the prophet Jeremiah that ruin and sorrow would soon come to Israel because of their refusal to repent. And Jeremiah would be the one to deliver God’s message to the people.
In his anguish over the judgment about to fall and the vile reception he would receive as the messenger of God, Jeremiah dug in deeper and expressed his full dependence upon God and upon God’s word.
This verse reminds me to ask myself, “Has reading the Bible become just another task that I need to get done? Does God’s word bring rejoicing to my heart, or is Christianity just the philosophy that I ascribe to?”
Today, join me in prayer and in action. Prayers that the Lord would reveal to us the deep treasures of His word; actions that involve our participation in reading and digesting every line of scripture that meets our eyes. Believer, you and I are called by His name. We are His children (John 1:12). Let’s be hungry to know our Heavenly Father better every day.
Jeff Deal
As you live your life as a child of God, you can know that there are going to be times when God is going to correct you. If you are walking in a way that is unworthy of the Lord, you may hear the still, small voice of God leading you back. As you read the Scriptures, you’ll find reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, or the Lord may issue correction in a situation or trial. In these moments, the proper response, if you are wise, is to respond to His correction as a good thing.
Remember, God is not beating you down. Jesus was bruised in your place. He disciplines you because He loves you. It’s for your protection, not your rejection, because Jesus was forsaken in your place. Jesus was pierced, crushed, and wounded, taking our punishment so that we might be in this place where we are so loved by our Heavenly Father that He would correct us when we go astray. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1
Pastor Doug Hardin
We are told in Hebrews 4:12 that the word of God is living and powerful. Here we see that our faith comes from the hearing of God’s word as well. Here is the question. If someone doesn’t believe the Bible to be true, does God’s word lose power? We know that the preaching of the cross of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing. Also, we shouldn’t cast God’s word before swine. Still, that doesn’t change the effectiveness and power that we see in Scripture when it falls onto the ears of anyone willing to hear. Do you have someone to share with that doesn’t believe the Bible to be worth anything? That’s ok! Share God’s word with them anyway and see the power that we have in the word of God. Let that power of God’s word wash over your heart and mind today. We serve the Lord of all things!
Blessings,
Pastor Sean Boehm
There was a particular famous Christian from some years back who wrote a whole laundry list of reasons why paying taxes was illegal and thus refused to pay them. He ended up in jail and his ministry was greatly hindered.
Joseph told Pharaoh in the above verse to charge the people 20 percent tax on produce to be able to provide for the upcoming difficulties ahead.
The reason God says to pay our taxes is because ultimately He’s the provider and even if we were charged a 100 percent tax rate, He’d still find a way to provide. Even if our leaders are not as wise as Joseph, God is not limited by governments or paychecks. So next time we find ourselves grumbling about taxes, we need to remember to put our trust in God.
God is my provider,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
What is your confidence level in God today? Do you believe He is capable to see you through any situation? Solomon has a spiritual breakthrough as he examines the “”vanity” of life and gives us three aspects of God’s eternal actions. God’s actions are permanent, “it shall be forever.” God’s actions are effective and complete, “nothing can be added to it.” And God’s actions are totally secure, “nothing taken from it.” This should give us great confidence and, as the writer puts it, the purpose is that no matter what we face, we will fear God. That’s not the cringing of a slave before a cruel master, but the submission of an obedient child to a loving parent. If we fear God, we need not fear anything else, for He is in control.
Relying on Him,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
Boldness is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul here tells the Thessalonian believer that even though it had cost him and those with him plenty to share the Gospel of Jesus, his boldness did not wane even in conflict. The word “boldness” here speaks of being frank, outspoken, assured, confident, and having a plainness of speech. How the world around us needs that kind of witness today! Those who share the good news of Jesus with boldness. How about it? Pray that today God may set before you an open door to minister the Gospel with boldness. I will be praying for you today as well.
Go tell it on the mountains…
Pastor Jack Abeelen
The enemy’s job is to get you to distrust God. He sends one fiery dart after another to tempt you so that you disobey God’s Word. He wants to get you to believe that God is holding back joy from you, or that a particular sin will make you feel better if you just indulge a little. These fiery temptations can produce some immense heat when it comes to making a decision on who we will trust. Will we trust God and His ways or will we trust in the enemy’s honey-dipped lies?
Here Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith and this shield represents our basic daily trust in the Lord. Every living soul puts their faith or trust in something or someone every day of their lives. Right now I trust that my keyboard won’t start sparking and my fingers get burned. That might be a lame illustration, but it’s true.
A great deal of our spiritual success comes from simply putting our faith in God. Trusting in His word not just with our mouths, but with our actions. Our actions prove our faith and when we truly trust God, then we will do what He says. And those honey-dipped lies that Satan shoots at us to cause us to doubt, they will be quenched by the truth.
Pastor Jason Witt
