Justice, Mercy, and Grace

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love.
He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.
He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
Psalm 103:8-14 HCSB

“Justice is getting what you deserve.
Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve.
Grace is getting what you DON’T deserve”
– Chuck Smith

As I read this passage I was struck by God’s mercy and grace.  Using Chuck Smith’s quote I divided the verses into two categories…Mercy and Grace.

Mercy – withheld punishment
*slow to anger – verse 8
*He will not always accuse us or be angry forever – verse 9
*He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses – verse 10

Grace – unmerited favor
*The Lord is compassionate and gracious, and rich in faithful love – verse 8
*For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him – verse 11
*As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us – verse 12
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him – verse 13

These are the characteristics of God.  As I continued to study this passage a thought kept re-ocurring:  “This is how God deals with me. Is this how I deal with others?”  OUCH!  Here is what I mean:

“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1 (HCSB)…yet, how often are we so quick to condemn others sins? (and often ignore our own.)

“I, even I, am He Who blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 (AMP)…yet, how long do we nurse our hurts, our anger or hold a grudge?

“And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved.” Job 33:27 (NIV)…yet, how often do we seek retaliation or revenge when we have been wounded?

Now look at these verses:

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you?
Romans 2:4 NLT

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me
as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners.
I Timothy1:16a NLT

So I have to ask myself some hard questions—

• Do I exhibit the patience and grace God has shown me?
• Do I offer compassion and love to those around me.
• Am I forgiving and merciful?

I wish I could answer a resounding YES to these questions. I can not—not in every case. But I can praise God for these qualities I see in Him. I can seek His help as I strive to demonstrate such qualities in my own life. It is the very least I can do, considering all He has done for me.

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Lord, I humbly come before You today, thanking You for being so patient with me. Your mercy and grace are beyond limits. Aid me in reflecting Your character to those around me. Remind me when I am tempted to fall back on my human emotions of all You have done for me. May my life bring honor and glory to You. In Your precious name I ask this, AMEN – It Is So!

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