Grace Is Getting What You Don’t Deserve

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
    and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” – Romans 4:1-8 ESV

God does not owe us anything. Our well-intentioned acts of self-produced righteousness do not score brownie points with God or put Him in our debt. Paul has made it perfectly clear that God's declaration of our righteousness is based solely on faith in His gospel concerning His Son.

No man or woman can earn or merit favor from God. And yet, because of their sin and the death penalty it carries, they find themselves desperately needing to make things right with God. That explains man's ongoing attempt to serve and satisfy the god of his choosing. Man is always attempting to gratify whatever god he has chosen to worship by sacrificing his time, talents, and treasures to that god. It could be the god of religion or recreation.

Every day, countless men and women sacrifice themselves to the gods of entertainment, work, pleasure, popularity, wealth, beauty, and power. They give everything they have to get whatever it is they are expecting their “god” to deliver. But there is only one God, and all stand before Him in the same condition. Despite their best efforts, they have failed to meet His righteous standards and have fallen short of the glory He demands. It doesn't matter how religious or morally-minded you are. It doesn't matter if you worship the right God or the wrong god. It matters if you worship the right God in the right way, and Paul says that way is by faith.

In his gospel, John describes the redemptive plan accessible only through faith in Jesus.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:9-13 ESV

When Jesus came, most Gentiles didn't recognize or accept Him, and even though He was a Jew and fulfilled all the prophecies concerning their coming Messiah, the Jews rejected Him. In doing so, they rejected the gospel of God, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 ESV).

Paul has already shown that it was not enough to be a Jew. Their privileged position as God's chosen people gave them access to God's law and insight into His holy standards, but it did not equip them to live up to those standards. Despite their standing as God’s treasured possession, they were just as guilty as the Gentiles, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV).

Knowing that any Jews in his audience would automatically appeal to their unique status as descendants of Abraham and attempt to use the patriarch as an example of works-based righteousness, Paul cuts the legs out from under their argument. He states, “if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” (Romans 4:2 ESV).

Abraham could have bragged about his righteous accomplishments before men, but not before God. His most fervent attempts at righteousness would have scored him no points with God. But Paul, quoting from the Old Testament book of Genesis, writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3, Genesis 16:6 ESV).

God reminds any Jews reading his letter that God had promised to make of Abraham a mighty nation, and yet, Abraham was old, and his wife was barren. Both Abraham and Sarah began to question God's promise. How could Abraham father a mighty nation if he couldn't have a son? Already advanced in years and with a barren wife, Abraham assumed his heir would have to be one of his household servants. But God told Abraham, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Genesis 15:4-5 NLT).

After this divine disclosure, God repeated His original promise to Abraham, and the Genesis account records, “he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 ESV).

It was Abraham's faith in God's promise that led to God's declaration of his righteous standing before Him; it had nothing to do with Abraham's works or efforts. In fact, Paul insists that when someone does labor, they deserve their wages as payment. Their wages are not a gift; they were earned. Then Paul points out the difference works worthy of remuneration and the gift of righteousness.

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. – Romans 4:5 NLT

Again, Paul turns to the Hebrew Scriptures to prove his point. Quoting Psalm 32:1-2, he writes, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:7-8 NLT).

Our forgiveness from God is a gift, unearned and undeserved. Our salvation is made possible by His Son's death, not by our good works. As Paul makes clear in Chapter Six, the only thing God owes man is death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 NLT

Our sins have earned us nothing but God's wrath, and yet He chose to provide a way of escape, a solution to our sin problem. He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and, in so doing, Jesus satisfied the wrath of God. When anyone places their faith in God's sole provision for salvation, the death and resurrection of His Son, they receive the gift of His righteousness. Their disobedience is forgiven, their sins are put out of sight, and their record of rebellion against God is cleared once and for all.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. – Romans 5:10-11 NLT

Father, what an incredible thought that we are now Your friends. Because of Jesus, we are no longer Your enemies, condemned by our sinfulness and incapable of doing anything to win back Your favor. Instead, we have placed our faith in Your Son’s death on our behalf and received the marvelous gift of salvation and restoration. We who were at one time deserving of death have been forgiven and offered the gift of eternal life. You owed us nothing but have given us everything. We deserved justice and judgment but received love, mercy, and grace instead. My prayer is the same as that of Paul. That we may have the power to understand, as all Your people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. And that we may experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

God’s Great Grace

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar. – Psalm 51:1-19 ESV

In 1910, Julia H. Johnston penned the words to the hymn “Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord.” They reflect her understanding of the unmerited grace God made available to sinners through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

That last line speaks volumes and echoes the sentiment expressed by David in this psalm. As the title of the psalm suggests, David wrote this well-known and oft-quoted song of praise after reflecting on the marvelous reality of God's grace in the face of unforgivable sin.

