Know His mercy.

"…The LORD, The LORD God, merciful …"

Exodus 34:6

God is merciful even to the undeserving. We see this expressed in the life of Cain after he killed his brother Abel. God said to him in Genesis 4:11-12, "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." When Cain heard this he pleaded for mercy saying, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me." Genesis 4:13-14.

To reveal how merciful God is even to the undeserving, God said in Genesis 4:15, "Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." God in His mercy was still willing to preserve the life of someone who just killed someone else because he pleaded for mercy.

How much more will He give mercy to his children? If someone as wicked as Cain could obtain mercy from the Lord, no one who is truly born again should continue to live in condemnation and fear because of deeds done in ignorance when he was an unbeliever.

The reason why some Christians believe that God is punishing them today for something they did many years ago before they got saved is that they do not yet understand and see God as merciful. If you are such a Christian still struggling with condemnation, this is what the Lord says to you, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no -more." Hebrews 8:12. Let God be true and the devil with his accusations against you be a lie.

Instruction.

In your own words today, thank Him for all the ways He has been merciful towards you.

For further study read:

Psalm 89:1, Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 86:15.

Doing the Word

Sing of His mercies.