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Published: 08 October 2021

“Mercy and Grace” Guest Blogger: Pastor Bart Bouman This Sunday, we’ll look at a Psalm that has been ministering to my soul lately – Psalm 25. It is a psalm that appears to have been written toward the end of David’s life. Age gives you a wider perspective of life, to be sure. In it, he often cries out to God for mercy on account of his sin. He calls his sin “great”. And, he remembers the sins of his youth though has asks God not to!! I can resonate with David as I think many of us can. In fact, one of my recurring prayers to God is the prayer of Jacob, “I am not worthy of the least of Your mercies.” This is true. Mercy is not the sort of thing a person can earn. It is a gift. But as I have prayed it repeatedly at one point I felt the Lord nudge me and suggest, “You know, that’s really not the point.” I’ve thought about that for some time. This morning, I was reading again the account of Joseph and his brothers. You know it – the brothers rejected and sold him into slavery then lied about it with a cover-up story to their dad. It is sad. And, in fact, it pictures our relationship with God and His Son Jesus. We were His enemies. Ugh. Remembering this is a cause for misery. Or is it? Joseph doesn’t seem to think so. He tells his brothers “do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here…” What mercy! Beyond that, he encourages them not to “be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” What grace! Mercy is not meant to make us miserable nor is grace meant to make us guilty. Mercy and grace are gifts to be received and enjoyed. Today, let’s live as blessed children of our Merciful and Gracious God.

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Published: 01 October 2021

Who Were You? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” If you are a believer, have you ever given much thought to who you were before you were in Christ? Even if you became a believer as a child, the Scripture makes it quite clear that you were as bad off as you could be. Personally, I know I wasn’t as bad as I could have been. I did exercise some restraint. However, “in Adam,” I was as bad off as I could have been. Who we were before we were in Christ is described in Ephesians 2 and it is scary. We walked according to the course of this world following the enemy. We were by nature children of wrath. We were far off, without hope, aliens and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world! Yikes. In our text for Sunday, we’ll read Paul’s description of himself before he surrendered to God who is rich in mercy. He was religious! He was educated! He was from a good family. BUT, as he looked back, he realized he was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rebellious and arrogant enemy of God. No wonder Paul wrote that in Christ all things have become new! Think of who you were…think of who you are…and rejoice in the abundant mercy of Christ the King. Join us Sunday “in remembrance of Him.”