For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.

Lamentations 3

For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:31-33.

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-five - Lover of God’s Sovereignty with Tears for the Lost.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he understood the complexity of how God is both fully in control over all the details of creation, including the details of our lives, and deeply compassionate for the lost.  First John Piper provides scriptural examples of where Paul describes God's sovereignty, including Romans 9:15-18, 11:36, Ephesians 1:11, and 1 Corinthians 3:6. Piper then moves to show Paul's anguish over the lost, referring us to Romans 9:1-3 and 10:1.  In his anguish, Paul is hopeful because he understands God's sovereignty and power to overcome obstacles to save the lost - Piper emphasizes this hope.  Piper wraps the chapter by pointing us to Lamentations 3:31-33 where he sees "the sovereignty and the compassion of God interwoven in one glorious fabric of justice and mercy*." 

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good - full of love and mercy for all, including myself - despite my sin that You have washed away and the patience for my ongoing disobedience as my sin continues.  Thank You Jesus.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

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.

Nehemiah 7:73-10

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

Day 283 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with the book of Nehemiah where my commentary* describes how "Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites spend long hours reading and interpreting the law. When the people mourn for all the sins they have committed under the law, they are reminded that it is a festival day to be celebrated. And the people soon join in the re-institution of the Festival of Tabernacles, which commemorates the Israelites’ living in tents during the wilderness wanderings. Some three weeks later the law is read again, and the people respond with a great national confession and a written covenant with God."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

The scripture reading for today also includes how the Levites led the people in confession and worship by describing how from Abram through the current day, God led the people, the people turned from God, and how God heard the people's cries of suffering and rescued them...despite their sin.

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. Nehemiah 9:17-19

From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. Nehemiah 9:27

And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time. Nehemiah 9:28

This story of repeated sin, and God's forgiveness, mercy, and compassion - is the story for all believers.

Ultimately, Jesus paid the price for all sin, for all humanity, for all of time. 

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

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are compassionate and merciful and You love me so much that You sent Your Son - Jesus - to die on the cross for me.  Thank You Jesus - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

[Abijah] committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

1 Kings 13-15 and 2 Chronicles 11-14:1

[Abijah] committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 1 Kings 15:3-5

 
Day 152 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with my study of of the divided kingdoms of Judah (and Benjamin) under Rehoboam and his son Abijah, and of the remaining tribes of northern Israel under Jeroboam.

God demonstrates his patience, is slow to anger and abounding in love and He is faithful as he seeks to fulfill the promise made to the House of David regarding how someone from David's line will always reign. 

Although Judah largely failed to follow the Lord, Judah is spared destruction from an attack by Egypt:

Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah. 2 Chronicles 12:12

In 2 Chronicles 13, God also spares Judah by leading them to route Jeroboam in battle.

The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 13:18

I am grateful for how God demonstrates compassion and mercy for me - I must demonstrate this for others.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is slow to anger and abounding in love for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such compassion and mercy.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103, 104, 113, 114, and 117 

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:2-5

Day 120 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues my focus on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context. This study of these 112 psalms groups the psalms into five major topical areas, and I continue today with the group: "Psalms of Joy and Praise".

Today's psalms focus on praise for a compassionate God, praise for the wonders of God's creation, praise for a Lord of Heaven who is sensitive, how God's wonders ought to bring trembling, and praise for God's love and faithfulness.

Of the many attributes we must recognize about God, merciful and compassionate are key as we have a God who sees all of our sin, yet is willing to die for us, inviting us into His family and offering us salvation.

The word compassion appears 82 times in scripture, and merciful another 18 times.   That God is "slow to anger and abounding in grace" appears 7 times, including Psalm 103:8.  There are of course other ways to describe how God is compassionate and merciful so the prevalence of these attributes is even greater throughout scripture - point being that it must be important that we know that God is compassionate and merciful.  And of course we must demonstrate these attributes to others just as God does for us.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - You are indeed slow to anger, abounding in love, full of compassion and mercy for me - it is nothing short of astonishing how and why You do this...for me.  I am not deserving of such love, compassion, mercy and grace.  I am often quick to anger, quick to speak, and harsh with others.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.

Portions of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord. Leviticus 26:44-45

Day 63 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on directives from God through Moses (Moses' Laws) for the Israelites responsibilities under the laws - including blessings for obedience, and punishment for disobedience and hardness of heart.

While portions of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy are highlighted by my study, Leviticus 26 is a key focus.

What is amazing is how God talks about disobedience and punishment in very stark terms in v14-39, yet He still gives us a path to redemption.  It starts with an acknowledgement of sin and a need for repentance - see v40.  God gives us SO many second chances - although His patience is NOT unlimited.

