WE ALL ARE INOGAM’s In need of grace and mercy
May is MERCY Month, Day 1 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Where is mercy? It was in the beginning with God. It was in Adam’s first step. It was in the promise to Abraham. It was in a split Red Sea and manna six days a week. Mercy always finds itself in our need. When we do not deserve it, mercy is supplied and becomes transformational. We all are persons in need of grace and mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 2 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
I have spent years living and breathing in the world of expectations of other people. Living in constant disappointment to the socially acceptable norm, I have finally grasped the need for mercy. On my own, I cannot be what the world expects because their expectation never includes mercy. Now I live in mercy. I have experienced it. I have cultivated it. I have a great need for it. I cannot exist without it. And when it becomes a part of me my life finds truth, purity, holiness, peace wisdom, completeness, delight, joy, and victory. My years of living in this great mercy causes me to show mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 3 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9.
Mercy is not only pointed toward me. Mercy must also be pointed to everyone around me. If mercy is for me, then mercy must be given to all that I encounter in my day to day life. It does not surrender to thoughts of violence and revenge. It is filled with thoughts of love and acceptance. We are expected to have mercy in the same amount as we have received. The scales are always tipped toward the mercy God has provided for me. We love our enemies so that they may also be bearers of mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 4 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
“To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” Job 6:14.
Like the minor prophet Job, I have had many friends to help me fail. They would set traps to grab me and stop my progress. Great stumbling blocks have been set before me and I have made some very terrible falls. Yet when it comes to getting back up again, it seems there are few helpers. Bandages for my skinned knees and bloody nose are not readily available. I cry and no one seems to hear. But I am heard! I am soothed! Praise God for his mercy. When I am down, Jesus reaches down and lifts me up and heals my wounds. Bless God for his mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 5 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
I look at my hands and see the years of use and abuse they have endured. Years back I was a meat cutter. And I have the hands to prove it. Scars of knife wounds, arthritis both point to the years of heavy and physically demanding work. When I grab a rope to pull a tarp tight on my truck, one of my finger’s lock in a closed position of pain. I am tired of the scars and injuries of the past dictating to my present. The pain of life is part of the mortal experience. Please Oh God grand me mercy for this day, to carry on, to be an example of perseverance. Show me mercy and I will follow it all the days of my life.
May is MERCY Month, Day 6 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Matthew 25:35-40,45.
I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. … Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’”
Life is much like being on a seesaw. We had four of them in the “little kids” playground at Marina Del Mar Elementary school. Each was set in concrete in a dirty, sandy area. Each recess for me included running to this simple lever-based plaything. The excitement was not in the contraption but having someone to share the experience with. It was a thrill that with a little push I could be raised up in the air and the assurance of an equal push of your companion would bring me back down. Up and down, up and down, but the problem was when someone simply decided to stop and when they were at the bottom they simply stepped off. Down you would come with a great thump. We all have all felt the disappointment and pain of the bottom. Mercy is someone always willing to balance you. Balance, that is mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 7 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1
With a criminal conviction there is always a chance of a kind of judge who will show mercy. There is a hope of a reduced sentence because of extenuating circumstances. It does not happen often. When it comes to humans, mercy is hard to come by. The cry from the crowd is “crucify him.” My God is not like that. His mercy is like a wide mouthed and filled to the brim bucket of water. Anyone who would even brush against it is well wetted. His mercy is always dripping on all those who call on his name. His mercy is so great that he doesn’t just forgive us when we fail, but he erases any record of our failure. He doesn’t just reduce our sentence–eternal punishment–he eliminates it and sets us free.
May is MERCY Month, Day 8 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
My life must either grow or die. I choose to grow. It grows in the fields of life as I trust more and more. Each repeated and tried testing of God’s power reveals growth in the fields of my life. It may be a little sprout here and there, but there is growth. Every time I am knocked down and I get back up it encourages growth! Every danger overcome in trust in God, growth! Again, and again as we trust in the little things there is growth. And with every sprout, every stem, every leaf, every bud, every blossom will result in fruit. Lord be merciful to me with each sign of growth, no matter how small
May is MERCY Month, Day 9 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Matthew 18:21-22Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy time seven times.”
