God is Gracious
Many people are expressing fear, sadness, and even hopelessness about the condition of the world these days. A lot of people that I speak with are voicing how they feel like they are living in a very cruel world - a world where leaving their house to drive on public roads feels dangerous, a world where people shout for the death of an entire nation, and a world where it is getting very difficult to pay for groceries and the roof over their heads.
Many people feel like they are hanging on by a thread and so I want to turn our attention to our great and gracious God. When we focus on The Creator and remind ourselves that He is working all things out for our good, we can let go of the sadness, fear, and hopelessness that crowd into our minds from time to time. Keep looking up with the hope that any minute, believers may hear that trumpet sound and be caught up to be with the Lord forever and ever. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says, "Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."
One of the many awesome character traits of God is that He is GRACIOUS. The dictionary definition (the online Merriam-Webster) of "gracious" is this: "marked by kindness and courtesy". Certainly, God is known for His kindness, His courtesy, and His graciousness. God shows humans incredible courtesy in that He created us with a free will and lets us choose whether or not we want to be His child. God does not force Himself upon anyone, but rather asks if you will invite Him in.
- Revelation 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
Let's take a look at some specific Scriptures that show us the graciousness of God.
- Psalm 145:8 - "The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness."
- Exodus 33:19 (God spoke to the Moses), "And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”
- Psalm 116:5 "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.
- Psalm 111:4 "He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful."
This verse does not have the word "gracious" in it, but it certainly contains words that mean the same thing: Ephesians 2:4 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,"
In God's grace, we are forgiven, we are the objects of God's compassion, mercy, tenderness, and love. If you have chosen Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten Son, to be your Savior, you are His precious child upon whom He longs to lavish with His love and His grace.
God is gracious indeed! Focus on this truth this week. Whenever the world feels cruel, read again all the Scriptures about the graciousness of God.