New Every Morning

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
– Lamentations 3:22-23

Mercy has been defined as the Lord withholding deserved punishment, while grace is the act of freely giving unmerited favor. In other words, He withholds what we do deserve and gives us what we do not deserve. Mercy and grace are communicable attributes; what we have been shown, we can also share with others. You and I are called to be merciful, yet we can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit. These traits can only come through being born-again (John 3:3).

Without God’s attribute of mercy, none of us would be here today. It is God’s action of compassion to you and me. It is manifested in his loving patience with sinners. We are all sinners. Yet some are still living in sin with no hope, while others are saved from hell in eternity by the grace of God. Salvation comes only through the Messiah (1 Timothy 2:5). God’s justice is satisfied in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior (Romans 3:23-26).

Jesus illustrated God’s mercy on the cross. Through the Scriptures, we recall the night of His arrest and the mock trials set up for Him. The Man who knew no sin was innocent of any wrong yet being put to death. Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), and while He was enduring the agony, pain, and humiliation, He said something while hanging there. Jesus cried, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). What wondrous love God has for us! There has never been a greater love demonstrated than this, God’s mercy through Jesus’ death (John 15:13).

"Our Heavenly Father never takes anything from His children unless He means to give them something better."
- George Muller