That God’s grace is greater than all our sins is a truth that is virtually impossible for us to comprehend. It’s difficult to fathom how a holy and completely righteous God could love us so much that He would be willing to extend us grace despite our consistent struggle with sin. But David had experienced this truth first-hand. Here in Psalm 51, he is dealing with the aftermath of his sin with Bathsheba. David was known as the man after God’s own heart and was the anointed king of Israel, yet he wrestled with the guilt and conviction of his affair with a married woman. As if that sin was not enough, when David discovered his illicit sexual tryst had produced a baby, he ordered the death of Bathsheba’s husband so that he might marry her and provide a more acceptable explanation for her pregnancy.

His was a sin of the first degree. It shocks even the most hardcore agnostic or atheist. These kinds of things are just not done in civilized society. But here is the leader of God’s chosen people confessing his guilt and willingly accepting God's just judgment.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
    and your judgment against me is just. – Psalm 51:4 NL

David opened his psalm with an admission of guilt and a plea for mercy. He describes the stain of his sin and the impurity of his guilt as barriers to God. He knew he was guilty, but he was counting on the fact that Yahweh was merciful and compassionate. 

Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins. – Psalm 51:1 NLT

He firmly believed that God was ready and willing to forgive his sin and restore him to a right relationship with Himself. He also knew that God was the only one who could provide restoration. So he cries out to God for mercy and appeals to God’s unfailing love. He asks God to show him compassion and begs for the stain of his sin to be removed. He pleads with God to wash him clean from his guilt and purify him from his sin.

David understood the depth of his sin and guilt. He had not attempted to excuse his actions or diminish his culpability. He owned his sin and confessed that he deserved God's just judgment. But this did not prevent him from crying out for God’s mercy and grace.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
    you have broken me—
    now let me rejoice. – Psalm 51:7-8 NLT

David was a broken man. Ever since his lust-fueled liaison with Bathsheba, he had been plagued by guilt and shame. His role in her husband’s death only stoked the flames of the raging condemnation that consumed his joy. When the prophet Nathan confronted the king about his sin, David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:14 NLT). And while Nathan assured David that God would forgive him, he warned that his sin would still be consequences.

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.” – 2 Samuel 12:13-14 NLT

The child was born but suffered from a deadly disorder. David fasted and prayed that God would spare the life of his son, but seven days later, the child died. This loss weighed heavily on David’s heart. Yet, David didn’t lash out at God in anger and resentment. He bore the brunt of God’s righteous wrath and cried out for restoration.

David knew that only God could make him clean. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but God certainly can. Only God could renew his broken heart and restore a sense of joy through His compassionate act of salvation. Only God could give him the ability to return to a life of obedience and righteousness.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you. – Psalm 51:12 NLT

David was at the mercy of God and found comfort in that fact. The key to David’s appeal to God was his understanding that God was looking for true repentance from a heart grieved over its mistreatment of God and His Word. David knew that his sin was ultimately against God, not Bathsheba or Uriah. He also knew that God was looking for godly sorrow and not just a false sense of remorse or regret. The apostle Paul explains what godly sorrow looks like in his letter to the Corinthian church.

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. – 1 Corinthians 7:9-10 NLT

The sacrifice God wanted from David had little to do with lambs, goats, blood, or offerings. But it had everything to do with a broken and contrite heart. A heart that is broken and crushed because it understands that it has offended a holy, yet loving and merciful God.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Psalm 51:16-17 NLT

God wanted sacrifices offered in the right spirit, with the right kind of heart behind them. David’s sin had been an affront to God, and that sin needed to bother him as much as it did God. It seems clear from this beautifully worded and bluntly honest psalm that David had come to grips with the weight of his sin and built. That is what led him to come before God in sorrow, repentance, openness, honesty, and complete reliance on God’s mercy and grace.

