New Mercies

 

My commute was extended by 15 minutes this past week.  As I was leaving the driveway, I could not help but notice the incredible sunrise.  The sun was peaking through high clouds as if it were saying, “Good Morning.”  The more I drove, the more brilliant the salutation was!  God’s paintbrush was out, and He was painting a new masterpiece.  I could not seem to help myself to stop and give thanks for such beauty. 

The verse for today came to mind as I continued to stop and take pictures of this awe-inspiring sunrise.  Our spring focus is newness and growth.  Newness comes in so many forms.  The posts so far have talked about our newness in Christ and a new path.  Today, our thoughts move to the newness that God gives to us.

When I think of the numerous wonderful characteristics of God, I tend to think of constants. 

·       God’s constant love – Psalms 36:5

·       God’s constant presence – Hebrews 13:5

·       God’s constant forgiveness – 1 John 1:9

Yet, it is the newness that He provides to us, each and every day, which can bring us greater peace.  Today’s verse proves that.  If I look at God’s mercy in a vacuum, it would be as if I were looking at my sin in a vacuum.  My sins, so regrettably, are new every day.  My goal is to learn from the old sins and not repeat them.  I cannot claim I have always been good at that.  There are many sins that I, unfortunately, repeat.  There are other sins, also unfortunately, that are new each day.  The most wonderful part of God’s forgiveness is that with EVERY SIN, whether repeated or new, God’s forgiveness is new to me each day.  His mercy and compassion are new to me each day.

God never says to me, “Susan, you committed that sin last week, so this week you are on your own!”  God says to me, “Susan, each day is a new day, and I will walk with you and love you and FORGIVE you for those new sins, just as the sun rises each new day.”  I draw so much comfort from that when I reflect on my sins of the day.  How great that God’s forgiveness is new for each sin I bring to Him!

May we walk into each new day with this blessed assurance from God, His compassions and mercies are new every morning.  Today’s sunrise was blocked by clouds and rain.  It was new and different than the sunrise of a few days ago.  As our sins change from day to day, may God’s mercy on me be new each day as well.  May we all have simple faith in this knowledge!

Almighty Father, I thank you for your new mercy and compassion on me each day.  Amen!