7.10-Everyone of us falls short of the target of best we could be. We can't handle justice from a holy God we need mercy and grace.

7.10-

All of us who read these ideas of Jesus and sincerely think about them know that we fall short of them.  God’s relationship with His children is based on forgiveness and mercy.  It is grace and mercy that God pours out to us.  Transformation is powered by  God’s steadfast love for His children which never ceases.

God wants everyone to be saved and the only way that can happen is by the grace and mercy of God.  Paul opens many of his letters to the people with the idea that God sends His grace and mercy.

1 Timothy 1.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

² To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Timothy 2.

2 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in ^[a]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and ^[b]dignity. ³ This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the ^[c]knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony ^[d]given at ^[e]the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a ^[f]preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸ Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

For 3,000 years the great songs about God have been about His love for people and their cry to Him for help when not other helpers cannot help.

Psalm 4.

Answer me when I call, O God ^[b]of my righteousness!
You have ^[c]relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

² O sons of men, how long will my ^[d]honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? ^[e]Selah.
³ But know that the Lord has ^[f]set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.

^4 [g]Tremble, ^[h]and do not sin;
^[i]Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
⁵ Offer ^[j]the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord.

⁶ Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will ^[k]both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

This life with God is a heavenly life that cannot be destroyed by death.  The life of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is an eternal kind of life that gives us hope in the worst of life’s situations.

1 Thessalonians 4.

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep ^[k]in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive ^[l]and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a ^[m]shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive ^[n]and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Larry Wishard

7.4.17