SUNDAY April 28, 2024

God Is Rich in Mercy

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus....
Ephesians 2:4-6

Charles Spurgeon, a great orator, gave many sermons on these two words––But God. We were without God, walking in this world without any real purpose, following the crowds and the course of this world. But God, through His mercy, got a hold of our lives, and there was a dramatic transformation––a real change. The Holy Spirit dwells in our lives, and He made us alive. Our past life is dead. Everything is brand new!

Seriously, we are not missing anything, as some people may think, because we have gained so much in Christ, and that is what counts! Our sins would have condemned us to an eternity without God, but now we are saved––we have an eternal hope. Our salvation came about because of God’s mercy. John 3:16 tells us: “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.” We are saved by God’s grace.

God loved us in times past as sinners (Romans 5:8). In our present life in Christ, we are so richly blessed! We are to live in the light and not in darkness:

Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:12-14).

Right now, in the present, we experience the same Resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead. We do not have to wait until we die! We walk in newness of life because of His Resurrection power working in and through us. We also look to the future when we shall be perfect––glorified––all because of God’s great mercy. Our salvation is all God’s work––His love, grace and mercy.

God leads us to eternal life not by our merits but according to his mercy.
~Augustine~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!