Because we are merciful, God will bless us. This daily devotional will complete our look at how God blesses us when our mercy leads to godliness.
Nuggets
- The root of sickness is sin, and God will reward us by comforting us.
- God blesses His children throughout the generations.
- God will bless us by providing for our needs.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Being Merciful Leads to Godliness series
Still More of God’s Blessings for Merciful Disciples of Christ
We started in the last devotion to look at blessings God gives us for being merciful. Blair indicated there were more.
Resource
Let's Put It into Context
God’s mercy is the unexpected way God responds in love to our needs. Disciples’ mercy is a characteristic of compassion for the needs of others, especially those who are weak and unhappy.
The Reward of Comfort in Sickness
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51: 3 KJV)
The root of sickness is sin, and God will reward us by comforting us.
This is one of those sections that you really scratch your head, wondering how Blair got from point A (Ps. 51: 3) to point B (“God s comforts in his sickness (Psalm 51:3)”).
(I know. What is that little s doing there? If it should have been God’s, it should be comfort).
(Makes me wonder why I like digging into sermons so much.)
Back on track.
When we think of sickness, we think of disease and illness. My head is pounding at the moment because a front is going through it. I have a medical procedure scheduled for today.
God is going to and has been comforting me.
When we think of sin, we think of rebelliousness. “For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me” (Ps. 51: 3 CSB). We think sin is our choice.
We think God cannot look on sin. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? …” (Hab. 1: 13 CSB).
So, why did Blair choose a verse about sin when he is talking about sickness and comfort?
Let’s go Dictionary Chick and see where that leads us.
Transgressions are sins such as envy and covetousness, where we are not content with being who God has made us and with what God has given us.
So, Blair saw the sin as an illness. Well, so did the disciples.
Remember when Jesus healed the blind man? “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” (Jn. 9: 1-2 ESV).
The disciples were convinced that the blindness was the punishment for sin. Sin = cause; sickness = effect.
Well, that goes back to the Old Testament. David thought the same.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Ps. 103: 2-4 ESV). He hooked iniquity and disease together, also.
We know Paul equated sin with disease. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5: 12 ESV). Death is the result of illness, which is the result of sin.
The root of illness is sin, and God will comfort us.
Wait! What?
Is comfort really the right word there? Shouldn’t Blair have said punish?
When I looked up comfort in the Holman Bible Dictionary, all they had was comforter. We know that is the Holy Spirit.
Resource
At the very bottom of the definition, it had a link to a verse. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I Jn. 2: 1 ESV).
Read that last part again. “… But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I Jn. 2: 1 ESV).
If we do sin — which we will — Jesus is interceding on our behalf. He is standing up for us.
Advocates generally aren’t looking to make sure punishment is meted out. They are standing up for someone else’s rights. They are trying to right wrongs.
I have been Adam’s advocate with the public school system. In order to get him the services he needs, I have had to stand up to people who thought they knew exactly what he needed — but didn’t have a clue because they were basing his plan on their services, not his needs.
Let’s just say they were glad to see Adam graduate because they would no longer have to deal with me.
I don’t see God and Jesus getting into a knock down, drag out over you and me. They are on the same page — and that page is good for us. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8: 28 ESV).
Wow! Isn’t that a comfort?
They are working it out how to turn us off the wide path. They are working to get us back on the narrow path.
Glossary
Yes, God and Jesus are working it out. It isn’t all up to Them.
Most of the other versions said “I know my sins.” Just knowing what our sins are doesn’t always mean that we acknowledge them.
We have to own up to our sins. “Yes, I did this. Yes, this is a sin. Yes, I repent of this sin. Yes, I will do everything in my power to turn away.”
Glossary
It might be easy to think that by saying comfort, Blair thought God was going to ignore our sins. He won’t.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Prov. 6: 16-19 ESV).
If God hates sin, why would He comfort us?
I think what it is getting at here is that, once we ask for forgiveness, God will comfort us. Forgiveness is, when we ask, God pardons us because we have broken His laws and commandments and restores our relationship with Him.
It is a comfort to us that God does forgive us and show us mercy. He should punish us and give us the death penalty, but He doesn’t when we are washed by the blood of the Lamb.
Glossary
God knows we are still in these sinful bodies. Therefore, even though we are disciples of Christ, we are going to still sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1: 9 NLT).
God comforts us by assuring us that He will keep forgiving us when we ask. “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isa. 43: 25 ESV).
As long as we submit to God, He will grow us to be more like Him and comfort us when we miss the mark.
A Blessing of Posterity
“He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed” (Ps. 37: 26 KJV)
God blesses His children throughout the generations.
It has always been God’s intent to bless us through the generations. When God entered into the covenant agreement with Abraham, He included all of Abraham’s descendants. “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Gen. 17: 7 ESV).
When things switched to the Messianic covenant, that part didn’t change. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3: 20-21 ESV). The church will forever be blessed.
Let’s look at it this way. “Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation (Ps. 22: 30 ESV).
That is logical. Blessedness means we have been perfected. The perfected state indicates the combination of the graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
Glossary
We will only be perfected when we reach Heaven. What will be our job description in Heaven? Worshiping God 24/7/365 or however time is measured there.
God Will Provide When We Are in Need
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4: 19 ESV)
God will bless us by providing for our needs.
I can see why Blair left this for last. It is kind of like the “other duties as assigned” on a resume.
But isn’t that comforting to know? Whatever comes up, God will provide what we need. Period. End of discussion.
What? What God provides isn’t what we were looking for?
Read Romans 8: 28 again. God is working all things out for the good of His kingdom — and that means that whatever it is, it is good for us, too.
God is working all things — the good and the bad.
Oh, we think we get to have final say in our rewards? No, it doesn’t work that way.
We can’t think that we can delegate God to the position of butler, who has to do everything we say. God is Sovereign God. He is in control, working things for our good.
Don’t worry. He’s got this.
Making the Connections
How many times do we bite on ourselves because we keep sinning? We feel like such failures because we cannot keep God’s laws and commandments.
God understands. He is loving and will forgive us.
How Do We Apply This?
We need to let God be Sovereign God. That means we submit to His Will. We allow Him to bless us for following His laws and commandments.
We need to teach our children that He is Sovereign God. He sent His Son to restore our relationships to Him. That takes action on our part — we have to accept His gift of salvation.
We have to totally submit to God. He is good and will give us what is best for us — even if we don’t think it is.
God will bless us for showing mercy to others. That will lead to godliness.
Father God. We praise You for Your mercy. Help us to imitate You and show others Your mercy. Amen.
What do you think?
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