I’m at the Mercy of the Court

Daily writing promptHow would you describe yourself to someone?View all responses

I can quickly fall into self-righteousness, pride, and a feeling of moral superiority. But then I realize that I am no better than anyone else. Though outwardly I can appear to be morally upstanding, inwardly all sorts of evil bounces around deep down in my heart. I agree with a man named Paul who wrote: “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out,” and “What a wretched man I am.” He also wrote: “There is none righteous, no not one.”

I am a man who has learned that I can’t rely on my merit but only on God’s mercy demonstrated through Christ’s death on the Cross. I’m at the mercy of His court, but that’s a wonderful place to be. The blood of Jesus has paid the penalty for the wretchedness in me, and I have invited Him to live in me, to take moment-by-moment control of my life, and to continually direct me by His Spirit. Now I enjoy the undeserved fruit of the Spirit that Christ releases from within me, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Continually embracing God’s mercy as a free gift sets me free from guilt and fills me with the desire to follow and obey Him forever. Every time I slip up and fall (in thought, word, or behavior), in brokenness I ask for His forgiveness. Then the risen Jesus picks me up, washes away my guilt and shame, and welcomes me back into the awareness of His presence and power.

I’m a beggar who has found the bread of life and now wants to tell everyone how wonderful it is! I’m a Jesus-lover, a sinner saved by grace!

What a crazy time we live in. We have election deniers on one side of the political spectrum and gender deniers on the other. “There is none righteous, no not one.” “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”

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