His Mercy Endures Forever

September 5, 2007

Psalms 136:1-9 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

What if you and I got exactly what we deserved? Have you ever thought about what you might deserve considering the things that you and I have done in our past. What if you were paid based on how hard your job actually was physically? For many of us, we would be paid very little while working in the air conditioning, shuffling a few papers and directing other people. What if everything in life was fair and you reaped exactly what you sowed? What kind of return would you have on your life at the end of it? If life were nothing more than a balancing act of good and bad, how would you do in the end.

While looking into the law of God, I have been noticing the fairness and justice of God. You should try reading the Book of the Covenant found in Exodus 20-23 sometime and see how serious God was with the various aspects of life. He protected life and love life because in Him is where we find life. The law was an expression of the heart of God. Do you remember your parents telling you to be home at a certain time? What about cleaning your plate, taking you to church, and correcting you when you were wrong. They were setting the example, because they knew what was best for us. They didn’t want us out late, because normally that led to trouble. They wanted us to eat healthy, so that we would be strong. They hopefully took you to church to teach you the truth and made you a better person by lovingly correcting you. Now, how do you think you would have survived if you received what you deserved by the way you acted?

Everyone wants to say that they were good enough and acted like a precious angel. I tried to convince myself of that even though my parents often reminded me of the many times I had a smart mouth, rebellious spirit, and wandered away. Facing the reality of myself was difficult, because my actions reflected my heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Many today are looking for a religion or religious practices to change the exterior, but that will never be enough. In the end, the vessel may be polished on the outside, but the heart will be as hard as a stone. There must be a change or else you will get exactly what you deserve at the end of life-- condemnation based on the Law and separation from God for eternity.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:9-13 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.” What Paul is saying is that when He got a true look at himself through the eyes of God, he found himself to be dead, condemned and a wretched man. Have you ever taken a true look at yourself and thought what do I deserve?

I am glad today that the Spirit of God revealed to me the essence of my heart. He showed me who I really was as I tried to live on my own. Every person who is ever converted must see the broken law in his or her heart, feel sorrow over their sin and realize Jesus gave His life on their behalf. The cross can be a lonely and dark place where you stand before God and give an account. He shows us what we deserved. Look at His Son who He pierced on our behalf. Someone got what sin deserved. Jesus bore our cross, died in our shame, and shed His precious blood that our sins could be washed as white as snow. The work is finished, but it must be experienced in your heart. While waiting at the prison today, a mother was watching for her son to get out after 7 years. She purchased him a brand new wardrobe and could barely wait to see him. I thought of the following verse of song, “once like a bird in prison I dwelt, no freedom from the sorrow I felt; but Jesus came and listened to me and glory to God, He set me free!”