Topic: No Matter How Badly You Mess Up, God Offers Mercy [RICK WARREN Devotional 26 November 2019]

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BY RICK WARREN — NOVEMBER 26, 2019

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5 NLT).No matter what you’re going through, you can live with hope. That’s the consistent, overriding message of the Bible. God will always treat you with grace and mercy.

Peter writes to those who are already believers, “All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again” (1 Peter 1:3 TLB).

The more we understand grace, the more we’ll be amazed by it. It’s completely undeserved. It’s totally unmerited. It is not something that you could earn or work for. It’s just a free gift of God’s mercy.

You can’t make God love you any more than he loves you right now. You can’t make him love you any less. His love is based on his mercy for you.

God’s Word tells us, “When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5 NLT).

This is extremely important to understand. When you make mistakes as a believer, God doesn’t get mad at you. God doesn’t want to get even with you. God doesn’t start planning to mess up your life. God always acts in mercy toward you. Why? Because you’re covered in the blood of Jesus Christ when you’ve accepted him as Savior. That’s why God responds in mercy every time you mess up.

And that can give you hope.

• It’s difficult for many people to accept God’s grace and mercy. Why do you think this is so?
• How else would you describe God when you understand that he loves you and shows you mercy even when you mess up?
• What person in your life needs to hear about the grace and mercy of God? How can you share that message with him or her this week?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.