daily bible verse

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The Merciful Judge

2nd & 3rd May

Weekend Edition

“He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”

Psalm 103:10

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting a court case. The case was about a man who had been drink driving on numerous occasions, driving while suspended, driving without an M.O.T and changing his number plate. As I sat there in the court room, I was overcome with compassion for the man awaiting his sentencing. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

My moral mind was thinking that this guy has the evidence clocked up against him. It is clear he broke the law. He could have endangered if not killed someone else, or even his own life. He showed no care for the law as it was a repeated offence. So in my eyes he was guilty. Yet something struck a cord in me and I sat there and pronounced judgement on this man. I felt sorry for him.

As I pondered these emotions I realised that God was talking to me about my own sinful self in the courthouse of the Lord. The evidence that is against me for breaking God’s law also pronounces me as a guilty man. Yet the judge does not look at my sin but looks at the One who paid it for me already, Jesus Christ. I, by all means, should be be found guilty and condemned to a life separated for a Holy God. Yet because of what Jesus did on that cross for me, not only am I forgiven but I am set free from my sin and the bondage of it too. The evidence book is ripped up and I am pronounced not guilty.

God’s mercy and grace is a free gift and the only thing we have to do to repay that debt is to believe and accept it. God does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve according to our sins. That is the gospel. That is love. What grace and mercy can we find at the foot of the cross!?

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How Far Is The East To The West?

1st May

“For His unfailing love towards those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Psalm 103:11-12

How far is the east from the west? How high are the heavens above the earth?

Have you ever heard the expression “I love you to heaven and back?”, or seen when a child opens the span of his arms and says “I love you this much!!”?? Although these distances are largely allegorical, there is an underlying truth behind them. The extent of their love is in-measurable. So it is the same here in today’s verses. David also tells us that God’s love for us, irrespective of our circumstances, sinful attitudes and selfish ambitions, still loves us with a love that cannot be measured.

In fact there probably was not any real comprehension of how far these measurements were! Even in todays age, east to west is not a number that can truly be measured because the earth is round so you will always be going east if you travel east and west if you travel west. The point David is trying to make here, is that wherever we travel, up or down, east to west, we cannot escape the unfailing love of God or even try to comprehend how wide and high it is.

However, we too need to do our part, not as a legalistic rule but as act of obedience. We need to fear God and repent of our wrong doings. We need to have a reverence for and of Him. How do we do that? By listening, obeying and remembering His commands. When we sin, ask for His forgiveness. And in doing so we will reap the harvest of a fruitful, forgiven and obedient life and be showered with the blessings of His unfailing love.

Be encouraged today that you are loved with a love that is too great to measure, too wide to fathom and too high comprehend and your sins have been completely swept clean. Why? Because God is love.

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Slow To Anger, Rich In Love

30th April

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”

Psalm 103:8-10

So often in my own life, I have fallen into sin and felt like I was in a whole of condemnation that I couldn’t get of. The sin was not only influencing my intimacy with Jesus, but also acted as a chain bound around my hands and feet stopping me from being who I was created to be and making me feel like a worthless spec in the eyes of God. Maybe you can relate to this when you have sinned or in habitual sin. It is like an overwhelming sense of un-worthiness. However this is complete lies! According to David’s words in these verses, God’s attitude and actions towards us are completely the opposite to what we deserve.

God’s character is full of love. He is compassionate and merciful. He knows we will make mistakes yet He still loves us. He is slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love (commitment love) towards us. When we slip up or make mistakes, He doesn’t come with a pointed finger condemning us of our sins and making us feel worthless. He doesn’t stay angry with us even though we might keep falling down. He even doesn’t deal with us as we deserve to be dealt with. He is love. He won’t stop loving us because of our behaviour. He loves us all the time irrespective of our behaviour.

However, when the Holy Spirit does convict us, (a Godly prompt that what we are doing or how we are living isn’t God’s best for us or in accordance with His ways), our role is to accept His prompting, ask forgiveness and get back up. God doesn’t want us to accept the lies that we are doomed to eternal damnation if we fall down. He doesn’t want us to stay down but get back up. He wants us to live in the truth that after you have asked for forgiveness He has forgotten about your sin and wants to shower you with more of His love. Reject the lies and accept the truth.