Psalm 118:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever.”
I once heard that if something was in the Scriptures once, it was important, but if it was there more than once definitely pay attention to it. The phrase “His mercy endureth for ever” is mentioned over and over again in the Bible. It is found in both the Old and New Testaments, and Psalm 136 mentions it in each one of its 26 verses!
So, what’s so important about this? God is holy and just. He does not tolerate sin, and the punishment for that is eternal separation from God in a place He designed for those who reject Him. Since we all have sinned (Romans 3:23), we deserve that punishment, but God in His mercy offers us the forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, who died on a horrible cross in our place. Jesus willingly took the punishment that we deserved by offering His life as the atonement for our sins. Once we accept His forgiveness and make Jesus our Lord and Saviour, God gives us the gift of eternal life in heaven with Him (Romans 6:23). That’s mercy!
Why would He do this? God does this because of the tremendous love He has for each one of us. Before we even loved Him, He loved us and provided this plan for our salvation (Romans 5:8). What an amazing God!
According to Lamentations 3:22-23, God’s mercies are new every morning! His compassion for us never runs out. He loves each of us with an everlasting love, and this love cannot be quenched with water or drowned out by floods (Song of Solomon 8:7).
God’s mercy is beyond comprehension, and His love knows no bounds. One day, I will truly understand the depth of those two attributes. For now, it is enough to know that God’s mercy for me comes from His heart and truly does endure forever.
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” – Jude 1:21
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I’d love to hear from you! What has the Lord shown you from His Word lately?