MERCY IN ABUNDANCE

Recently God has caused me to go through a “growth spurt” where I have begun to realize that we as His people are so much more blessed & the riches that have been given to us are so much greater than we realize. It reminds me of the story of a slave during the Civil War era that had a master that loved him like a son; of which the master had none.  When it came time for the master to die he left all his earthly riches to his slave.  In one day the slave went from being a pauper to a very wealthy man.  In one day, the slave went from being penniless to a net worth of over $50,000 (which was a lot in those days).  While the slave was very rich he could not fathom the extent of his newly acquired wealth.  This was demonstrated one day when he went into the bank and asked the teller if he had enough in his account so that he could withdraw a nickel to purchase a bag of flour.

We as Christians often live like this slave.  John Owen, in his book entitled Communion with God points out that…

Christ shows and proves His love to His saints in richly providing for all their needs (John 1:16).  All that Christ does for us He does abundantly.  There is no niggardliness (stinginess) on Christ’s part to His saints (Rom. 5:20).  Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.  If grace abounds more than sin, it is abundant grace indeed.  He answers our prayers ‘exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Eph. 3:20).  He abundantly pardons (Isa. 55:7).  He sheds the Spirit on us abundantly (Titus 3:6).  We receive ‘abundant grace’ (Rom. 5:17).  He ‘abounds to us in all wisdom and prudence’ (Eph 1:8) (p. 116).

We have riches beyond our comprehension poured upon us through Jesus Christ, yet we often live; hoping that we have a nickels worth of God’s blessings so that we might meet some earthly need.  Owens puts it this way,

The great sin of believers is that they do not make as much use of Christ’s bounty as they might.  Every day we ought to take from Him mercy in abundance.  Supplies from Christ do not fail.  But our faith fails in receiving them.

In view then, of all Christ’s goodness to us, what is our duty to Him?

Our first duty to Christ is to practice holiness in the power of the Spirit.  The most holy person is the one most obedient to Christ.

Believers obey Christ as the author of their faith and obedience (Heb. 12:1, 2; Phil. 1:29).  Christ by His Spirit works obedience in them.

Believers obey Christ as the One by whom our obedience is accepted by God.  Believers know all their duties are weak, imperfect and unable to abide in God’s presence.  Therefore they look to Christ as the One who bears the iniquity of their holy things, who adds incense to their prayers, gathers out all the weeds from their duties and makes them acceptable to God.

Believers obey Christ as the One who has renewed the commands of God to them, placing them under a mighty obligation to obedience (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).

Believers obey Christ as the One who is God, equal with the Father, to whom all honor and obedience are due (Rev. 5:13).

In all their obedience, saints have a special regard to their dear Lord Jesus.  He is continually in their thoughts.  His love to them, His life for them, His death for them, all His mercy and all His kindness constrains them to live for Him. 

Our second duty to Christ is to abound in fruits of holiness.  As He abounds richly towards us, so He requires us to abound richly to Him in all grateful obedience (1 Cor. 15:58).

This is but a little glimpse of that communion which we enjoy with Christ (p. 117).

Brothers and sisters, let us seek daily to be much in God’s Word; praying that our spiritual eyes might be opened to see who we truly are in Christ.  Let us pray that our faith might be strengthened so that it does not fail in receiving the abundant blessings given to us in Christ!!!