New Mercies Prevent Condemnation
There is nothing quite like a new start. One of my favorite verses in the Bible that speaks about newness is Lamentations 3:22-24: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
Mercies refer to goodness and kindness. Because of God’s lovingkindness, Israel would not face full punishment.
Compassion is a deeply emotional sympathy, and it is an expression of love. God’s merciful act of temporarily holding back the full weight of His judgment against Israel allowed more people to be saved. Instead of condemnation, God offered salvation and deliverance. Condemnation would be a necessity because the wages of sin is death. Salvation would be an offer of love and desire on God’s part.
God’s Desire To Bless Not Condemnation
1 Peter 3:9 reminds us that “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” And 1 Timothy 2:4 explains that God, “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
God’s mercies, that are new every day, are the result of the compassion He feels toward us. This emotion is rooted in love. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Because of love, God willingly allowed the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ in order to pay for our sins. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Created To Be Blessed
God created us to bless us, not to condemn or destroy us. Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
The answer to the question, “Why did God create us?” is found in this verse: We were created for His own good pleasure. The secret to truly appreciating the profound insight in the verse is in understanding the pleasure of God.
The pleasure of God is determined by who He is. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
The Bible describes the love of God as a compassion and care for others greater than for self. God demonstrated His love in offering His Son. Jesus demonstrated His love by offering Himself. John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
What did Jesus do? He died. Why? To pay for the debts of our sins. He sacrificed Himself. He suffered horrible torture and humiliation for us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes love as charity: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.”
The characteristics of love—longsuffering, kindness, humility, selflessness, patience, righteousness, truthfulness, endurance, hope, unfailing nature, and self-sacrifice—reflect the pleasure of God. He possesses and manifests all these qualities. For this reason, God created us: to demonstrate His love and to shower us with blessings of kindness; this is what pleases Him.
New Mercies Everyday
God loves us so much that He shows us mercy every day. Each day is a new beginning, offering us the chance to be blessed by the mercies of God rather than facing His curses.
God must judge sin because it is the right thing to do. He is just and righteous, and He will judge sin. However, His desire is to give us every opportunity to receive His blessings rather than His judgment. With longsuffering compassion, He chooses to show mercy before He shows judgment.
Because God is love, He is compassionate. Because He is compassionate, He is merciful. Because He is merciful, He offers the loving, free gift of salvation. Because of this free gift, we can have hope instead of despair.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh God our Father!
Enjoy the mercies of God every day, and with each new day show your gratitude to God for His merciful love by showing your devotion to Him and expressing the characteristics of newness in yourself of longsuffering, kindness, humility, selflessness, patience, righteousness, truthfulness, endurance, hope, unfailing nature, and self-sacrifice. In other words, make God’s pleasure your pleasure, and you will live in an abundance of pleasure.
