Word Devotion: July 4, 2014 - Mark 2:17 GODS EXTRAVAGANT MERCY (from Chris Tiegreen, At His Feet) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. What was in the mind of God when He came up with this plan? We will never know the fullness of His thoughts. But consider the oddity of a righteous and a holy God who bypasses those who have tried to clean themselves up in order to demonstrate grace to those who have not. Consider the mystery of a God who creates a race that He fully knows will collapse into rebellion and depravity, simply so He can redeem that race. Ponder the wisdom behind a creation so thoroughly lost that only those who know their lostness are eligible to be found. WHO MAY KNOW THE MIND OF THIS GOD? We can not completely understand the reason behind this strange creation. For centuries, perplexed philosophers have contemplated the mystery of evil and few answers, if any, have satisfied. But imagine the counsel within the Holy Trinity before the foundation of the world. WE KNOW GOD CREATED US THAT HE MIGHT BE KNOWN. But known how? In a perfect world, He could have demonstrated His power, His purity, His wisdom, His creativity - all of His attributes. Except one. MERCY. How can a merciful God be known in a perfect world? He can not. The imperfect had to come. Application: God desires to be known in His mercy. Not just mercy, in fact, but extravagant mercy. Incomprehensibly extravagant mercy. Mind-boggling mercy. The kind of mercy that bridges such a vast expanse that those who see it are compelled to fall on their faces in gratitude and worship. DO YOU KNOW THIS MERCY? Let us sit with the tax collectors and sinners at this table and drink it in. Let the Pharisees grumble. We are learning the mind of God. Prayer: Dear God, we do not always see clearly, but on a clear day we catch glimpses of the breadth of Your love and the depth of Your kindness. We do not always see how bereft of life and meaning we are in and by ourselves. But on a clear day, we crave for the inexplicable and the so much more. Indeed, we can never know what this is have You not created within us a deep-seated longing for You. Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. In Jesus, we start seeing like never before. Love with no conditions, but love that expects the best of us. How merciful You are indeed!
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 00:26:35 +0000
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