The Mercies of God

 Paul writes in Romans 12:1, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God. . .".  I wonder sometimes if we take enough time to ponder the mercy of God.  I think that far too often I find myself thinking that I somehow deserve goodness from God, or that I, based on how good or bad I do, have earned favor with God.  Biblically we know this is not true, and yet we do not operate or truly believe that it is.  It is hard enough for us to understand grace - the unmerited favor of God, but I think sometimes we focus on grace at the expense of mercy.  If God were to truly give us what we deserve, we would be dead.  We would have nothing but our own selfish pride.  And we would be lost without hope.  And yet God showed mercy to us.  He did not give us that which we deserved.  He instead gave that which we deserved to another by his mercy and then applied the righteousness He had earned to our accounts by grace. What a glorious God.  

Every morning his mercies are new.  This means that every day I don't deserve to live but instead deserve to receive the full brunt of the wrath of God.  And yet because He poured that wrath out on Jesus I live and breath and rejoice in the goodness and mercy of God.