189. Wala ka Lolo ko. For him, by God's grace and mercy we can keep His decrees and laws.

29 August 2021

“‘Keep my decrees and laws.’”

Leviticus 18

4 “‘You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 

5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.’”

Psalm 119

12 Praise be to you, Lord;

    teach me your decrees.

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

    who walk according to the law of the Lord.

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. - Abraham Lincoln

Strengthened by Grace

By: Con Campbell

From Our Daily Bread

"During the American Civil War, the penalty for desertion was execution.  

But the Union armies rarely executed deserters because their commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln, pardoned nearly all of them. This infuriated Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, who believed that Lincoln’s leniency only enticed would-be deserters. 

But Lincoln empathized with soldiers who had lost their nerve and who had given in to their fear in the heat of battle. And his empathy endeared him to his soldiers. They loved their “Father Abraham,” and their affection led the soldiers to want to serve Lincoln all the more.

When Paul calls Timothy to join him in “suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3), he calls him to a tough job description. A soldier is to be completely dedicated, hard-working, and selfless. He’s to serve his commanding officer, Jesus, wholeheartedly. 

But in reality, we sometimes fail to be His good soldiers. We don’t always serve Him faithfully. And so Paul’s opening phrase is important: “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). 

Our Savior is full of grace. He empathizes with our weaknesses and forgives our failures (Hebrews 4:15). And just as the Union soldiers were encouraged by Lincoln’s compassion, so believers are strengthened by the grace of Jesus. We want to serve Him all the more because we know He loves us."

Good soldiers. Keep God's decrees and laws. Yet by His grace and mercy. Not on our own righteousness.

Made Alive in Christ

Ephesians 2

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 

9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

In reality, we many times fail to be His good soldiers. Like the deserters pardoned by Abraham Lincoln, when we fail and then experience God's empathy, in turn in gratitude we express our affection for the Lord our God and want to serve Him all the more with the resolve to keep his decrees and laws.

We are made alive in Christ, our good works are a result of our gratitude for God's grace and mercy, not on our own so that no one can boast.

God is pleased not with the self-righteous Pharisee but with the contrite tax collector. Luke 18:9-14

""Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise" (Psalm 119:12, 1, 16, 34, 25, 41). This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

18 January 2018"

My children's will someday utter, wala ka Lolo ko; for him, by God's grace and mercy we can keep His decrees and laws.

May you be blessed with God's Word.

Maraming salamat.