Merciful God

“Through the Lord's mercies (goodness, kindness, faithfulness) we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23

His mercy overwhelms me.

The power and sweetness of God's mercy is beautifully portrayed in this scene from The Passion of the Christ, I am overwhelmed by His mercy and so very, very grateful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3ykt6pyLJ4&feature=share

Thank you, Jesus.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

“He is despised (held in contempt, disdain; deemed worthless) and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs (sickness) and carried our sorrows (pain—mental and physical; sorrow); yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten (to strike, hit, beat, slay; kill) by God, and afflicted (to be occupied, bruised; oppress, humble, bowed down; mishandled, humiliated; humble or weaken oneself). But He was wounded (to (profane, defile, pollute, desecrate; to violate; to pierce through) for our transgressions (rebellion), He was bruised (to be crushed, be contrite, be broken; shattered) for our iniquities (perversity, depravity, guilt; consequence or punishment for iniquity); the chastisement (discipline, chastening, correction) for our peace (shalom: completeness, soundness, welfare; safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment; peace; friendship; covenant relationship) was upon Him, and by His stripes (bruise, stripe, wound, blow) we are healed (make healthy; healed of national hurts or of personal distress).” Is. 53:3-5

(meaning of original Hebrew word in parenthesis)

Jesus experienced unimaginable pain and agony and ultimately death that we might live.

Ever felt despised? Worthless? Rejected? Humiliated? Defiled? Violated? Broken? Crushed? Shattered? Contrite? As I read through this passage, I am struck by the fact that there is not one devastating emotion that we as human beings experience that Jesus Himself did not endure. A Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief…He bore it all that we might live free.

Jesus was defiled, desecrated, pierced, and violated to atone for our rebellion; He was crushed, broken, and shattered as a propitiation for our perversity, depravity, and guilt. Jesus submitted Himself to the ultimate discipline, chastening, and correction in order to make provision for our mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical well being. He bore the bruises, stripes, wounds, and blows that we may be healed.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health; to deliver from penalties).” John 3:16-17

As we reflect today on Good Friday, may we be overwhelmed with gratitude for and stand in awe of the immeasurable love God the Father demonstrated when He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus. He is a merciful, merciful God; the one true and living God, Messiah, Savior, Creator, and Lord.

Free Indeed

“So if the Son makes you free (set at liberty: from the dominion of sin), you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Proclamation:

Thank You, Lord, that I have been set free through the ultimate sacrifice~~the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus. I make a conscious choice to walk in that freedom. I give You permission to search my heart and reveal and uproot anything in me that is preventing me from walking in the liberty You have provided through Your precious Son, Jesus.

Not Unto Us O LORD

“Not unto us, O LORD (Yahweh/Jehovah/I AM/The Self-Existent One; Ever Present One), not unto us, but to Your name (reputation, fame, glory; monument, memorial) give glory (honor, abundance, riches, splendor, dignity, reputation; reverence; from the root kabad meaning heavy or weighty), because of Your mercy (goodness, kindness, faithfulness), because of Your truth (firmness, faithfulness, sureness, reliability, stability).” Psalm 115:1

“Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!” John 12:13

“And he (Moses) said, ‘Please, show (see, perceive, consider, observe, discern, distinguish; to cause to look intently; to cause to gaze at; to look at each other, to face) me Your glory (honor, abundance, riches, splendor, dignity, reputation; reverence; from the root kabad meaning heavy or weighty).’" Ex. 33:18

PONDER: Moses is asking God to enable him to truly discern, perceive, to look intently into Who God really is. He asks God to enable him to see Him face to face. Moses passionately seeks to know the splendid wonders of Who God is. He desires to know the weight or heaviness of Who God is. In the Old Testament, heaviness represented honor and substance. Moses cried out to the Self-Existent, Ever-Present One, the great I AM to show him His substance (the essential part) or the essence of Who He is. In other words, Moses desired intimacy with God.

Nothing more sweet. The key? Surrender our will to the will of the One Who is merciful and faithful.

Choosing to Trust the Lord

“Trust (to trust or have confidence in; to be bold, secure; free of care; to feel safe) in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed (to pasture, tend, graze; be shepherded; to associate with, be a friend of) on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (inner man, will, heart, soul, understanding, midst (of things),mind (seat of intelligence), knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will), conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites, emotions and passions; as seat of courage). Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:3-4

Proclamation:

I choose to trust (to trust or have confidence in; to be bold, secure; free of care; to feel safe) in the You, LORD, and to do good; to dwell in the land, and feed (to pasture, tend, graze; be shepherded; to associate with, be a friend of) on Your faithfulness. I choose to delight myself also in You, LORD, and as I find my delight in You, in Who You are, You shall give me the desires of my heart (inner man, will, heart, soul, understanding, midst (of things),mind (seat of intelligence), knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will), conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites, emotions and passions; as seat of courage). I commit my way to You, LORD (Jehovah/Yahweh/I AM/The Self-Existent One; Ever Present One), I will trust also in You, and You shall bring it to pass. You shall bring forth my righteousness as the light, and my justice as the noonday.

Faith

“Now faith (conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT: of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it; the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ; fidelity, faithfulness) is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1

PONDER: Faith, a conviction of the truth that God is Who He says He is according to His Word, is the foundation or substructure of all that we hope for and is the proof or conviction of things that are not seen. Believing that God is Who He says He is, regardless of our circumstances is the foundation of hope.

God's Word: Profitable

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof (that by which a thing is proved or tested; conviction), for correction (restoration to upright or right state; improvement of life or character), for instruction (includes the training and care of the body; whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, esp. by correcting mistakes and curbing passions; instruction which aims at increasing virtue; chastisement) in righteousness (state of him who is as he ought to be; the condition acceptable to God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting; in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due), that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17

PONDER: God’s Word tests us, restores us to a right state, improves our life and character, and His Word trains us in the way of righteousness that we may be fitted and fully furnished to do all that He has created us to do and all that He has created us to be...for His glory, honor, and praise!