"Unearned Mercy"

"Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalms 118:3)

 May I never feel as if I have earned God's mercy; not even for a moment! To get the point of what that actually represents, there are the religious leaders of the day of Jesus' walk here, they are very good examples of what that might look like. If there were any that felt as though they earned God's mercy, they were prime examples of what that looks like and why it is a place we should never be. It is the sense of entitlement or favor with God based upon position or service; as if the job you have been blessed with is enough to not only fill your pockets, but it also punches your righteousness card with God. We can never earn God's mercy, that does not even make sense! Even the definition of what mercy is, totally throws earning it out the window. We are indebted to God for something that can never be repaid. That might be the simple way to explain it, but it goes so much further than that. As Peter was trying to illustrate, "You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession," this is that which those who were of the house of Aaron were called, and it was not based upon anything else but mercy! May those that truly serve the Lord realize what an honor it is to be placed in that position. May they never feel any entitlement to be in that position. May it always be about God's great mercy, freely given and never earned...

"So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, "I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."" (1 Peter 2:1-6) NLT