Children of Promise

"In other words,

it is not the natural children

who are God's children,

but it is the children of the promise

who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."

Romans 9:8

I confidently approached the imposing gate in my SUV.  Security officers, Military Police and bomb-sniffing dogs guarded the way, stopping me in my tracks.

"May I see your identification please, Ma-am?"  The guard took the military ID card I offered and stepped back to check the sticker affixed to the windshield of my vehicle.  After scanning my card with a handheld device and finding everything to his satisfaction, he returned my card and said, "Welcome to Ft Jackson, victory starts here!"  After stepping back sharply, he waves me on with, "Have a nice day, Ma-am."

In order to gain access to a military facility, I must have the proper authorization.  Only those who work on the post or are affiliated with the military are allowed onto the premises.  If I showed up without the proper sanctions, I would be required to go through a screening process that would verify my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance as well as the purpose for my visit.

Thankfully, there is no similar vetting process for entry into God's family.  I need no special credentials, certain bloodline that connects me to Jesus, or special abilities in order to enter the kingdom of God.  All that is needed is for me to commit my life to Jesus who already paid the price for my entrance.

This makes me a child of the promise, referring to the pledge God made to Abraham that, "all peoples on earth would be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3b) When I accept the free gift of salvation that comes through faith in Christ, I enter into a relationship with God that is marked by certain characteristics.

Called by God

There was a comedy-drama released in 1988 called The Truman Show that chronicled the crisis that occurred when Truman Burbank discovered that his entire life had unknowingly been the subject of a reality show.  Every situation in which Truman encountered is contrived, carefully planned by producers to evoke a desired reaction for the entertainment of millions of viewers.  None of the relationships, situations or circumstances found in Truman's life were genuine, but rather a means to attract more attention for creators of his show.  No matter how hard this man tried, he would never be able to achieve anything outside of the will of the producers.

God is not like the producers of this interesting movie, controlling every move I make and engineering situations in order to achieve in me a desired result.  He is, however, perfectly sovereign.  Nothing can happen unless He allows it to occur.

Unlike the film, however, God is not out to exploit my life for His own benefit.  He has my best interest at heart and knows what I need to grow in faith.  (Romans 8:28,Malachi 3:3)  If a certain endeavor is not God's will, it will not succeed and I will find my efforts to be in vain. (Malachi 1:4)

I am called by God, not according to my own merit so I can rest in His sovereign plan for my life.

Objects of Mercy

He was born to showcase the might and power of God.  The ruler of Egypt stubbornly refused to let the people of God go, instead enduring many plagues and bringing about much suffering for the Egyptian populace.  God hardened the heart of Pharaoh in order to bring glory to Himself.  (Exodus 9:12,16)

Each of us are either made to be objects of God's wrath or His mercy. (Romans 9:20-24)  God decided my purpose before I took my first breath.   As one who is called to live for Him, I know my relationship with the God who saved me is based on His mercy, not on my merit.  I received the gift of salvation out of His love for me, consequently, I can live with the assurance that neither can I lose His love because of my own lack of goodness.

Now, I can confidently approach the ministry to which God has placed upon my heart, knowing that my efforts will be accepted as an act of obedience whether or not I see any signs of what I call "success."

I can also embrace the people God has positioned around me, loving them as I know God loves me; with abandon.

Furthermore, because of this assurance of acceptance by God based on His mercy, the pressure I used to place on myself to perform well has disappeared, leaving behind a compassionate point-of-view.

I am an object of God's mercy, created to bring glory to Himself through my eternally secure relationship with Him.

Prepared for Glory

I marveled at the tree every day on my way to school.  A neighboring barnyard featured a curious sight that never ceased to initiate questions in my young mind.  How did two trees come to grow as one?  Is that really one tree, or two trees growing together?  Which one came first? Did the owners mean to grow two trees in one?

Just as that unique tree appeared to have grafted one variety of species into another, making the secondary type grow its own branch from out of the original tree, I have been adopted into God's family.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, I receive the full rights of a family member, even though I have a foreign bloodline.  I bear no familial relation to the people of Israel yet I am a part of the promise.

As an adopted child of God, I was created to glorify God.  (1 Peter 2:9-12, Romans 8:30)  From the beginning, He had many good things in mind for me to do; people to love, ministries to carry out, tasks to accomplish.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Sometimes, though, the most powerful things I do for God's glory seem like the smallest things: Willingly and joyfully cleaning up behind my child.  Driving in traffic with a positive attitude as I use the extra time to talk to God.  Accepting delays and difficulties as opportunities to trust the mystery of God's plan.

I have been prepared for God's glory since He first gave me life.

I did not choose to follow God through faith in Jesus Christ on my own accord.  Instead, I was called by God who gave me the ability to see my need for Jesus so that He could get glory through my life, created as an object of His mercy, and prepared to give glory to God.  In this way, I am a child of the promise.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can live as a legitimate child of God.

When do I live for my own glory instead of God's?

