The season of Lent is intended to prepare us to celebrate Easter, the death and resurrection of Christ. It is designed to help us explore why we need salvation by meditating on our human condition. In this sixth week of Lent, we’ll reflect on how God’s mercy covers a multitude of our sins and gives us courage to press on daily:

IN WORD – There’s not a day without sin rearing its ugly head and not a day in which God’s abundant mercies are not new. They really are the two foundation stones of a God-honoring life. They must be held together; neither side can be forsaken. Every day you and I give empirical evidence to the existence of both. Here are these foundation-stone realities: you still have sin living inside you and God is abundant in mercy. You and I must stand on both these stones. Letting go of either casts us into danger. Because I am a sinner, I need mercy, and because God is merciful, I can face the reality of my sin. The words in Nehemiah 9 describe us all: “They . . . did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules” (v. 29).
Maybe it’s a thoughtless word, a selfish act, a prideful thought, a moment of envy, a flash of lust, a willing act of disobedience, an attitude of vengeance, or a minor moment of thievery; maybe it’s wanting your glory more than God’s, failing to give grace where grace is needed, bending the truth, giving in to an addiction, or working to make these kinds of things in your life look not as bad as they actually are.
In some way, we all give daily proof to the truth that sin still lives inside us. None of us is yet sin-free. We all continue to fail in word, thought, desire, and action. It is humbling but important to admit, because it’s only when you admit how deep and comprehensive your problem is that you get excited about the rescue that only God’s mercy can supply. We aren’t just left in our sins. Nehemiah 9 continues, “Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God” (v. 31).
IN DEED – You can be courageous in admitting your sin precisely because God is richly abundant in His mercy. He comes to you in mercy not because you are good but because you are a sinner, and He knows that because of this condition, you are unable to help yourself. Since sin means that you are a bigger danger to you than anything else in your life and since it is impossible for you to run from you, there is only one hope for you. It is that someone with power, wisdom, and mercy will invade your life, forgive your sins, and progressively deliver you from the hold that sin has had on you. That mercy comes to you in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His mercy is always fresh, uniquely fashioned for the sin struggles of this new day. (from Paul David Tripp, “New Morning Mercies”)

ECC is not a liturgical church, so if you have a chance to visit a Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, or Anglican church, one of things you will hear at the end of prayers is “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison,” which translates to “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.” The response is a reminder that we should never take God’s mercy for granted. Every day we sin in one way or another, and every day we are blessed with God’s mercy.
Take time this week to reflect on Lamentations 3 (break it into three 22-verse sections), then read Ephesians chapters 1-4, a chapter each day. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a renewed sense of God’s daily mercy and give thanks that you can walk freely each day because of His steadfast love. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam