HE IS - I AM : LIVING OUT OF MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST!
HE IS MERCY - I AM LIBERATED.
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, who he prepared in advance for glory? Romans 9:23
June 13 He is - I am. Mercy -freed from the weight and bondage of regret
An eagle… does not avoid the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. … God’s Word tells me that my Father’s mercy enables me to hope in him—to “soar on wings like eagles” (Isa.40:31) p.61
It is in my Heavenly Father’s mercy that I soar. … in his mercy i soar above affliction, for in his mercy there is no distress. In his mercy I soar above helplessness, for in his mercy I am autonomous. In his mercy I soar above misery, for in his mercy I am full of gladness and joy. In his mercy I soar above distress, for in his mercy I can set my wings—and be still. p.62
Bible Story: Judges 11:29-40 Story of Jephthan and his daughter
Reflection:
Laurie want to remind us that God’s Mercy also frees you from the weight and bondage of regret.
What stories or people from scripture come to mind when you think of this weeks theme, He is Mercy, I am liberated. ? If you have some ideas please send them to me, at jeff.mccracken@selahfire.com
I was going to go with that story of Moses hitting the rock in the wilderness. That act cost him entering into the promised land. Something i think he would regret. But then i was reminded of a story with a real deep regret. I can remember the pain I felt the first time I read it. It’s the story of a warrior “king” who put himself in an awkward position with a vow. It’s the story of Jephthan and his daughter. Judges 11:29-40.
The story doesn’t end like we’d like it to. Though a Jewish rabbi spins it for me in a way unseen before. (see The torah.com -“Did Jephthan actually kill his daughter?”) But still, both Jephthan and his daughter suffer the weight of regret.. They pay a high price for the vows they make. So why use their stories if they do not match Laurie’s truth that, “in His mercy I soar above the helplessness,…”? Because the Old Testament is filled with them. It’s like, pick one. Each story cries out for the Gospel. Just like the lives of so many people we might know, perhaps its even personal. Got any regret?
Here’s the Good News. There is a supernatural power, greater than the crushing and often debilitating blows of regret—God’s Mercy.
God’s Mercy is for me. In Christ, it is mine. I cry Mercy, helpless until I realize the power in me that comes through Christ, whereby I can let Holy Spirit work out the miracle of mercy in my life.
Take all those old testament stories and those places where regret has significantly affected your life and imagine what they would like if they could get a rewrite according to the Gospel of Jesus? Imagine applying the Gospel to Moses story, to Achan’s story, and and then allow Holy Spirit to free you too from the power of regret.
From the first time I read the story of Jephthan, my heart cried out for mercy. My life story cries out for “Mercy” too. Does yours?
Let today be the day that you get set free. God doesn’t want you captive to regret. We don’t have to live in the pain and suffering that it brings. God’s Mercy is powerful enough to take this burden from us. Make the exchange. Let’s give Him our regrets today. Stop letting regret rule. Let Mercy triumph over just and all God to release the joy that comes from absence of regrets power. THANK YOU JESUS-YOUR MECRY CHANGES EVERYTHING! It frees us from the weight and bondage of regret.