How do I fail to embrace the purposes God has prepared for me?

His Great Mercy

"O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared."

Psalm 130:2-4

"We do not make requests of you

because we are righteous,

but because of your great mercy."

Daniel 9:18b

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong to deserve all this trouble!"

"I must have really gotten on God's bad side recently because I'm having the worst day!"

"It's one thing after another.  I can't understand why my life is so difficult!  What did I do to deserve this?"

If the circumstances of my life truly depended upon my own worthiness or righteousness as I sometimes think, I would not last another moment.  God never gives us what we deserve: if He did, as the psalmist said, "Who could stand?" 

Instead, the Lord is a God of mercy.  He withholds my rightful treatment, instead drawing me to Himself in a relationship of love.  There is nothing I can do to earn His love.  I can never be good enough to enter into a relationship with Him.  I have no hope without the mercy of God which is best shown through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ my Lord!

His Nature

Toward the end of his life, David took a census of all his fighting men, putting his trust in his might instead of in God's.  As a result, God gave him three choices for punishment through the prophet Gad.  Famine, being chased by his enemies, or a plague.  David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress.  Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."

The judgement of God is just, but He mercifully does not treat me as my sins deserve.  For this reason, it is always better to leave my life in the hands of God rather than men who may be having a bad day and decide to annihilate me.  God never acts out of spite, irritation or frustration.  His actions are deliberate and always with the goal of lifting up His great name and restoring my relationship with Him.  He acts with perfect justice and love.


Since I am a human being, I have very little experience with mercy.  Instead, I am used to others taking their frustrations out on me.  I am accustomed to getting the short end of the stick.  I am familiar with the back of the proverbial hand. Cruel, ruthless behavior is commonplace in my world.


To be fair, I am not always on the receiving end of unmerciful actions.  Many times I give exactly what I think someone deserves.  If I had a 'smite' button, I would have incinerated many-an-irritating driver, especially during rush hour traffic.  Then there are the moments when I secretly hope that the woman who is always so nasty to me will get what's coming to her.  I am merciless.


There is no human example of mercy that I can look to for enlightenment.  It is God's nature to be merciful, and until I know this, I will not be able to fully trust Him as David did.   David had no right to ask for leniency or favor.  He knew he had gone against God in relying on his own might instead of God’s.  But David was familiar with the nature of God and understood that His mercy is great.  In throwing himself at the mercy of God, he was showing God how much He trusted Him.

In the same way, I can show God my reverence and appreciation for Him and put myself at His mercy; not because I deserve it, but because I know Him.  I trust Him enough to place my very life in His hands. 

Given that it is God's nature to act mercifully, I can trust Him fully.

Undeserved

Just a few more days, and then I can leave this fugitive lifestyle, she thought as she jumped the ditch and darted into the forest.  I can't let my brother go hungry.  He's just a baby!  She contemplated the sentence of death that awaited her if she was caught as she jogged along, being careful not to draw the attention of nearby residents.  Finally, she made it to the hollowed out tree that had become their home, stolen merchandise firmly hidden in her pouch.

"Here, I got your favorite; bread and apples.  God ahead, take it!"

I must find some milk, or he won't grow strong and healthy.  "I'll be right back.  I'm going to that family's barn on the other side of the meadow.  It's milking time and I should be able to sneak a ladle or two.  Fresh milk!  Doesn't that sound good?"  The boy looked at her listlessly. He's getting weaker. 

As she rounded the corner of the barn, the king's horses stood pawing at the ground.  To her horror, the ruler himself sat upon his steed.  Oh no, I'm dead meat!  I've been stealing food from all over the kingdom!  Desperately, she threw herself face first in the dirt.  "Have mercy on me, Oh King!"


In the above scenario, the girl knew she was in the wrong, even though her reason for living the life of a thief was noble.  In the face of the supreme judge of the land, there was nothing she could say in defense of her actions.  Her best chance for survival was to place herself at the king's mercy and hope that he would allow her to survive.


Maybe part of the reason that I don't truly accept God's mercy is that I don't understand the depths of my sin.  Because of my disobedience to God's law, my nature that is contrary to God's, and my pride that is an affront to Him, I deserve death.  Like the girl, my punishment is well-deserved.  


In the confession of their sins as a part of a time of worship during the time of Nehemiah, the Levites gave an account of the unfaithfulness of God's people.  They constantly turned their back on God and His ways.  God punished them and then they would inevitably cry out to Him.  He would save them.  They would become comfortable and forget Him again. . .and the cycle went on; disobedience, warning, punishment, repentance.  The worship leaders end this historical account with the statement, "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God." (Nehemiah 9:31)


I am completely at God's mercy, whether I know it or not.  I cannot stand on my own two feet, so heavy are my transgressions.  John Donne, 17th Century English poet and priest, put it this way: "We are God's tenants here, and yet here he, our landlord, pays us rents--not yearly, nor quarterly, but hourly and quarterly; every minute he renews his mercy."


God's mercy is undeserved, but necessary for my continued existence.

