THE BEAUTY OF HIS MERCY. By Pastor Fernando

Scripture:
When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally turn to the Lord your God and listen to what He tells you. For the Lord your God is merciful--He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant He made with your ancestors. Deuteronomy 4:30-31

Observation:
Amazing to see the unfailing love of the Lord for His people in action. In a prophetic way, Moses reveals what is going to happen to the people of God, their success, their betrayal, their disobedience, and ultimately, their redemption. In spite of their rebellion, God will not abandon them or destroy them. God has fulfilled throughout history Moses’ words. His mercy cannot be confused with lenience. God’s mercy is for the purpose of our repentance, not for our indulgence. We cannot take God’s mercy for granted. We must respond in obedience to God’s ways not because we have to, but because we want to.

Application:
Sadly said, many of us have to experience bitter days in order to soften our hearts and listen to what God says. We learn obedience through our sufferings, and we become more willing to follow the Lord after we have experience pain away from His presence. The key is for us not to go back to a place of disobedience when things get better again. We need to learn how to be obedient not only when we suffer, but also when we enjoy God’s blessings. We cannot make the same mistakes Israel did. They are written so we know what happens to our vulnerable hearts. We can build our lives in wisdom and avoid great suffering. We cannot take God’s mercy for granted and continue in the same habits of sin and disobedience. We must be motivated by God’s love and by His mercy to walk in consistent repentance and obedience before Him.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, what a wonderful and merciful God you are. Your mercy makes all my blessings available and my redemption possible. Please don’t let me take your mercy for granted. I don’t want to walk into new bitter places in order to learn more obedience. I want to learn the lessons from the past, to trust in your word, and to set my life according to your ways. I don’t want to go through the same suffering again in order to relearn the lessons. Please let me be always mindful of your mercy, not to indulge my sinful habits, but to walk away from them in the power of your redemption. Amen.