This is week 5 of us studying A Living Hope. I am so glad you are here. If you have missed any of the other weeks, you can catch up here by reading A Living Hope, A New Heart, A New Hope, and A New Covenant.
I love this opportunity to study Our Living Hope we have in Christ because I love to reflect, grow and learn more about Christ all the time. One of the most amazing things to me is that no matter how many times you have read Scripture because it is a living document based on a living God, it is always new and fresh.
My hope here is not necessarily that I always teach you something new but that you are encouraged to continue to dive into God’s Word and look at it with fresh eyes. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that God’s Word is living and active. How awesome that God can breathe fresh life into it every time we open it.
One thing God can do is also breathe fresh life into is us.
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV) When I was a teacher, I taught special education. One thing I always did was let my kids start over every time they walked into my door. They may have had a bad day or a bad half-hour, but on the next day, we started over. New day, new class, a new beginning.
I cannot say that I intentionally did this or if it was just who I was as a teacher. But the key to that was two-fold. If I held onto every little thing they did it and never gave them new chances, sometimes by the minute, it would have consumed me and it would have consumed them. There would have been no survivors.
These verses in Lamentations are so great at pointing at God’s great love and faithfulness toward us.
I know there are days that I do nothing but utterly fail. I mess up as a mom, as a wife, as a sister, as a friend, as a child of the king of kings. I say I am never going to do… again. Then ten minutes later I find myself doing just that.
But God does something amazing. He doesn’t just push a buzzer.
AAAAAAAAAARG! He doesn’t just say you failed and drop the floor out from underneath you.
Hear this carefully. God provides you with new mercies every morning.
He is not waiting for you to walk through the door so He can slam it shut and yell get out.
He has compassions that NEVER fail. They are new EVERY morning.
Sometimes we get on ourselves. We don’t think that we deserve God’s love and sometimes feel we are unlovable and unworthy of God’s love or anyone else’s love.
Mercy means we don’t get what we do deserve. This verse says, without God’s great love, we would be consumed. The short definition of this word is finished. We would be finished. That is what we deserve.
But…Because of God’s great and loving kindness, He gives us the mercy. He doesn’t just finish us off when we fail in epic proportions. He shows us compassion and offers it fresh every morning.
The reason God shows us this undeserving love is not based on us. It is based on who He is. It is based on His character. He is merciful. He is the God of great love. His love is loyal and good.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5. (NIV)
The reward is ours. He doesn’t just stop at not consuming us. He makes us alive. Because of Him. Because of His death on the cross and resurrection we, too, are able to pass from death to life.
Life in Christ does not just become effective when we are dead. Ephesians says God made us alive by grace through faith. It doesn’t end there because we are not just living here on this earth. We are given Christ as our portion. Our hope is in Him. Since He is our portion we can rest our hearts on the things not yet seen. He is an eternal God.
His faithfulness. His glory. His Love for us. His compassion. His loyalty is eternal. Never-ending. Never-failing, Eternal Love of God. That is our portion.
Because today it is a new day. You have been offered something new. What are you going to do with it?
Personal Reflections:
Do you give yourself new mercies every morning just as Christ gives to you?
How do you choose to celebrate Christ as your portion?
How does looking at life from an eternal perspective change your life or do you often find yourself focused on the things that are still seen?
What part of your life do you need God to pour new mercies on today? Do you actually believe He can and will take care of that part of your life? Do you need to relinquish anything you have been holding onto?
Before you go, if you would like to read my testimony from last week’s testimony tour, read it here. The Testimony Tour: The Prodigal Daughter Returns.
Thank you so much for joining me. It is always humbling to be standing before God sharing His great love for each one of us. If you have questions or would like to talk further about taking you relationship with Christ to the next level, you can email me at youresewtrendy@gmail.com
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This week’s featured friend is Linda from Being Woven. As God weaves thoughts, prayers, andHimself into Linda’s heart she weaves them onto the pages of her blog. She has a lovely space where she shares God’s Word. She also has a series for caregivers called Giving Care God’s Way. Thank you so much for joining us, Linda. I am glad you are here!
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Oh YES! New mercies – I am so grateful because I've already used up all of yesterday's!!! Thanks for the linkup.
I look forward to Wednesday's here, Jaime. And I'm working on Psalm 92 that tells me I need to declare His lovingkindess in the morning and His faithfulness every night. He gives us so much to declare!
I literally was on the floor last night speaking Lamentaions out loud. I was sinking in self pity mode and had to check myself. This was such a conferming word for me. Thank you for posting!
I'm so enjoying this series, Jaime. It's been perfect for Lenten reflection. Today's post is so encouraging and insightful. With your thought-provoking, introspective questions at the end, I'm printing this one out for further study and reflection. Thanks, friend – have a blessed week!
Jaime, Jaime, thank you so much for featuring Being Woven this week…wow…out of 77! I feel honored and blessed and surprised! Thanks for also sharing about he caregiving series as it gets hidden there as I am not writing about that currently.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Jaime- I'm enjoying your series and coming here and seeing the purple tulips (my favorite).
Have a great week!
I always tell my students a golf term that I used (They laugh when I tell that I am a horrible golfer), it is called FIDO (Forget It, Drive On) when I hit a bad shot and I also tell them this saying: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now."
Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend.
Thanks so much for hosting!
Such sweet encouragement, Jaime! Thank you so much! And thanks for the thought provoking questions at the end. Do I give myself fresh mercies each day? Do I give others? Definitely something to pray about as I ponder God's incomprehensible mercy and grace to me. Blessings to you, my friend.