Sovereign

The trickster received the blessing while the firstborn received more of a curse, destined to live an impoverished, brutal life.  One was loved, the other hated.  One was chosen, the other cast away.  


Jacob did not deserve to receive the blessing meant for his older twin brother, Esau.  He had shown himself to be a deceptive, selfish young man.  Still, it was God's good plan for the younger to take the older's place. At their birth, God let Rebecca know that the older would serve the younger, but it had nothing to do with either of their characters, abilities or worth.  As it is explained in the New Living Translation of Romans 9:11, "This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works."


It is God's choice who receives mercy.  If you are reading this blog, it is most likely that you have been called according to His purposes and were chosen to become a part of God's family.    As such, each breathe you take is according to His mercy.  If He lets you live another moment, it is because of His mercy.  If you can stand before Him, it is because of His mercy.  


I recently heard a story about a young woman who did not believe in God.  She suddenly went into a coma and remained unconscious for eleven days.  During that time, the One whom she previously disregarded spoke to her, saying, "It is not yet your time, my child."  


Needless to say, the first thing this woman did when waking up was to thank God for His mercy.  Even though she had completely ignored all the good He had given to her and had earned death, He had planned for her to live a little while longer.  She now lives for Jesus.


In the same way, "In his great mercy he has give us new birth into a living hope. . ." through faith in Jesus Christ.  As He rose again on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God, so I will live eternally in His presence.  I neither deserve this nor expected this, but God extended this gift anyway.  It is His choice.


God's grants His great mercy according to His plan.




The mercy of God is unfathomable.   Due to His merciful nature, an undeserving people are chosen to be a part of His plan, paving the way for life; abundant, everlasting life.  Then I can truly say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34)

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will remember that I am at the mercy of God.


How do I take life for granted, failing to savor the moments He has give me?


When do I expect things I neither deserve nor earned?

Rain

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:45

I awoke to the shower of life-giving liquid pitter-pattering against the roof just outside my window.  I sunk deeper into the warmth of my comforter, luxuriating in the soothing concert that sounded like the beautiful strains of a gentle melody. 

My mind recalled memories of the adventure of digging trenches around our tent in the dead of night to salvage the dry shelter from the onslaught of drenching downpours, to the pleasant lullaby it later played on the canvas stretched over my head as I  thankfully snuggled in my warm, dry sleeping bag.  

Allowing the lovely melody to lull me back to sleep, I thanked the Lord for this most wonderful of blessings.   

Rain.  Necessary for life, yet blocking out the warmth of the sun for a time as it falls to the ground like so much manna in the desert.  Isn't this much like the blessings God bestows upon us? 

Grace 

How much of my life is dependent upon God's grace?  Every breath!  But grace goes so much deeper than just the precious gift of life.  Pastor John Piper defined it as follows. "Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God."

Not only does the grace of God give me the gift of every beat of my heart, but it also miraculously gives me the ability to showcase the magnificence of God in the way I enjoy Him without my own wretchedness getting in the way.  

Grace empowers us in a never-ending flow to endure the difficulties of life. Paul suffered from some sort of painful problem.  As he pleaded with God for deliverance from his suffering, God replied that,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  Grace gives us what we need to endure, exalting the wonder of God in the process. 

May I learn to recognize the thorns as just as necessary as the rain I so love.

Mercy

Many times I expect mercy from God because I know He is a merciful God.  But maybe I'm being a bit presumptuous.  In describing the sovereignty of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 33, the Apostle Paul concluded that, "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden." (Romans 9:18)  

God is the one who decides from whom He withholds that which we deserve, and who instead receives what's coming.  It is all a part of His plan, that of which the scope I cannot fathom.  Trusting God means giving Him the right to do as He deems necessary, even if that means I might suffer in the process.  As a child of His, I know it is all for my good and a part of the refining process.

May I learn to recognize the sovereignty of God and His right to extend mercy upon whoever He decides, just as the rain can come as a sweet shower, or a torrential downpour.

Love

David was described by God as a man after His own heart.  Even though at times he failed to do what is right, grieving the Lord greatly in his sin, he intimately knew of God's love.  His words recorded in Psalm 86:15 illustrate this well. "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

I have a low view of love as a human.  I think of an emotion of affection, fondess or even passion.  But this is not God's love.  A description of His love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

Love is patient,

love is kind.

 It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil

but

rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

  Love

  never

   fails.

May I learn to recognize the abundance of God's love all around me in the midst of suffering, just as the clouds block out the glory of the sun while they bring life-giving rain.



There are no greater blessings in my life than that of God's grace, mercy and love.  Like the sound of the rain I enjoy so much, I will seek to delight in His greatness, relishing the good things He overwhelmingly provides, even if the beneficial is disguised as trouble.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will focus on the goodness of God, and trust in His plan for my life.

Where do I expect good things from God to be pleasant and comfortable for me, thus denying His sovereign plan?

How do I fail to recognize the overflowing grace, mercy and love of God in my life?