Thirty Days – Day 19 & 20

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious…

1 Peter 2:3

Gracious. Our God is gracious.

Some translations say “good” rather than gracious. And a dictionary would tell you that these words are very similar in meaning. But what I find very interesting is when you look at the original Greek word used in this exact verse, chrēstos, it is actually more akin to mean better.

When you read this verse in the context of the chapter, you get a clearer picture of why.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

1 Peter 2: 1-3

Our God is good. He is gracious. He is better.

Now that you have seen – have known – have understood that our God is better – set aside all of those evil things and grow – learn – mature – be nurtured -by a God who is gracious.

And one of the reasons our great God is so much better, is because of His tender mercy.

Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:36

The Greek word used here, in this particular verse is, oiktirmōn , which means compassionate for the ills of others, in the active sense. Not something He had once. He didn’t just have compassion…but that He continues to have. He IS compassion. He IS merciful.

Actively. Consistently. Eternally.

And in the same way – He calls us to be His reflection. God IS merciful. Therefore we ARE merciful. Its not enough for us to just have mercy or show mercy when it is convenient. We are called to BE mercy.

Actively. Consistently. With every moment of time we have been given.

Thank you Lord God for your graciousness. We are so unworthy and undeserving of your sweet and tender mercy that our hearts cannot help but cry out – THANK YOU!

How have you experienced God’s great grace and mercy in your life? How do you take what you have received and share it with others?

Thirty Days -Day 18

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

So far we have learned that God is

• Love. Just. Longsuffering. Our Redeemer. Perfect. Holy. Compassionate. Good.

• He is Omnipresent. Eternal. Omnipotent. Immutable.

• He Listens. He is our Shelter. He is Truth. He is our Healer & He is Trustworthy.

Today’s attribute of God is that He is Faithful.

The word “faithful” is in the King James Version of the Bible 82 times. It is in 78 verses. Clearly this is something God intended for us to take very seriously. He is faithful, therefore we must remain faithful to Him.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Thank you God for your faithfulness.

How has God been faithful in your life?

Thirty Days – Day 17

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits…
    who heals all your diseases

Psalm 103: 2-4 (abbreviated)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Thank you Lord God that YOU are our great healer, and that through the blood of Jesus we have been healed – once and for all. Although our bodies and hearts can be broken in this life, we will be fully restored in the next.

Thirty Days – Day 15 & 16

in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

Titus 1:2

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life…”

John 14:6a

We learn from the first verse that our God is trustworthy and from the second that our God is truth. These two attributes of God, while similar, are distinctly unique in importance to understanding Who our God is.

Truth is such a hard concept to describe. For most of us truth is wrapped up in our perceptions. What we believe to be true or what someone tells us is true. It’s tied to our way of life, or the area in which we live. It’s tied to our capabilities and resources and understanding of the world around us. And it is constantly changing.

For thousands of years, people believed the world to be flat. That was truth. It wasn’t until someone else sought beyond that truth to discover the world was actually round!

There was a time when this world was all there was. And then people looked up. And discovered more and more and more.

When I was growing up Pluto was considered a planet. And then just like that, one day it wasn’t.

You see, truth as we know it, is really just our acceptance of what those who have been deemed trustworthy – tell us it is. That is an incredible amount of pressure to place on people. Inevitably they will let us down. They will be wrong and our concept of truth becomes more and more eroded over time.

But – Our God is trustworthy. And our God is truth.

Because God is trustworthy we can believe what He tells us is true. He never lies.

And because our God is truth we know that in Him we can always find the answers. He is not bound by our perceptions or understanding. He is unchanging and eternal. The beginning and the end. He was, and is, and is to come.

Now that is something to be thankful for.

Thank you God our Father for your unchanging truth. For your trustworthiness. You alone are where we can confidently place our faith, understanding, and hope.

You are the transcendent fundamental reality.

You are sincerity of action, character and utterance.

You are the original and standard.

You are dependable & worthy of our confidence.

(excerpts taken from the Merriam-Webster dictionary)

How have you seen God’s unfailing truth in your life? Is there a time where His trustworthiness has revealed itself to you personally?

Thirty Days – Day 14

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

Psalm 61:3

Today’s attribute of God is that He is a shelter – a strong tower!

When you think of God as your “shelter from the storm” what kind of shelter do you imagine?

Maybe something like this?

How about this?

Our great Lord God is not just a mere shelter – He is a mighty fortress!

So the next time you are going through a stormy season, imagine yourself protected by something more like this…and see if that doesn’t change your perspective just a little.

Thank you God for your mighty protection – your shelter from the enemy!

How has God been your shelter?