Just as a teabag releases its flavor into the water, God’s grace permeates our lives when we spend time with Him. The more we immerse ourselves in His Word and prayer, the more we experience the fullness of His grace. However, it’s essential to balance our time with God. Overemphasis on one aspect of spiritual life, such as prayer or Bible study, can lead to spiritual burnout or a distorted understanding of God’s grace.
Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a deep and abiding relationship with God, allowing His grace to transform us into the people He intends us to be.
Because God desires an intimate relationship with us, He extends His mercy daily and provides a way for us to be close to Him through Christ.
God’s mercy refreshes every morning and never ceases all day (Lamentations 3:22, ESV).
According to the Firm Learning Center, the Hebrew word for mercy, hesed, means unconditional love and demonstrates God’s faithful, unfailing love toward us. It is a multifaceted, precious word that goes beyond a simple definition to the core and lovingkindess of God’s character.
Mercy is not just an emotion of showing compassion but an act of undeserved kindness and withholding warranted punishment. In comparison, grace grants unmerited favor – a gift from God (Rom. 3:24, ESV).
Mercy is part of God’s Holy character – a defining quality – of His passionate and undeserved loyalty to a disobedient people (New Living Translation Study Bible).
We see an example of God’s magnificent mercy on display as He patiently extends His hands to all people. In Romans, Paul quotes Isaiah to show that the Gospel message is for everyone. Even though Israel rebelled against God, He still extended His hands to them, inviting them to be saved. The prophecy in Isaiah has been fulfilled, to say that Gentiles who did not seek after God have experienced His saving promises (Rom. 10:20-21; Is. 65-1-2, ESV).
The people of Israel, who had lost their spiritual and moral bearings, sought answers for ways to please God. They were given a concrete answer through Micah. As God had already made known to so many before them, humility, faith, and obedience are the things that please Him.
In addition, God wants His children to walk humbly in faith before Him. Walking with God demonstrates an intimate relationship that transforms how we relate to others. This was exemplified by Moses (Numbers 12:3; Habakkuk (Hab. 3:17-19), Daniel (Dan.9:1-19), and Ezra (9:5-15 NLT). The NLT Study Bible explains that genuine spirituality and devotion to God involve doing good, seeking justice, relieving oppression, defending orphans, and aiding widows—the marks of God’s character that we are called to imitate.
This leads me to the well-known verse that answers the Israelites’ question of what the Lord requires: “To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, ESV, Emphasis added).
The NLT Translation:
“To do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NLT, Emphasis added).
In other words, God does not require ritualistic worship but a genuine regard for Him and others, demonstrated by doing good (what is right), being kind, and walking with Him. When we walk with God, our relationships with others improve organically (NLT Study Bible).
“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thes. 3:5, ESV, Emphasis added).
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4, ESV, Emphasis added).
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14, ESV, Emphasis added).
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