David had full confidence that God would hear and restore him because he knew that God was gracious, kind, loving, and merciful. David’s God was forgiving. His grace was greater than all of David’s sins – from the smallest to the largest. David’s sins of adultery and murder rank high on our scale of transgressions against God, and yet David found mercy, grace, and forgiveness even for these two heinous sins against God’s holiness. God’s grace really was greater than David’s worst sins. Long before Julie H. Johnston wrote the words of he own song of praise, David learned the powerful truth they contain.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Father, thank You that Your grace truly is greater than my sin. And because of Your grace I can receive forgiveness, cleansing. restored joy, and the constant assurance of Your unfading love. Too often, I begin to believe that my sin is greater than You are. I listen to the words of the enemy and begin to doubt the reality of Your forgiveness, grace, and mercy. He convinces me that I am undeserving and You are unrelenting in Your hatred for my transgressions. Help me to understand that Your love is never based on my loveliness or loveableness. Your grace and mercy are there because I need them, not because I deserve them. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Why Have I Found Favor?

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” – Ruth 2:8-13 ESV

When Boaz had arrived on the scene, he immediately noticed the young woman following behind his reapers in the field. He didn’t recognize her, so he asked his foreman who she was. He replied, “She’s the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab” (Ruth 2:6 NLT). He explained to Boaz how she had shown up and asked for permission to follow the harvesters and gather up any grain left on the grown. According to the foreman, Ruth had worked long and hard. “Since she arrived she has been working hard from this morning until now—except for sitting in the resting hut a short time” (Ruth 2:7 NLT). Whatever business had brought Boaz to the field that day suddenly took a back seat as he became intrigued with this young Moabite woman. There is no sense of sexual attraction or love at first sight in the passage. Boaz had simply heard the stories about his young lady and was fascinated to find her gleaning in his field. He had obviously been positively impacted by what he had heard about her loss and her commitment to accompany Naomi all the way back to Bethlehem. And now, here she was gathering grain in order to feed her mother-in-law. He later told Ruth:

“I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!” – Ruth 2:11-12 NLT

When Boaz first spoke to Ruth, he called her “daughter,” using the Hebrew term bath, which is a term of endearment. We know from Ruth 3:10 that Boaz was probably older than Ruth and so his use of this term makes sense. It was a common form of greeting used by older men to younger women. At this point in the story, it seems that Boaz’s interest in Ruth is purely platonic and he simply wants to show her compassion and do what he can to lighten the load she taken on of caring for her widowed mother-in-law. He gives her free reign to glean anywhere in his field and a guarantee of his personal protection.

The actions of Boaz leave Ruth a bit surprised. She is amazed at the incredible kindness and favor of Boaz. And yet, that very morning she had asked permission of Naomi, saying, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor” (Ruth 2:2 ESV). The Hebrew word she used was chen and it refers to grace, favor or acceptance. And yet, when Boaz treated her the way he did, she fell on her face before him and asked, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10 ESV). She used the same Hebrew word again. She had left that morning hoping to experience grace and favor, but she was surprised when she experienced it. It caught her off guard. After all, she was a foreigner. She was a widow. She was poor. Evidently, back in the land of Moab, the kind of response she had received from Boaz would have been rare or simply non-existent. The very fact that Boaz, a well-to-do Jew, would even acknowledge her presence, let alone show her favor, was mind-boggling to Ruth.

This story is reminiscent of another encounter between a Jewish man and a foreign woman. When Jesus was traveling through Samaria, He encountered a Samaritan woman drawing water at a well. He struck up a conversation with her, asking her for water. She too, was shocked that this Jewish man would notice her, let alone speak to her. She replied to Jesus, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans)” (John 4:9 ESV). Jews not only viewed Samaritans as foreigners, but as the lowest of the low. They despised them. And yet, here was Jesus, a Jew, asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. And just like Boaz, Jesus would go on to show this woman unexpected and undeserved favor, offering her “living water.” Jesus told her, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14 ESV). That woman’s life was radically and permanently changed that day. She became a believer in Jesus Christ and discovered the living water that would remove her unquenchable spiritual thirst once and for all.

Ruth too, was about to have her life changed. She was just beginning to experience what grace and favor look and feel like. She was a foreigner. She was poor and had nothing to offer Boaz by way of payment for his kindness. Not only that, Ruth was a Moabite, and as such, she was looked down upon and despised by the Jews. She was even forbidden to enter the assembly to worship the God of the Jews. This poor woman was destitute, defenseless, despised and in desperate need of mercy. And she would find it in Boaz.

