Because Of The Tender Mercy Of Our God

February 17, 2015

Because Of The Tender Mercy Of Our God

“. . . because of the tender mercy of our God,. . .

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Luke 1:78-79

Many years ago, two men were sitting together watching a TV news report on an act of terrorism by radical Islamists. One turned to the other and said, “It really makes a difference what kind of god you believe in.” Yes, it does.

In the text quoted above, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied about the mission of his son to prepare the way for the Messiah of God who would guide our feet into the path of peace. How did Jesus accomplish his task?

The tender mercy of God is revealed in John 8 in the story of the woman ‘caught in adultery’. Jesus told the crowd, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After the crowd disbursed, Jesus asked the woman, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:7-11) Jesus didn’t condemn the woman; he set her free.

This theme is repeated in many other parables, such as the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, and the incredibly generous landowner in Matthew 20. Through the miracle of the indwelling Christ in his followers, just as God is giving and forgiving, so also are His children. Because of God’s unconditional love for us, we can love and forgive others, thus liberating them to accept, forgive and love their selves.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ  is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.