God’s Compassion, Love, and Mercy

There is absolutely nothing we can do in our lives to deserve the salvation God has provided.  We are completely unworthy of the free gift of eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is all that is required to receive these awesome gifts which are granted by God because of his never-ending love.  Our salvation is a gift of God’s love – not a reward for anything we have done.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9)  God’s gift of salvation is a demonstration of his compassion, love, and mercy and our response to this gift should be to return that compassion, love, and mercy to all those we come into contact with in our lives.

Bring Glory to God

When we reflect God’s compassion, love, and mercy back to the world, we bring Glory to God.  It’s important that we understand that our salvation was not intended to be for our personal benefit – salvation is intended to be a resource we share with others.  Keep in mind, everything we have in this world is a gift from God and every gift from God should be shared with others.  When we keep God’s gifts for ourselves, we are essentially stealing.  “The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.”  (Ephesians 4:28)  Each day there are those around us who have needs we can fulfill.  When we share our finances, talents, and time with others, we bring Glory to God as we demonstrate his compassion, love, and mercy.

Serve God by Serving Others

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to follow his example and serve God by serving others.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave us everything so that we might receive the extraordinary gift of salvation.  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”  (2 Corinthians 8:9)  Our salvation is an enormous blessing!  God poured his love out on us so that we might share that love with all those who come into our lives.  That’s how we honor God.  When we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are on a path to be blessed by God so that we will be able to bless others.

Working Together

Salvation through Jesus Christ is not a reward; it is a commission to join God in sharing his compassion, love, and mercy around the world.  We each have our own sphere of influence that God has placed in our lives.  We each have the precise gifts from God needed to share his love with those around us.  This doesn’t mean that we can solve all the problems of all those in need in our lives.  It means that we have a dedicated role to play and that we are to contribute all the gifts that God has provided to that effort.  We all need to do our small part in order for God’s ultimate plan to be fulfilled.  When we all work together in accordance with God’s will, all things will be made right in his perfect timing.  Working together with compassion, love, and mercy is what the Christian life is all about.

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Jesus in You