A Morning Devotion

Lamentations 3:22-23 - "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

I don't know about other people, but whenever I think about God's mercy during a morning QT, this verse always rings in my head.  God's mercies are new every morning.  Wow.  Forget about all your failings and mistakes of the previous day because God has made his mercies anew.  Come to His fountain of living water and drink, all who are thirsty and parched.

This verse has always brought me great solace and comfort after the sorrow that tarries through the night, but I realized today, why does God's mercy need only be taken in a passive sense?  Why must we only come to this promise of fresh mercies after periods of struggle, failure, and darkness?  If we've been doing particularly well with our walk or have been more loving in our lives today, does this mean the mercies of God are not needed tomorrow?

Then it seems to me that whether we are bogged in the miry clay or soaring on wings like eagles, the mercies of God that are new every morning are meant to be taken, received and enjoyed every morning.  Like the manna from heaven, God's grace and mercy is meant to be taken one day at a time.  Some theologian that I read somewhere pointed out that the reason why Jesus says do not worry about tomorrow is that the grace God has given us is meant to be used this day.

This is a lesson I'm learning painfully in Thailand.  I know everyone understands how God's mercy works when we have fallen and God picks us up again, but are we to live the entirety of the Christian life by cheapening the grace of God?  God wants me to come to His throne every, every, every morning to be filled by His grace, strengthened by His mercy for the day ahead of me.  He wants me to grow in holiness and in sanctification.  So if yesterday I've been a particularly "good" Christian, who cares? If I use yesterday as my motivation for today, I'm actually being fueled by my success yesterday rather God's mercy and grace available today.

Thus we must forget what lies behind, yesterday's failures and successes, and strain forward to what lies ahead, that is the mercies of God ready and available to us every morning.  In light of this, let us press onward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not:
As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
 
Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
 
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
 
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!