The Identity Crisis II

Here is some good news.  God is a God of love, grace and mercy. He loves you and He wants you to experience His love for these are the divine characteristics of a loving Heavenly Father.

Love - His love is unconditional. It is based on His decision to look past our frailties, our limitations, our inconsistencies, our failures and call us His sons and daughters.  "Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not ALL his benefits...who forgives all my sins.  What?  All my sins?  Yep, that's what He said.  He forgives all my sins.  He heals all my diseases. He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion, who satisfies my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103) None of this is conditional except that we believe Him at His Word. 

Remember what Jesus said from yesterday's blog - Man shall not live by bread alone BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD. If God said it, then I believe it and therefore I receive that which He has spoken!.

Grace - Grace is God's ability working in us. John 1:17 says the law came by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Christ Jesus.  This word GRACE is the Greek word "charis" meaning "the divine influence in the heart". I remember the day I prayed the sinner's prayer.  I vividly recall the weight that was lifted off of me when I came to the understanding that God had forgiven me of all my sins and that I was now a new creation. The bible said the old had passed away and behold all things had become new. Oh what joy I experienced when I discovered that I would spend eternity in Heaven.

 There was a newness of heart; a divine influence in my spirit, bringing me a "heart peace" like I never experienced before. This comes as a result of us experiencing God's Grace...Gods divine influence in our heart.  But this isn't to be just a one time experience. As we meditate on His love for us, we can experience this heart peace each and every day. As we cast our cares on to Him (1Peter 5:7), we experience a peace, knowing that He loves us and will care for us. He assured us this when He said in his word.  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Matt 6:26

Mercy - Mercy is best defined as God's unmerited favor towards us.  Mercy is when we don't get the punishment we deserve but rather recieve the blessings from God we don't deserve.  This is due to His compassion towards us. Is this something based upon our doing?  Our good deeds?  No. The bible says our rightesousness is as filthy rags, however, we have been made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Roman's 5:18 NLT says, "Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness (His death, burial and resurrection) brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

Now This Is Good News.  Have a day filled with God's Heart Peace (which is an undisturbed, untroubled state of being) through faith in Christ.