God’s Active Mercy

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Perhaps you’ve heard or read the story that happened long ago, in a land far away…

There was an old man in a small village, a Christ follower. He also had the reputation for receiving direct messages from God. One day another Christian came through that village—a Christian haunted by his past. People told him about the old man and one day, he met him.  He wanted to make sure the old man was “legit,” so he gave him a test question, “I am a Christian, but for years I have been carrying the guilt of a terrible sin. The next time you talk to God, would you please ask him to tell you what that terrible sin was?” 

The old man agreed.

The next day, the two met again. “Did you talk to God last night?” 

“Yes, I did,” said the old man. 

“Did you ask him to tell you about my terrible sin?” 

“Yes, I did,” the old man replied.

“And what did God tell you?”

In a strong, clear voice the old man answered, “He told me to tell you that He doesn’t remember.”

I don’t think we fully understand the forgiving mercy of God. Perhaps it’s because we often cling to the painful memories of our past sins, and presume that God does too. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In His active mercy, God determined to wash away our sins of disobedience once and for all.  How, you ask? In His active mercy, He spilled the blood of His dear Son. Then, in His active mercy, He raised Him from death’s curse to assure that the guilt of our sin is gone—not only from our record, but also from His memory. It’s just as God said through the prophet Jeremiah, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” [Jeremiah 31:34b].

That’s God’s active mercy. Believe it, dear Christ follower because it is ours through faith in Jesus Christ.

…You who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy… Romans 11:30