Mercy and Grace

Mercy is when you don't get what you deserve. Grace is when you get more than you deserve.

You know very often we use words like Gods Grace and mercy loosely and without giving the words much thought, as if they were the same thing. These words on closer inspection take on two very different meanings.

I am a sinner and deserve to die but God showed me mercy by forgiving me of my sins. However it doesn't stop there and this is the incredible thing about Grace. He also gives us much more! Psalm 23 says "...my cup runneth over". We don't just get pardon for sins but we also receive blessing way beyond what we deserve. That is what grace is.

It is very possible to live in Gods mercy and yet not live in the fullness of his grace. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 12 says "see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many". God wants to show us more of his grace and it increases every day of our lives. I can say that today I have experienced more of Gods grace than I did any other day of my life. The reason I can say this is because we grow in grace and knowledge. It says so in 2 Peter 3:18.

So how to we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord? Well the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and so I suggest we start to pray for wisdom. Prov 8:35 says "whoever finds me (wisdom) finds life and receives favor (grace) from the Lord".

Next weeks lectures cover the topic 'Fear of the Lord' so yippee this is all well timed. God is good.