Daily Devotion: God's Mercy and Grace

Scripture:
1 Timothy 1: 12-17

Main Verses:
1 Timothy 1: 13-14
But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me.

Observation:
The apostle Paul was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. He considered himself unworthy and the worst of all sinner. But the Lord has shown him mercy, granted him grace, and appointed him to serve. We know that God is a merciful and gracious God, but here, Paul tells us that God has PERSONALLY given him grace and mercy! It is one thing to know that God is merciful and gracious, but it is a different thing to directly experience God's mercy and grace.

But what does "mercy" and "grace" mean? The devotional book that I read daily, "Enrich" has quoted this definition by Dr. David Jeremiah.

Mercy is God withholding the punishment we rightfully deserve. 

Grace is God offering the most precious of gifts instead.

We are supposed to be punished for being sinners, but God lets us personally experience his mercy by withholding our punishment. We did not deserve to receive God's precious gift of salvation, yet he has graciously given this to us through His Son Jesus.

Application:
The song "Amazing Grace" shows what I was in the sight of the Lord before He showed mercy and grace upon my soul.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.

God is indeed a compassionate Father! He does not want anyone to perish, so he has graciously sent his Son Jesus so we can be saved. We were lost, but the Lord has made an effort to find us. We need to keep this truth in our hearts and minds, so that when we are tempted to disobey the Lord, we will realize how God has sacrificed his Son so that we won't perish but have eternal life.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for letting me experience your mercy and grace. Thank you that you have found me. I pray that I always remember what you did for me, so that I can live my life as a worthy sacrifice at all times. AMEN.