Any reader of the Old Testament must come to the realization that God is faithful, and full of compassion and mercy - despite everything the Israelites have done to disobey His will and instructions. Of course we have a new covenant with Jesus Christ, whereby Jesus died once and for all, for all sin, for all of humanity. He knows that we all sin, we all need a Savior and so He willingly died for us so that we could have victory over the sting of sin and death.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are slow to anger and abounding in love and full of compassion and mercy - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of all the second chances You have provided.  I continue to sin - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.      

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Deuteronomy 1-4

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4:29-31

Day 44 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on Moses' words to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land - he recaps how God rescued the Israelites out of Egypt, provides for them, disciplines them, and protects them through victories over enemies.  Moses also ensures the Israelites are aware of how faithful God is as He has kept His promise to make the Israelites a great nation and to give them the Promised Land.  Moses also shares lament over His own sin and how this prevented Him from entering the Land.  He encourages the Israelites to stay near to God and to obey His laws and decrees.  Moses knows that he is about to die and pass on the baton of leadership to Joshua.

Moses believes idolatry is a great threat and he warns the people of how they will face God's anger should they worship "any kind of idol" (Deuteronomy 4:25-28).  Sensing the Israelites likely will worship idols, Moses offers encouragement for those who repent.  We all sin - but God is full of compassion and mercy.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has offered me great mercy and compassion as You have rescued me from the sting of sin and death - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift...I am harsh to others.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Please give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

Leviticus 8-10

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Leviticus 10:1-2

Day 33 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on the ordination of Aaron and his sons in their priestly duties and the death of Nadab and Abihu for "unauthorized fire" (see Leviticus 10:1).

Key takeaway: we should not toy with sin and disobedience (see post yesterday); God alone is judge and He punishes and grants mercy according to His perfect will.  Whatever mercy we may receive we are not deserving - whatever punishment we receive we are deserving (see Romans 6:23). Of note here is how Aaron is given mercy while his sons are not.

My commentary* indicates "[t]he fact that Aaron is permitted to become high priest despite his sin in making the golden calf (and later trying to avoid responsibility for it) is testimony to the forgiving nature of God, as well as perhaps to the need for the one who will intercede on behalf of his people to be thoroughly acquainted with temptations and moral failure".

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. "  

I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  Exodus 33:19

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You are full of mercy and judgement and both are perfect - Your ways are mysterious but they are also good and I know You love me.  You have saved me from sin and death and You adopted me into Your family.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such mercy and compassion.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Exodus 32-34

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. Exodus 32:14

Day 30 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on the Israelites' failure to remain faithful in God as Moses was with God on Mount Sinai.

Aaron holds much of the responsibility of this failure as he leads the Israelites in an effort to create an idol (see Exodus 32:2-6 where he makes no attempt to encourage the Israelites to remain faithful, and 32:22-24 where Aaron makes feeble excuses for his lack of courage to confront the Israelites in their sin).

Although God's anger burns, Moses intercedes on the Israelites' behalf and God's anger relents and He shows great compassion and mercy - see Exodus 32:11-14.  He renews his covenant with the Israelites.  Moses' act to intercede on behalf of the Israelites foreshadows what Jesus does for all of us as believers - He willingly lays down His life to atone for all sin for all of humanity.  Just as Moses intercedes for the Israelites, Jesus intercedes for us - we all need a savior, and Jesus is that Savior.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who is full of compassion and mercy - for the Israelites...and for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love, compassion, and mercy.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. v1

In light of Paul's discussion on Israel's lack of belief and God's response (chapters 9-11), Paul wants  us to fully embrace how those of who are saved should remember clearly that we are saved by grace alone and that there is nothing in our ancestry or our works that saves us.  If we remember this, then we should fall on our knees in worship and seek to serve the God who saves us. God does not want animal sacrifice - but a "living" one - that we exist to glorify God through who we are and what we do.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - You are an amazing God who is SO full of mercy and compassion - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such compassion and mercy - I worry and my sin is much greater than that!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me....Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

Micah 7

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me....Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. v7,18

God demonstrates all of his attributes all of the time.  We cannot see God as angry without seeing Him as full of mercy and compassion (v18-19).  He is also faithful (v20).

Yes God is angry at Israel and Judah but He is also full of mercy and compassion, and He is faithful.  These among His many attributes which He displays all the time.  God is big...too big for us to even imagine who He is.  And this is a God who loves me, hears me, and who pardons sin and forgives transgression.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose anger is justified and who does not stay angry but instead is full of mercy and compassion, forgiveness, etc.  Thank You God for all that You are and do.  I am not worthy of such love.  I daily miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve, You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. v17

Most believers know Jonah's story - for a good overview check this out.  This overview draws a distinction in the book of Jonah to first God's compassion for Jonah, then God's compassion through Jonah.

Despite Jonah's sin of disobedience, for running from the Lord and running from the task of delivering a message of repentance to Nineveh, God is full of compassion for Jonah.  Jonah does not drown - he is swallowed by a great fish.  Note how God "provided" for Jonah.

