Friday, November 27, 2020

Orange Moon "Forgiven Forever, Faithful Forever"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe… 

 

"Forgiven Forever, Faithful Forever"

 

    "For the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations" (Psalm 100:5).

 

   Perpetual mercy and truth flow from God's perfect goodness.  The former references His great desire to forgive rather than condemn.  The latter assures us that His character, nature, and ways do not change.  

 

    "For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive" (Psalm 86:5).

    "I am the Lord.  I change not" (Malachi 3:6).

 

   When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, God bestows a mercy of pardon He promises never to rescind.  Indeed, He does not place the sins of Christians on our account.  "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Romans 4:8).  He rather relates to us as a loving Father, meaning He will certainly administer discipline as necessary in our times of waywardness.  "Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:6).  Never, however, must we be concerned that He will unforgive, as it were, sins God deems as forever atoned for by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.  The goodness of enduring truth accompanies the goodness of everlasting mercy.  "God shall send forth His mercy and His truth" (Psalm 57:3).

 

     This security of relationship with God through Christ, rightly understood in the light of Scripture, bestows the only solid foundation for faith and faithfulness available to human hearts.  A lesser salvation could never motivate genuine and abiding love for God, based on His genuine and abiding love for us.  "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).  The faithfulness of His truth must accompany the forgiveness of His  mercy if we are to have any hope whatsoever.  Only in the Lord Jesus do we find this blessed union that promises eternal relationship with God for all who receive His saving grace.  "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:10).

 

   The believer's relationship with God rests solely and forever on the Person and work of the Lord Jesus on our behalf.  "Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (I Corinthians 1:30).  So long as it remains true that "Christ died for our sins" and that "He ever liveth to make intercession for them," our sins will remain forgiven and our relationship with God secure (I Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 7:25).  Upon this solid rock of assurance, we first kneel in wonder.  Then we arise to walk in the worship that fosters joyous gratitude, but also the solemn determination that we cannot take advantage of the grace that comes freely to us, but which cost our God far more than we will ever know.  Yes, mercy flows from Calvary upon the floodtides of truth.  Forgiven forever, this is the assurance of mercy and truth that alone motivates our desire to be faithful forever to our God whose goodness can never be fully fathomed.

 

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

(Psalm 23:6)

 

Weekly Memory Verse

   In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

(I Thessalonians 5:18)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6082

 

No comments: