"Remember, O Lord, your tender mercies and your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old (Psalm 25:6).
"Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let your lovingkindness and your truth continually preserve me" (Psalm 40:11).
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).
"Hear me, O Lord, for your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of your tender mercies" (Psalm 69:16).
"Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies" (Psalm 103:4).
"The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalm 145:9).
"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2).
"Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:78-79).
Notations and reflections on the tender mercies of Abba, Father:
He is, was and always will be filled with tenderness for his children.
He has multitudes of mercies; you can't exhaust them.
It's the nature of Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be merciful.
As you experience the mercies of the Lord, your tendency towards mercy increases.
You can't fellowship with the Holy Spirit without "bumping into" his mercies toward you.
Our Heavenly Father is merciful to us because of his unconditional love for us.
Because we, as born-again children of God, are partakers of his divine nature, we can live in, walk in and flow in tender mercies toward people.
In addition to the last comment, the Holy Spirit is living in each Christian and he is the love of God that's been poured into us.
Mercy draws people much better than does judgment or condemnation.
The mercies of God don't leave you as you are, as you interact with and embrace them, they transform you.
Even under the law of Moses, God had mercy toward Israel. He never fully dealt to them (or to us while dead in sin) the judgment they (and we) deserved because of rebellion to him.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. God's mercy toward us overpowered the effect of his judgment of sin, by placing our sin upon Jesus.
Among the benefits of spending time soaking (resting, relaxing) consciously in the presence of the Holy Spirit is experiencing and enjoying the peace, joy, grace, love and mercies of God.
The goodness of God draws you, nurtures you and refreshes you.
As you hide away in the mercies of the Father, you are encouraged, empowered and energized with enthusiasm for life.
Jesus is the demonstrated love, grace and mercy of God manifested for us.
Mercy prevents you from receiving what you deserved as a sinner and offers you the gift of Righteousness through the faith of Jesus.
We are the sons, saints and servants of God. He can't be unmerciful or ungracious to us, at any time, for any reason. He lives in us through the Holy Spirit and we live in him through Jesus!
Christopher Longgrear (D.Min., Ph.D.) of Fresh Fire Ministries International is senior pastor of Fresh Fire Church in Marietta, Parkersburg and Athens. Thoughts of Faith is a weekly column written by various ministers and lay people. Those interested in scheduling a date for writing a Thoughts of Faith column should contact Janet Gossett at 376-5446 or jgossett@mariettatimes.com. Or, if a Thoughts of Faith column is written at the writer's convenience and sent to The Times, it will run the first available date.
