THE MIRACLE OF GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE MIRACLE OF GRACE!

Memory verse: “They refused to obey, and they were mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage: But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.” (Nehemiah 9 vs 17.)

READ: Nehemiah 9 vs 26 - 31:

9:26: Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast Your law behind their backs, and killed Your prophets who testified against them to turn them to Yourself, and they wrought great provocations.

9:27: Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who oppressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard from heaven; and according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

9:28: But after they had rest, they again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard them from heaven; and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies.

9:29: And testified against them, that You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed to Your commandments, but sinned against Your judgments, ‘which if a man do, he shall live in them,’ And they shrugged their shoulders, and stiffened their neck, and would not hear.

9:30: Yet For many years You had patience with them, and testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; therefore You gave  them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

9:31: Nevertheless in Your great mercies You did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful.

 

INTIMATION:

The “miracle of grace” is the marvelous and profound nature of God’s unmerited favour and mercy to humanity. God is ever-Merciful, ever-Faithful, Loving, and outstandingly Kind. This nature of God is inherent in His attitude of clemency. God extends grace far beyond the usual time by waiting or enduring without complaint or reprisal. The Scripture says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (First Peter 3 vs 9,)

The Scripture, in emphasizing God’s nature, says, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty" (Exodus 43 vs 6 - 7) “By no means clearing the guilty” simply means that God will not ordinarily write off or forgive any sin, you remain guilty until you have repented and come to Him for forgiveness, and He will forgive you. In His kindness God holds back His judgement, giving people time to repent. It is easy to mistake God's patience for approval of wrong way we are living. 

God pardons completely and gives up punishment for all sins and never bring up the offenses again. He withholds punishment deserved by us and gives us His kindness in excess. God's mercy is everlasting and total. The Scripture says, "Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindness, For they are from of old. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies" (Psalms 25 vs 6 & 10.)

In the passage we read today, after exiled Israelites returned and rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem led by Nehemiah, the Israelites assembled with fasting to confess their sins. They gave a long summary of Israel’s history summarizing God’s work in their lives. Israel was devastated by times of intense rebellion and sin. Yet often the people repented and returned to God, He delivered them. The miracle of the grace of God, allowed them to come severally for forgiveness and God forgave them. 

Seeing how God continued to be with His people shows that His patience is amazing! In spite of our repeated failing, pride, and stubbornness, He is always ready to forgive, and His Spirit is always ready to instruct. God puts no limit on the number of times we can come to Him to obtain mercy, but we must come in order to obtain it; recognizing our need and asking Him to help. This miracle of grace should inspire us to say, “O Lord, You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, ever loving Father”! 

Always take advantage of the “miracle of grace”; if there is a recurring problem or difficulty in your life, continue to ask God for help, and be willing and ready to make changes in your attitude and behavior that will correct that situation. God is ever willing to receive us as we come—our Loving Father!

Realizing the extent of God’s forgiveness helps us forgive those who fail us, even ‘seventy times seven’ if necessary: “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I did not say up to seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18 vs 21 - 22)

The Jewish religious teachers then taught that people should forgive those who offend them—but only three times. Peter trying to be especially generous, asked Jesus if seven (the “perfect” number) was enough times to forgive someone. But Jesus answered, “Seventy times seven,” meaning that we shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive someone. We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask.“ This miracle of grace” is God’s nature, and is yardstick for us. 

Jesus said, “Take heed yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents , forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Luke 17 vs 3 - 4.) The implication of Jesus’ teaching here shows that it doesn’t matter how many times someone offends you, if the person comes repeatedly, as many times as you are offended, and asks for forgiveness, you must forgive. That is being godly; showcasing the nature of God—His profound nature of abounding in mercy.

To rebuke does not mean to point out every sin we see; it means to bring sin to a person’s attention with the purpose of restoring him or her to God and to fellow humans. When you feel you must rebuke another Christian for sin, check your attitudes before you speak. Do you love that person? Are you willing to forgive? Unless rebuke is tied to forgiveness, it will not help the sinning person.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are gracious and merciful, ready to pardon, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and ever loving! I desire the impartation of Your wonderful and marvelous nature in my life. Endue me with the spirit to live like You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!