New Year, new grace

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lam 3:22-24

This is an often quoted passage of scripture and, I feel, often misapplied. My goal here is not to debunk any particular misapplication of these verses but instead take a moment to reflect on the grand truths they contain. And I also want this to be, in a sense, a statement of my writing theme (themes actually) for the foreseeable future.

Here are the the glorious realities that Jeremiah lays out in the middle of his lament over the destruction of Jerusalem (Imagine every home and business in your town (including your own) being totally destroyed and then singing this kind of praise to God!)

God's love is certain and forever - we cannot out run it or ruin it.

God's mercy (and grace, flip sides of the same coin) are not limited to an event or experience but are unlimited and are continually renewed - we cannot sin beyond God's grace and we cannot exalt ourselves beyond our need for his mercy.

God's faithfulness is great, in fact greater than we realize - we need each person of the Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit - intervening in our lives constantly to keep us from falling into oblivion

God's provision for us is complete and sufficient - all we need, whether we admit it or not (God makes the rain fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous) comes from God and rests in his love and faithfulness.

Our response is hope and faith and praise - Scriptural images abound, but my mind continually returns to the tax collector in Lk 18:13 "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner"

There is a lot here and perhaps my goal of having a more focused writing theme has been blown out of the water. And yet, as I reflect on the themes of these three verses, I see a lot of overlap and much that compliments the other. In the end, I think it boils down to the grand theme of the love of God reflected in his grace and mercy and manifested most powerfully in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

To God Alone be the Glory