Community Devotions

Drawing Near For Mercy and Grace

SCRIPTURE

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:16

OBSERVATION

The manner with which to approach God’s throne is with confidence. First of all God’s throne is a throne of grace. It almost doesn’t make sense until one understands that we have a great high priest who once-and-for-all made the eternal sacrifice to appease God’s wrath. Our confidence is that Jesus our high priest also sympathizes with our weakness. When I approach Jesus in prayer I can be confident knowing full well that he understands the full spectrum of the human experience of betrayal, anger, temptation, hunger, loss, joy and grief. The purpose of drawing near to God is to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You would think the objective to approaching God with confidence is to boast (cf. priest in Luke 18) but yet is to receive mercy and grace.

APPLICATION

Approach my prayer with the posture of confidence in Jesus my sympathetic great high priest and with the objective of receiving mercy and grace. My confidence is not in myself or my self-righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Jesus covers the vast multitude of my sins and even though my sin is scarlet yet he has made me as white as snow. Confidence is not hubris or arrogance but it is fully understanding that Jesus sympathizes with my failure and weakness yet receives me by his grace anyway. I don’t have to worry or doubt if Christ can understand what I feel but I can be confident that because he is fully human while being fully God he empathizes with me. I come to God’s presence in prayer to receive unconditional mercy and undeserved grace. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for your new mercies everyday and all sustaining grace. Lord forgive me for sometimes thinking that you would not or could not understand the human plight. Jesus this is one of the reasons why you were born here on earth and took on skin and bones. It is with confidence and great humility and gratitude that I come to receive mercy and grace.

He Came for Me

SCRIPTURE

“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’- and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then other will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16

OBSERVATION

Jesus came to save us…ALL of us! He chose us and knows us by name. Paul speaks in this verse regarding to himself as a the “worst sinner” and he was one of God’s chosen. That means we, who sometimes feel like are the worst sinners, have been covered by God’s grace as well. He showed mercy to Paul and extends that same mercy to us. There are no degrees to sin. We have all sinned and have fallen short, even Paul, one of God’s very own. The Lord chose us and we are not overlooked or disregarded. Our sins have all cost us something and in our human minds, we may put different sins into different categories based on the degree to how bad the sin is….BUT, God doesn’t separate them into categories. All of our sins are covered by grace and mercy. We don’t deserve it but he gives it to us with nothing in return but our heart!

APPLICATION

What an awesome God we serve! We are not just lost in the shuffle or just one of many but He really does know us by name and loves us! Our human minds cannot fathom how He can know us individually, but He does. He is infinite in all His ways! I’m so grateful for His grace over my life. Because of this, I will never be the same and I will tell others about His goodness. He has extended much patience over me and continues to show me just how great and loving He is. In the end, He didn’t come for selected special ones…He came specifically for ME and I chose Him back! Not because we are perfect but because He is GOOD!

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your patience over me and that you chose to come for ME! May my life always reflect your goodness in my life and how merciful you are! Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and for giving us hope beyond ourselves. I am forever grateful that because of you, I will have eternal life and be forever changed! Amen!