God's Love, Mercy and Grace...

Grace is defined as: "freely given, unmerited favor and love of God". God shows His mercy by forgiving us of our sins but it is by His grace that this is accomplished. God who is perfect paid the ultimate sacrifice (Christ's death) making a way (the only way) for us to have eternal life with Him. He did this freely, with His unmerited (we do not deserve it) favor showing His love for us. His love for us is unconditional. We can do nothing that can make us deserving of His love, mercy and grace. He loves us in spite of the mess we have made of our lives. Let's look at love, mercy and grace a little further.

1. Love: God loved/loves us so much He was willing to die for us. He proved His love through His painful, slow torture and eventual death taking our place on the cross. We crucify Christ over and over by our rebellion and rejection of this great love.

2. Mercy: God shows his mercy by being willing to forgive us (when we ask) regardless of what we have done. Not only does He forgive us, He also forgets the transgression (sin) and throws it into the sea to never be remembered again. If we ask God to forgive us in the morning and then ask Him (again) to forgive us in the evening... for the same sin... He says: forgive what sin? God took care of it (the sin) the first time we asked.

3. Grace: this is something we do not deserve and can not earn. It's freely given when we ask for it. God's grace may protect us from the outcome (or result) of our sin or wrongdoing. Also, God can heal the guilt feelings we have because of our sin and then speak to the heart of those we've sinned against giving them the strength to forgive us (when we ask). If your sin remains hidden from the world, it is because of God's grace. Sin can and often does destroy lives. God's grace prevents this from happening. Grace is a gift from God to us but we must ask for it. If we do ask He will give it freely. NOTE: This is just one example of God's grace. Also, it is important to understand that not all sin goes unnoticed by the world around us. If you sin against society you will have to answer for your sin. But, even if you are convicted of a crime, God's grace will still be there. The most important thing about grace is in it's relationship to eternity; total forgiveness of your sin by God almighty! If God forgives and then forgets the sin, nothing else really matters!

Take a moment and thank the Lord for His wonderful love, mercy and grace.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4,5

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9