As this story unfolds, we will see many similarities between the kindness, grace, and mercy of Boaz and that which we have received from Christ. In fact, Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians, that we were once in a very similar state as that of Ruth.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:11-13 NLT

The undeserved favor of God. Those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior have experienced it firsthand. And it is partially the result of Boaz showing favor to Ruth that our Savior was eventually born in Bethlehem, the city of David, as a descendant of Ruth and Boaz. As Boaz showed favor to Ruth, he was actually extending the favor of God to all mankind, paving the way for the arrival of the Messiah and His offer of living water.

Our Patient, Merciful God.

Isaiah, 29-30, 2 John

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. – Isaiah 30:18 ESV

In the midst of all of Israel's rebellion and stubborn refusal to honor God, God repeatedly called them to repentance. “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength’” (Isaiah 30:15 ESV). He made it clear what they had to do to receive rest and restoration. All He asked them to do was repent and return to Him. If they would simply be still and place their trust in Him, He would bless them. He would show mercy to them. But verses 15 goes on to say that they were unwilling. Rather than trust God, they relied on their own plans. “‘Ah, stubborn children,’ declares the Lord, ‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt’” (Isaiah 30:1-2 ESV). They were like children “unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord” (Isaiah 30:9 ESV). They refused to listen to what the prophets were telling them. They preferred to be told lies. It sounds familiar. Paul warned Timothy that this same scenario would exist in his day. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3 ESV). Paul described a day in which the sins of the people of Israel would be lived out again – in the life of the church. “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT).

What does this passage reveal about God?

The very fact that this planet still exists and the human race has not been completely obliterated by God speaks volumes about His patience, faithfulness, mercy and grace. He continues to watch as even those who call themselves by His name reject His will for them and refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty over them. In Isaiah's day, God accused the people of Israel of going through the motions spiritually – “…this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13 ESV). Jesus would quote this very passage when speaking to the religious leaders in His day. “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you…” (Matthew 15:7 ESV). God was not interested in religious rituals and acts of pious posturing. He wanted His people to show Him love through their faithful obedience to His commands. He wanted them to trust Him and to rely on His plan for them. Obedience is not just a matter of going through the motions. It is to involve the heart. It is to include the will. God had repeatedly told His people: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22 ESV). But in spite of the disobedience of His people, God has continued to show patient, faithful endurance. He has continued to pour out His grace and mercy. And He will faithfully fulfill each and every promise He has made to the people of Israel and to His Church.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Our capacity for stubbornness and disobedience is astounding. After all of God's blessings, the people of Israel still could not bring themselves to remain faithful to God. They even believed that they could hide their disobedience and unfaithfulness from Him. “Who sees us? Who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:15 ESV). God accused them of turning things upside down – of reversing the roles – making themselves the gods of their own lives. “You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say to its maker, ‘He did not make me’; of the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” (Isaiah 29:16 ESV). The apostle Paul would echo this thought in his letter to the believers in Rome: “Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20 NLT). What arrogance and pride we can exhibit as God's creation. How easy it is to forget the one who made us. How quickly we can forget the grace and mercy of God that led us out of darkness into the light. Peter reminds us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV). Like the people of Israel, we owe all that we have to God. Our very existence as His people is due to His love, kindness, mercy and grace. And yet, how easy it is for us to return His unmerited favor with disobedience, stubbornness, and a willful rejection of His will for our lives.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

In John's second epistle, he commends his readers for “walking in the truth” (2 John 4 ESV). He encourages them to continue obeying the command of Christ to love one another. He wanted them to live out their faith in real life, even in the midst of false teaching and daily difficulties. God had been faithful to them and he wanted them to remain faithful to God by abiding in the teaching of Christ. As Christ followers, we must never forget that God has showered us with His mercy and grace. He has placed us into His family and made us His children and heirs. He has promised us an eternity with Him free from sin, pain, sorrow and death. All He asks is that we remain faithful to Him while we wait for the final fulfillment of His plan. He tells us the same thing He told the people of Israel in Isaiah's day: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15 NLT). While we wait on Him, we must rest in Him. He must trust Him. We must abide in Him. He calls out to us, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 ESV). He knows what He is doing. He is patiently, graciously working out His plan. And we must patiently, faithfully trust Him.

Father, forgive me for abusing Your mercy and grace. Forgive me for taking Your mercy and grace for granted. I would be nothing without You. I have no right to question Your authority over my life. I have no reason to question Your faithful love and sovereignty in my life. Help me learn to continually return to You and find my rest in You. Amen