Nougat 19

Now today’s Holy Nougat is a promise that keeps on blessing.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and lovingkindness.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Given the human aspect of my soul, it is very heartening to know that God is merciful, gracious, abounding in tender loving care, compassionate and slow to anger. I understand your needing to ensure that attributes are not exactly promises; and you are right. However (and it’s a very BIG however), when I mess up, by falling short of God’s glory, it becomes very comforting to me to know that God’s merciful! I suspect that that’s important to you also.

But these attributes are not only for consoling me when I sin; they do keep and sustain me when I am about to sin, for I am then conscious that I am taking God’s grace for granted. Because, if I consciously trifle with sin and justify my sins by saying, ’well God is gracious and slow to anger, so it’s all good’ I see that as taking God’s grace for granted. Some would say it is mocking God, and that comes with its own repercussions as Galatians 6:7 indicates. For, as my childhood self would warn you,’God’s going (to) sin you/me!’ It may sound silly, but I assure you it often worked.

Additionally, God’s grace is a comfort to us all when life happens. Since God’s not coincidental, then we recognize that the near misses we’ve had are because of God’s grace. We know we didn’t truly deserve all the ways God has sustained us, not at all. Nor the unmerited favour that’s dotted our lives from time to time of on a regular basis. Some of us might even have described them as coincidences but, in the words of Jamaican ethnic-musicologist JoAnne Faith Richards, those are Godincidences. We don’t know when they come or what will happen, but wherever, whenever and however God chooses to place them in our lives – oh yes Lord we welcome them.

Finally, there is a very special aspect to recognizing these attribute-promises of God. For, in appreciation for God’s grace, tenderness and compassion, we may opt to do likewise. It’s hard I know. It’s hard for me also. But, we may have a few people to do this for daily – God does this all the time for all of us ! Again it’s a reminder when I don’t wanna.

So we celebrate God’s hesed, and in the process, we count the blessings while giving thanks for them and seeking to extend the same for others.

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May all we seek be found in Christ