Enduring Mercy
Psalm 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! For his mercy endures forever.
Mercy always precedes grace, but they always go hand in hand. Before God gives us what we do not deserve (grace), He first withholds from us the judgment we have coming (mercy). God is, by nature, merciful: He does not treat us as we rightfully deserve. Rather, in loving grace, He pours out His forgiveness over us. For such mercy and grace we can never praise Him enough.
Imagine if God's mercy were to somehow expire, though. What if one day He has enough of forgiving our sins-those sins that we can not seem to master or turn away from? What if He were to reach a point where He decided to give us exactly what we deserve as punishment for our sins, our faithlessness, our self-centered ways? Of course that turn of events would violate His own gospel: "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." (John 3:16) But is God's mercy were to expire, we would perish.
"Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136:26)
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