The Miracle of Mercy

Chuckle: A woman says to the postal clerk, "May I have 70 Christmas stamps? The clerk asks, "What denomination?" The woman says, "Lord help us. Has it come to this? Give me 8 Catholic, 12 Episcopalian, 8 Methodist, 9 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists."

Quote: “The corn that makes the holy bread By which the soul of man is fed, The holy bread, the food unpriced, The everlasting mercy, Christ.” --John Masefield

"He who covers (hides) his transgressions (sins) will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13 AMP).

Sin is not a favorite word in our modern vocabulary. We would much prefer to call our impure thoughts and actions by other terms such as, mistakes, errors, or short-comings. But we are wise to deal honestly with the meaning of sin as it relates to the way we live. In the original language, the word, "sin," means to miss the mark that God has set for us -- to miss living by God's standards for human conduct -- to rebel against God. The word "Sin" describes those ungodly things we do, the good things we fail to do, and the condition into which everyone is born.

The greatest sin of all is rejecting God's free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The wonderful truth is that our merciful God will forgive all our sins if we genuinely repent and ask His forgiveness and cleansing. We all need to be reminded that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 NIV), and we all need forgiveness.

When you ignore your sins and try to conceal them, you do major harm to yourself and sometimes to others. Sins that are not dealt with create a lifestyle which includes many individual sins. A destructive cycle of rebelliousness and deception is created within you. In the same way Adam and Eve wanted to hide their sins from God, it is human nature to try to hide ours from Him and others. Something deep within us strongly resists admitting that we have sinned -- done wrong. But, when we openly and humbly admit our sins and seek God's forgiveness, a healing process begins that will ultimately result in a sense of well-being, peace, and eternal security.

Even though Christians have been saved from the eternal penalty for their sins, we all need to continually confess our sins to God, and admit that we need God's mercy and forgiveness each day we live. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NIV). When we accept God's mercy, forgiveness and cleansing, He sets us free from the damaging cycle of sin in our lives and also frees us from the anger, bitterness, rebelliousness and corruption that precipitated our sinful actions.

We should fall on our faces before God in gratitude and praise Him for His love, mercy and grace. Further, we should ask God's forgiveness for failing to ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Without the shed blood of Jesus and God's boundless love, amazing grace, and infinite mercy, there would be no forgiveness of sins.

Love, Jerry & Dotse