Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

June 9
Wednesday


IT'S NOT FAIR

READ:
Psalm 103:1-10
_____________________________________________________________

He has not dealt with
us according to our
sins, nor punished
us according to our
iniquities.
__Psalm 103:10
_____________________________________________________________

Not fair!" Whether you've said it or at least thought it, you've got to admit, it's hard to see someone get away with something and not get what they deserve. We learn this early in life. Just ask the parent of any teenager. Kids hate to see their siblings get off scot-free for the things they got spanked for. Which is why they so readily tattle on each other. but then, we never really grow out of this. To our way of thinking, fairness means sinners deserve God's wrath and we, the good people, deserve His applause.

But if God were into being "fair," we would all be consumed by His judgment! We can be thankful for this: "[ God] has not dealt with us according to our sins" (Ps. 103:10). We should be glad, not grumpy, that God chooses mercy over fairness and that He is willing to extend grace even to those who are undeserving and hopelessly lost. And while we are thinking about it, when was the last time we let mercy trump fairness with someone who offended us?

It's not God's fairness but His mercy that drives Him to pursue us so that heaven can have a party when we are found (Luke 15:7). Personally, I'm thankful that God has not been "fair" with me! Aren't you? __Joe Stowell
_____________________________________________________________

`````````````````````Favor to the undeserving;``````````````````
```````````````Love, when from God we have turned;``````````````
````````````````Mercy, when His love we've spurned--`````````````
````````````````````That's God's grace! __Anon.`````````````````
_____________________________________________________________

We can show mercy to others
because God has shown mercy to us.

*************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 103:1-10*************

1 Bless the LORD, my
soul; and all that is within
me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, O my
soul, and forget not all His
benefits. 3 Who forgives all
your iniquities, who heals
all your diseases, 4 who
redeems your life from
destruction, who crowns
you with lovingkindness
and tender mercies, 5 who
satisfies your mouth with
good things, so that your
youth is renewed like the
eagle's.

6 The LORD executes
righteousness and justice
for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known His ways
to Moses, His acts to the
children of Israel. 8 The
LORD is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in mercy. 9 He
will not always strive with
us, nor will He keep His
anger forever. 10 He has not
dealt with us according to
our sins, nor punished us
according to our iniquities.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote of this marvelous song: "Doubtless
by David, it is in his own style when at its best, and we should
attribute it to his later years when he had a higher sense of the
preciousness of pardon, because of a keener sense of sin, than
in his younger days. His clear sense of the frailty of life indicates
his weaker years, as also does the very fairness of his praiseful
gratitude...It is as the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
and its golden fruit has a flavour such as not fruit ever bears unless it
has been ripened in the full sunshine of mercy." __BILL CROWDER