Oh, Sweet Mercy!

Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

Sin in disguise

Sometimes we try to do God's job. He certainly uses us as instruments, but we often forget that we are all peers when it comes to needing His grace. Many times as followers of Christ we fall into the trap of unforgiveness. Next time you find yourself pointing out someones offenses be sure to keep it in the perspective of grace. Let God handle the justice.

On our side...

Are we not all thieves, whores, orphans, runaways? And yet He loves us. He died for us. He defeated death for us. Hallelujah!

"You Are on Our Side"
Bethany Dillon

The orphan clings to Your hand
Singing the song of how he was found
The widow rejoices
For her oppressors are silenced now

You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
When You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side

The runaway falls at Your feet
You are what he has searched for
The rich man is broken
When he stands beneath a sky full of stars

You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
When You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side

Self-Pity vs. Humility

I sometimes confuse humility with self-pity. When confronted with various trials I take some twisted pleasure in self-loathing. I allow the devil to convince me that I am worthless and that my existence is pointless. But this response to any kind of trial is, at the very core, selfish and sinful. You see, my response, being self-focused, assumes that I can solve or eliminate whatever trial it is that I am facing on my own (be it stress at work, illness, relational conflict). But that is simply not so. If I rely on my human abilities in order to face a difficult situation I set myself up for defeat. When I rely on my own very limited ability, then I can do little more than to behold a trial and be conquered by it. If I focus on my suffering rather than on salvation, then surely I will be discouraged to the point of surrender. It is not humble to dwell in self-pity. It is just stupid and sinful.

However, if I focus on the salvation in Jesus Christ, rather than on my suffering, then I will be reminded that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:36-39)

Brothers and sister's, I want to encourage you to focus on your salvation when you are in the face of suffering. Be centered on Christ and what He has done, rather than on what you cannot do! Do not slip into the pit of self-pity! It's really gross down there. You can't breath. You can't see. You can't think. Don't go there! Instead, look up! Look up to the cross. Look up to the empty tomb! Look up to Jesus Christ, seated by the Father! Look up to our Savior, our Creator, our Lover, our Kind and Good and Gentle Redeemer! Cling to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord!

C.J. Mahaney, a pastor in Maryland, discusses this topic in his book "Humility: True Greatness." You can download the audio book for free by following this link.

Resting

Our precious friend Shelly recorded this hymn for her most recent album "A Hymn Project" (check out her website here). I have been learning so much about resting, truly resting in Christ Jesus. From Mom's diagnosis, throughout her illness, at the moment of her death, and throughout the past few months of life without her our entire family has had no choice but to learn to rest in His Providence.

What does it mean to rest in Christ? How are you all learning to rest in Christ? Please share and comment! How has the gospel become manifested in your life so that you might learn to rest in Christ? I need encouragement to learn how to better rest in Christ.



p.s.

Re-read Psalm 23. I know that you probably have it memorized, but I mean, really read it. We recite it blankly so often without earnestly considering it. It is a precious picture of what it is to rest in Christ Jesus.