New every morning

The unexpected snow day brought along another delivery....my new devotional, "Whiter than Snow". I took some time to read the introduction to the book as I'm so excited to dive into my journey with Mercy. The very first page was the first to catch my eye,

"I have lived it and I know that it is true....Your mercies are new every morning!"

What a great reminder. When I go through this life and time and time again mess up in ways that I know to be sinful, I beat myself up so much. I ask myself why I can't seem to get it right. Why can't I live a life that is pure and blameless and holy in His eyes? Why is it so hard for me? The answer was right there on the first few pages of this book. I'm hoping the rest of the book speaks to me just as these words have. Maybe they will help you make sense of some things too....

"The characters of the Bible, even the ones we tend to think of as heroes, were broken and

flawed people. They, like us, were all sinners and , like us, needed to be rescued by God's

grace. 'Rescued from what?' you might ask. Just like us, they need to be

rescued from themselves......When you read about David and all the war between nations that surrounded David's reign, it would be tempting to think that David's biggest

enemy was the warring nation around him. But what this story (Psalm 51) demonstrates

is that David carried his most powerful enemy around with him.

The enemy is called sin." Paul David Tripp

Wow! No matter how many times I am reminded of the great enemy we have in sin, I am amazed at it's power over us. What is so important to remember though, is that God's mercy and grace triumph over our sin! He is there waiting for you with open arms, mercies new EVERY MORNING, forgiving and wiping the slate clean. I don't know about you but that relieves me of so much burden I had carried around from my past. Every morning God greets us with love and says, "Today is a new day. Let's live it to the fullest!" Just remember that, and live it for HIM!! Don't take His gift lightly. He paid for it with a heavy price. He gave the life of his own Son so that His mercies could wipe you clean as snow! Look at the snow outside and see how white it is. Your soul is that white and pure because of his mercy. Take it and rest sweet one!

I live to know You more!

"He has showed you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8



Why would God want so much for us to love mercy? Thinking back on the definition, how could you not love someone being merciful towards you?! It's a gift of forgiveness, something we don't deserve but we get anyway. Why wouldn't I love that....oh wait....I get it. He wants us to love mercy and SHOW MERCY to others!! That must be the very reason he grouped these three words together in the verse.....justly...mercy...humbly. We are to consider others better than ourselves and deserving of our mercy. We are to be just and fair, while humbly reminding ourselves that it's not always about US! There is so much more to being a child of the Lord than just accepting the love, forgiveness, and acceptance He gives to us. It's about what we can give to others as well to show His love to all who may not know Him. Some people aren't so lucky to know the One we call Father and Friend. In order to help them draw nearer to Him, we need to show them what His love, justice, mercy, and humble heart look like. They need to see Him in us. Stick out from the crowd. Don't do things just like everyone else. Sometimes you may feel you stand alone as a believer....but remember that you stand on the solid rock of Christ.



Take some time and listen to the song on my playlist called "I Live to Know You More". It's a beautiful song that reminds us of why we are here on this earth, what our purpose. The best line that sums up the song is this...."Your kingdom is established as I live to know you more!" The kingdom of God doesn't just form on it's own. It comes from our example. We must live to serve Him, love Him, and Worship Him. This is the only way others will see Christ and His mercy through us and long to do the same! Make your life count!!

My Journey through Mercy

I am thrilled and waiting anxiously for the package that will be arriving in the mail for me in a few short weeks. I searched Amazon.com for books on Mercy to find a devotional dedicated to this topic since it is my word of the year. This is what I found. It's called "Whiter than Snow; reflections on sin and mercy". It's a devotioal that examines how David waited on God to feel His mercy and love in the midst of the sinfulness of his life. My hope is to spend the 52 days, one chapter a day, diving deeper and deeper into the concept of God's mercy. I have a feeling that I will find that I knew very little about the topic that I should have a detailed understanding of by now in my walk.

This morning in church we examined that topic by talking about how God does not want us to live our life with our regrets driving our thoughts and emotions. We all have things that we wish we did differently, but God wishes for us to go BEYOND our sin and mistakes to find the grace and MERCY He is extending to us. If we do that, our sin does not shape and define who we are, His love does. The pastor made the statement that our circumstances do not decide how much God loves us. His love for us extends beyond anything we can imagine.

Have you found your word for the year yet? I'm looking forward to exploring it further! Amazingly, it seems, wherever I go, God is illustrating His mercy to me left and right. It's so obvious that this is the word He desired me to explore for the year. I guess I am more in need of mercy than I realize! Aren't we all?!