Mercy & Grace

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name.

It is Saturday morning, 30th July 2022, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

“Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalm 51:1

That is the prayer of King David. A man who loved God so much that he wrote these beautiful psalms, but he had fallen terribly short - He had fallen into sin. He had taken another man’s wife and then had him killed so that he could marry her. He then married her, and their child was born but later died. Nathan the prophet, came and told him exactly what had happened and David was devastated.

Romans 3:23 tells us that all have fallen short of the glory of God and have sinned, no one is without sin. Remember the old saying that goes something like this: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.”

Remember the woman caught in adultery? According to the law, she should have been stoned to death publicly. They brought her to Jesus, what did Jesus say?

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

John 8:7

They all dropped their stones and walked away. Jesus said to that woman, “Go and sin no more. Your sins are forgiven.” That is why I love this one of the many titles that the Lord has: 'Friend of sinners' because without Him, we have no hope. You see, we were born sinners, King David says in the same Psalm 51:5:

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Now, I can hear some dear old ladies saying to me, “No Angus, you have got that wrong. My little grandchild is an angel. My little Mary, my little Johnny - they don’t have any sin in them.” That is not what the Bible tells me. I want to ask you a question, a serious question. Have you ever had to ask little Johnny or little Mary to please be naughty... just once? No, it comes naturally. We are always telling them to be good. Oh, but we praise God for mercy and grace because Jesus has paid for it all.

All we need to do today is to say thank You to the Lord and walk in sin no more. Have a wonderful Saturday, God bless you and goodbye.