Thought for Today: “God’s Mercy Leads to God’s Grace”

Because of God’s mercy, we can partake of God’s grace. If God gave us what we deserve, we would be condemned for eternity.

The Apostle Paul spells this out for us the best in Romans 6:23.

He begins by telling us what we deserve. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a)

And this refers to all of us as he said earlier in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This refers to everyone, and none or exempt. And so, every human being has sinned, Paul is saying, and thus fall short of God’s holy and righteous standards for life.

But then, he reveals God’s grace that has been extended to us saying, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

And then to reveal how God’s mercy leads to God’s grace, Paul says in the church in Ephesus, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.

And so, in the mercy God extends, we find grace to live each and every day.