For Mercy or Destruction? - Wednesday May 13, 2015
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Romans 9:22-23 NIV
What if? Some of us can stop right there because God has taken our broken hearts and given us the opportunity to imagine, "What if I was created for the purpose of mercy?" What a powerful thought for some of us!
For those of us who grew up in abuse or neglect we most likely grew up with a false identity. Our childhood taught us the lie that we were created for destruction. How sad for us who struggle with the mud of other people's sin in our faces and in our thinking about who we really are.
I recently wrestled through my identity with God in a new way. I was asking God the deep questions: Who am I? Why did you create me? What's my purpose? At first I was naive and content to stop with the belief that I was created to enjoy bird-watching, cross-country skiing, and biking. I am an introvert, my husband's wife, and my children's mother. Sadly, my identity stopped there. I thought that if I could deeply believe and enjoy those things about myself, then this nagging thought that I was meant for destruction would go away. Then I read Romans 9:16-23 and for the first time wondered, "What if I am created for mercy?"
I wrestled with God, prayed, wondered, and my faithful God spoke. I was created for mercy! I no longer believe salvation is something I was given out of obligation to His Word but rather the very thing I was created for! Wow!
Submitted by:
Kelley Downie
Cedarcreek Community Church
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
One-Year Reading Plan:
1 Samuel 14:1-52
John 7:31-53
Psalms 109:1-31
Proverbs 15:5-7
[Read
Online]
© 2024 Great Commission Association of Churches, Inc All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Online Bible Services provided by
The Bible Gateway (TM) a service of
Gospel
Communications Network.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.