In the same way, God is full of compassion and mercy for all of us - daily and throughout the day as we continue to sin.  We all desperately need a Savior and Jesus Christ is that Savior.  Without Jesus, we become slaves to sin and ultimately destined for eternal damnation.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me, and who is full of compassion and mercy for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I miss the mark - daily.  I often am harsh with others with my words and actions.  I sometimes slander.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord....I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Amos 9

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord....I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. v15

God's justice is perfect and it is just (see v4 as God sees all of our sin).  His punishment for Israel is also just as Israel proved unfaithful.  At the same time, Israel's punishment is not destruction nor is it permanent.  God will restore Israel and will rise up a King who will be the King of Kings - Jesus Christ - and His Kingdom will last forever.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who reigns with compassion and perfect justice.  Thank You for Your compassion and for mercy - for loving me even though I am broken and sinful.  I am not worth such compassion and mercy as I daily miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Joel 2

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. v13

Judah's punishment for its sin is justified, but God is full of grace and mercy, and He fully restores Judah.  MacArthur's Commentary refers to a material restoration (2:21-27), a spiritual restoration (2:28-32), and in Joel 3, a national restoration.

Even though Judah did not deserve God's grace and mercy, He provided it anyway.  This is true for all of us as well.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

My Prayer: Lord You are an awesome God who loves us - even though we are broken and sinful - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I worry, and I gossip as well.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Ezekiel 34

I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. v16

God is now preparing the hearts of Israel for restoration. He once again reinforces the promises and covenant He made with David as He points to the House of David and Jesus who will be the shepherd referenced here.

The words in the verse today provide a strong measure of God's care, mercy, compassion and love for us.  Rest assured - we have a God like no other as He loves us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who daily is full of tender mercies for us.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love as I continue to worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 20

You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. v44

We will all know the Jesus is Lord of All at one point or another.  Israel's wickedness is so pervasive that, although a righteous and repentant remnant is saved from which Jesus will rise, God's wrath is poured out on them on many occasions.  God does this to punish Israel but also to ensure that all will know His Name. On many occasions, in His compassion and mercy, He holds back the full the wrath of the Lord.

We will either bow at the end of times, our day of judgement, or when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

God loves us so much and is so full of patience, mercy and compassion that He wants us to come to Him during our lives here on earth so that we will not perish - He gives us many, many second chances.  God is great.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God full of love and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses for Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

^{Ezekiel 16}

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. v60

In this chapter, God refers to Jerusalem as an adulterous wife and prostitute - unfaithful to God.  God describes how He cared for a young Jerusalem that was despised (v5), how He felt compassion on Jerusalem, made her His (v9), and how he nurtured and developed Jerusalem into a beautiful queen (v13).  Yet Jerusalem trusted in her beauty and misused her fame (v15).  

This is a message for all of us.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 describes how we are all entrusted with spiritual gifts.  We must be good stewards of these gifts and use them for God's glory - not our own.

God is full of grace and compassion for all of us just as He was with Jerusalem - He sent His Son as the everlasting covenant referred to in verse 60. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I miss the mark.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Psalm 119

I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. v175

We all sin (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).  Yet we have a God who loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son so that we could be saved (John 3:16). Our savior will never leave or forsake us (Matthew 28:20) and He will also come find and help me back on the path to Him.

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Parable of the Lost Son

Even though I may stray, I have a God who will come look for me and help me come back to Him.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are that You are so full of grace and compassion, that You will always come look for me and provide a way back to You.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace and compassion - for sending Your Son....for never leaving of forsaking me.  I love You.  I am not worth such a God.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say...[.]

2 Chronicles 6

When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say...[.] v36-37

Solomon, in a prayer to God dedicating the newly built temple, acknowledges that all people sin (see also Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8) and asks for God to forgive those who repent and turn from their sin towards God - here is the rest of his prayer:

'We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you. v37-39

We have a God who loves us SO much that He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16) to die on the cross so that we could have freedom from the sting of sin and death.  He not only hears our cry but He is able to transform our hearts and minds so that we become more like Him (see also Romans 12:2). 

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me so much that You gave Your one and only Son so that I would have freedom from the sting of sin and death...I know that You love me, even though You know everything about me, including my sin.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I am selfish, hurtful with my words and actions, and more.  Please forgive me and help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.

2 Kings 13

But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. v23

Jehoahaz (as well as Jehoash v11) did evil in the eyes of the Lord and he led the people of Israel to sin as well (v2), yet God was full of grace and compassion for the people of Israel.

Once again we see God as faithful, keeping his promises, and as full of grace and compassion.  

We all need God because we are all broken (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8) and in need of forgiveness and salvation.

However, we should be careful not to "shame" others into seeking God.  We should love and forgive others as God does for us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are that You are faithful and keep all of Your promises.  You are also so full of grace and compassion - I cannot fully comprehend the depth and breadth of Your love.  Thank You for Your love.  Yet I am not worth such love.  Please forgive me for my worry and selfishness.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.