Oh, His Mercy Brings Life.

Ephesians 2:4-5 “ 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.”

Roadkill is something we’re sure to encounter if we spend any amount of time driving.  And roadkill in the summer...well, that is a whole other experience that is difficult to put into words.  It smells...no, it reeks.  It is pungent and awful and we can smell it long before we see it.  We might quickly put up the windows and hold our breath until we’re past the offensive carcass, but somehow the stink of death lingers and we remember it even when we are long past the location.  And somewhere, someone is tasked with cleaning that up, but it’s not a job to be envied and few would admit to doing it.

What if we took that roadkill and ‘dressed it up’?  It would still be dead and stinking.  Oh, we could put it on a pedestal, give it a title, but, even then, it would still be dead.  The process of decay would continue and the stench with it.  You see, it’s dead.  It is unredeemable.  No amount of effort, attention, accolades or affection will revive it.  It will just continue to bear the stench of death. It has no life and cannot mimic it.

Friends, that was us.  We were dead in transgressions.  We were rotting corpses of sin, stinking and decaying spiritually.  Oh, maybe we tried to dress ourselves up and go through the motions, but we were still decaying.  Perhaps we tried to give ourselves importance and align ourselves with others who could give us value, but death ruled and robbed us of any worth.  

And then came Jesus.  He was and is bold and brave enough to step into our death and misery.  He could tolerate our stench because He already faced death and won.  He paid the price for our sin.  Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.  He loved us when we were unable to love Him. He made us alive in Christ when we had no power to embrace life on our own.

He wasn’t afraid of our stench.  He wasn’t repulsed by our rotting souls.  He could have swept us aside, scooped us up with the refuse or walked away to a cleaner, more pleasant experience. But He saw our worth despite the death that surrounded us and He took hold of us and redeemed us.  He gave us a new name and called us His child.  Now, we bear the fragrance of Christ, the fragrance of life. 

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

God’s mercy is powerful.

Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters are the aroma of life to those around them because of God’s mercy in their lives.  Pray that they fully grasp the greatness and beauty of God’s mercy and all it has rescued them from.  Pray that they have a heart for the lost, to pray for and share the gospel to those who are dying.  

Pray without ceasing.

Expect Mercy

Hebrews 4:16. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

As a school-aged child, the thought of being sent to the Principal’s office was often an anxious one.  If we were sent there, it likely meant we did something wrong and we would have to face the consequences.  We knew enough about the Principal to know he was an authority figure who we feared. We likely carried our backpack and waited with trepidation to hear our sentence. We expected punishment.

But, if the Principal was a friend, someone we trusted who treated us with kindness, we might find ourselves eager to stop in and say hello.  The office wasn’t a place to be feared but a welcome place where we were seen and encouraged.  We could drop our backpack, unload our worries and likely get a sticker and a smile to encourage us. Even if there we’d done wrong, we trusted those there to treat us fairly.

When we mess up in life, what is it that we fear most?  If we don’t know the Lord, maybe we fear the consequences of what we’ve done- the fallout from our choices, actions and words.  Perhaps we struggle with the angst of ‘karma’ and the just repercussions of what we deserve.  We drag our baggage with us with no sign of relief or rest and no expectation of any mercy.  Or maybe we know enough to understand the wrath of God is to be feared… and we fear how it will impact us. 

But knowing about God and knowing God are two very different things.  

If we know the Lord, we should understand the mercy of a Loving Father.    He welcomes us into His throne room. We can run in without hesitation, drop our baggage and throw ourselves into His merciful embrace. He’s got mercy for us in abundance.  No, He won’t excuse away our willful sin, but He will forgive our trespasses when we come to Him with a contrite heart.  He wraps His loving arms around us and tells us that His mercy is enough to cover all of our mistakes, completely and for all time.  We can approach His throne of grace with confidence, not fear and expect mercy.

What do our sons and daughters understand about God’s mercy, really? Let’s pray Hebrews 4:16 over them today and ask the Lord to help them know and have confidence in His mercy.

“Heavenly Father, I pray for (name) today that they would, with confidence, draw near Your throne of grace.  Lord, don’t let them be anxious or fearful, but to come before you knowing that You love them and want to welcome them in, show them grace and mercy and help them in their time of need.  Lord, work in (name)’s heart this morning.  Help them not just know ‘about’ You, but to know You personally and to love you deeply.  Help them to be confident they can trust You with anything, even their worst mistakes, knowing You will treat them with grace and mercy.  Lord, be near to them today.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Pray without ceasing.