God's Tender Mercies

Today I have been meditating on God’s tender mercies -

Ps 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Various dictionaries describe mercy as: A kind or forgiving attitude towards somebody that you have the power to harm or right to punish. Kindness in Excess of what may be expected or demanded by Fairness; a Disposition to Forgive; Forbearance and Compassion.

Bible Dictionary: “The Outward Manifestation of Compassion.” God’s mercy is a multifaceted aspect of His nature and will for all mankind. God’s mercy is designed to help those in need. Mercy is compassion for those in trouble, even if the trouble is of their own making, or their own fault.

Pastor Warren Wiersbe said this concerning the difference between Grace and Mercy: “God’s Grace gives us What we Do not Deserve, While God’s Mercy Does Not Give us What we Do Deserve.”

God’s mercy is wonderful – His tender mercies are totally over the top!!

Tender mercies are “very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Liahona, May 2005, 99–102

Ex. 25:22 – the Lord is even seated in mercy!!

Here are some characteristics of God’s tender mercies:

• The Lord has made His tender mercies available forever (Ps. 25:6)

• The Lord keeps His tender mercies close to His people (Ps. 39:12)

• The Lord turns His love towards us because of His tender mercies (Ps. 69:16)

• The Lord sends His tender mercies swiftly to His people (Ps. 79:8)

• The Lord crowns, dignifies and beautifies our lives with His tender mercies (Ps. 103:4)

• The Lord surrounds our lives with His tender mercies (Ps. 119:77)

• The Lord has very many great tender mercies (Ps. 119:156)

• The Lord covers all of His creation with His tender mercies (Ps. 145:9)

• The Lord is moved to compassion because of the multitude of His tender mercies (Lam. 3:32)

• The Lord has visited us through the birth of Jesus because of His tender mercies (Lu. 1:78)

• The Lord calls us to pursue one another and deal with one another according to God’s tender mercies (Phil. 1:8; 2:1)

• The Lord is full of tender mercies (Jas. 5:11)

Now the Lord calls us - His people, to put on tender mercies - to wear God's mercies like a cloak (Col. 3:12) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering

I think if we were clothed in His tender mercies, we would stop shooting our own wounded, and the world would see so much more of Christ in us!

Puritan Prayers

Here is one more of those wonderful and deep Puritan Prayers found in the little book: "The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions"

This is such a lovely way to end the evening...

The Prayer of Love

Gracious Lord,

Thy name is love, in love receive my prayer.

My sins are more that the wide sea's sand,

but where sin abounds, there is grace more abundant.

Look to the cross of thy beloved Son, and view the preciousness of his atoning blood;

Listen to his never-failing intercession,

and whisper to my heart, 'Thy sins are forgiven, be of good cheer, lie down in peace.'

Grace cataracts from heaven and flows forever,

and mercy never wearies in bestowing benefits.

Grant me more and more to prize the privilege of prayer,

to come to thee as a sin-soiled sinner,

to find pardon in thee, 

to converse with thee;

to know thee in prayer as

   the path in which my feet tread,

   the latch upon the door of my lips,

   the light that shines through my eyes,

   the music of my ears,

   the marrow of my understanding,

   the strength of my will,

   the power of my affection,

   the sweetness of my memory.

May the matter of my prayer be always wise, humble, submissive,

obedient, scriptural, Christ-like.

Give me unwavering faith that supplications are never in vain,

that if I seem not to obtain my petitions I shall have larger, richer answers,

surpassing all that I ask or think.

Unsought, thou hast given me the greatest gift, the person of thy son,

and in him thou wilt give me all I need

The Christmas Scale

A delightful little story from Igniter Media...

Angel's Song

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men."

Just one more fabulous verse in the Bible where you can find 3 secrets in a verse:

Glory to God

Peace on earth

Goodwill to men

This is the third song from the book of Luke: Mary sang Lu. 1:46-55; Zacharias sang Lu. 1:67-79; Angels sang Lu. 2:14.

Psalm 119

I have been enjoying Psalm 119 this morning - just amazed by the honesty of these prayers. No one really knows who wrote this one - maybe Ezra the priest.

I am just struck again with the cry that comes from the whole heart:

Vs 2, 10 - the psalmist is seeking God with his whole heart

Vs 34 - the psalmist searches God's Word - or Law with his whole heart

Vs 58 - the psalmist seeks God's favor and blessing with his whole heart 

Vs 69 - the psalmist seeks to obey God with his whole heart

Vs 145  - the psalmist cries out to God with his whole heart

In verses 7, 8, 15, 16, 93 we can see how the psalmist focuses his heart on God and sets his course to accomplish these goals with his whole heart. Once he has committed his whole heart to God, He is able to set his will and run with God:

• I will praise - Praise Him through the Word - it sets your heart on the right course

• I will keep your Word - obey God's Word

• I will meditate - study and reflect on God's Word

• I will delight myself - give yourself to the enjoyment of God's Word

• I will not forget - train yourself to keep God's Word in your heart and thoughts - don't forget what He has said in His Word - remember

This wonderful Psalm basically unfolds from here - it is a psalm totally dedicated to the power and wonders of God's Word in our lives. Those five little foundations (praise, obedience, meditation, delighting, remembering) make the rest of the psalm possible.

The the psalmist is able to accomplish these "I wills" - look at the results of setting our hearts on the right course...and following with the will:

V32 I will run the course of Your commandments
V44 I will keep Your Law (also vs 69, 145)
V45 I will walk in freedom (liberty)
V46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings
V47 I will be delighted by Your commandments
V48 I will meditate in Your statutes (v78)
V81 I will quietly and confidently hold onto the Word

Father, I thank You for Your Word today

how wonderful is Your work in my heart

through this faithful companion!

15 

Prayer For Today

My prayer for today…Father,

I surrender my mind to You

so that I may know Your wisdom (Prov. 2:6)

I surrender my ears to You

so that I might hear Your voice (Rev. 3:20)

I surrender my eyes to You

so that I may see Your beauty (Ps. 27:4)

I surrender my mouth to You

so that I may speak of Your wonders (Ps. 40:5)

I surrender my heart to You

so that I may love You more (Matt. 22:37-39)

I surrender my hands to You

so that I may serve Your people (Matt. 20:26-28)

I surrender my feet to You

so that I may run with Your good news (Is. 52:7)

Better Than...

Here are a list of Scriptures that describe something that is better than something else. We could learn so much if we studied these things and set about running after all the better things - all of these are better than something:

Obedience – 1Sam. 15:22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Honest money – Ps. 37:16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.

God’s lovingkindness – Ps. 63:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

Praise – Ps. 69:30-31 I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.

A day in God’s presence – Ps. 84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Wisdom – Prov. 3:13-15 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;

For her proceeds are the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Prov. 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

Prov. 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver. Eccl. 9:16, 18

Patience and self control – Prov. 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Honor – Prov. 19:22 What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar.

Honesty – Prov. 27:5 Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.

Friendship – Eccl. 4:9 [ The Value of a Friend ] Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.

Contentment – Eccl. 6:3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—

Integrity – Eccl. 7:1 A good reputation is a fat bank account.
Your death date tells more than your birth date. (Message)

Purifying process – Eccl. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. (NLT)

Accomplishment – Eccl. 7:8 Finishing is Better than starting. Patience is better than pride. (NLT)

God’s love – Song 1:2 [ The Shulamite ] Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine. Song 4:10

The name God gives us – Is. 56:5 Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.

Godly Nobility – Dan. 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.

Respect – Phil. 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Jesus – Heb. 1:4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.