His compassions are new every morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23. "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." What an awesome promise. In a world where grudges are held, investigations into past wrongs are conducted, recriminations abound, with God we can have a fresh start every morning!!
So you blew it yesterday. You spoke harshly to your wife/husband, you were short with your kids, you were cranky with your fellow employees, you said things you shouldn't have said, wrong thoughts ran through your head, etc. etc. (You fill in the blanks.) When we come to Jesus and ask forgiveness the slate is wiped clean. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9. The morning begins a brand new day where we can determine to do better and not repeat the same offenses. It's not that where sin abounds grace will much more abound. Rom. 6:1. It's that God's mercy and faithfulness are so great that when we confess he forgives, and has given us his Holy Spirit to live within us so that each new day can in reality be a new day.
In a sense the lepers in 2 Kings 7 grasped this. There was a siege being conducted on the city of Samaria and people were dying of hunger. Four lepers were conversing together about their situation. If they stayed in the city they were going to die of starvation, so they determined to leave the city and go to the camp of the Armeans and throw themselves upon their mercy. Their reasoning was, "Why stay here until we die?" "If they spare us we live; if they kill us, then we die." 2 Kings 7:3-4. Either way they felt they could die and the idea of possibly getting some food seemed the better choice.
When they got to the camp they found all the Arameans had fled leaving everything behind, so they had a feast. They ate and drank and then carried away treasure besides. Silver, gold and clothes. They took those and hid them and then went into another tent and did the same thing. Then their consciences began to bother them and they thought they had better go and tell the rest of the city that the Arameans had fled and there was food to be had.
It was a new day for these lepers who had to live in isolation and were considered unclean. They decided not to stay in their situation of death and take a leap into the unknown. In doing so they saved the city. We were all spiritual lepers, unclean and cut off from God. But because of the Lord's compassion and mercy he has opened up a way for us to discover a whole new life. He ...."crowns you with love and compassion, ....satisfies your mouth with good things." Psalm 103:4-5 KJV. Not only that, he gives us access to great treasurers. Proverbs 3:14. Wisdom "is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold." I Peter 1:7 says your faith is of greater worth than gold!!! Psalm 19:10 says the ordinances of the Lord are more precious than gold, than much pure gold. On top of everything, "He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10. The bride of Christ is given fine linen, bright and clean, to wear. Revelation 19:9. Food, gold and silver and new clothes!!
Thank God for his mercies and compassion that are new every morning and the blessings of a new day, each and every day!! As we access the riches God has for us, we too can "save the city" as we tell others the good news.
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
1 comment:
Sooooo Good! This is a message that we need to hear often and then when we think we understand it, hear it again.
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