Our world is inundated with technology. The power of a handheld device we call a phone would be called magic when I was 12 years young. I had to learn times tables to get through fifth grade. Now with a few buttons I can compute the square root of 4,5678 to twelve decimal places. Here, like Peter I ask how many times do I have to forgive someone. The response is a math problem. Not only do I have to forgive, now I have to do math!
May is MERCY Month, Day 10 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
I am an independent person. It is not an thing to trust someone which is in my personal universe. To trust my past, present and future to God’s mercy presents itself as almost an impossibility. But I must. I am in need of grace and mercy. I fallen short of God’s perfect plan by my own stubbornness. I must draw close to the only solution for my shortcomings. I must shout to the roof tops my wanting to do it myself. And God smiles and forgets. He bestows love, care, and understanding. In an instant I understand the words of Jesus, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more”
May is MERCY Month, Day 11 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
My life has never been on a perfect sight line. There have been numerous deviations and stop off points. Sometimes I have even turned around and retraced my steps to start a portion over again. My life has always been a zigzag line between right and wrong, truth and lie, justice and mercy, cruelty and love. But ultimately it is progress. It has been a pressing on the higher path. For that I thank God and his mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 12 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Romans 5:15
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
I do not deserve God’s grace and mercy. God’s image of me has not always been lived out in my actions. There have been times I have not guarded my mouth when I have felt hurt or insult. I have acted role when I have simply been more genuine. There is no excuse. There are no mitigating circumstances that would earn God’s favor. But God does pour out a washing of forgiveness. That is mercy. I will take steps today to simply bask in his mercy. I will take refuge in his protection.
May is MERCY Month, Day 13 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Micah 7:18
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
I have lived in it. I have experienced it. I have panted for it. I have never deserved it. Weakness, foolishness, pride, personal independence, and simple rebellion have been efforts to run away from it. Mercy is the “IT” of my life. My life has tasted the power of God to forgive. “IT” is only when we get away from our selves and we find God. Mercy is that only solution and path to peace, wisdom, completeness, delight, joy, and victory.
May is MERCY Month, Day 14 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
James 5:11
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful
What sets humankind is our ability to see beyond the objective world. The ability to understand or to even ponder the existence of, “more than this.” And in that grasp of this concept, is a realization of our need to engage, to understand, to connect with more than the present situation. It is in this connection we will ultimately come to see our need for mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 15 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The promises of God are often found on a scale of the two opposites of justice and mercy. Between them are a million points of happenstance. Justice demands punishment no matter what. Mercy is a free offer of forgiveness no matter what. I deserve justice and crave mercy. The world around me shouts for fairness and there is little space left for mercy. This cacophony of voices may well distract me. Yet I simply choose to draw near to God and let Him sort it out. It is in this closeness I experience mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 16 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus in eternity.
I have heard it. That still small voice in the depths of my soul. It calls out to me to be better than I am. To constantly strive to achieve more that I reasonably can. It is directed toward my life. You may not hear it the way I do, it is very personal to me. It is whisper in every thing I do. And I try to live up to the standard that God would set before me. But the calling is not because I have done so much but because I have done so little listen and act. It is God’s grace and mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 17 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
There is a connection between truth and mercy. Only when we acknowledge the truth of God that we find His mercy. Both require effort. The effort to find, comprehend, and trust in truth and then God to extend his mercy. Truth and mercy is never about suppression or ignorance but the perfect reliance on the mercy of God. It is the greatest of all effort of God.
May is MERCY Month, Day 18 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The 23rd Psalm has been called the Psalm of faith, and certainly with great reason. Each line captures a sense of serene and happy confidence undisturbed by a single doubt. There are pictures of punishing rods and staffs, enemies, and foreboding valleys. Yet, each is coupled with mercy. Every possible fear is covered over by a faithful prospect of mercy and grace.
May is MERCY Month, Day 19 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
I Timothy 1:16
Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
It has been said, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” It follows that a life lived out must be worth millions of words. To see a life changed is more helpful than reading of some happenstance in some other place. God’s mercy in my life is better than any commentary of a Bible verse. Me being an example to everyone around me, speaks more loudly than a giving a book at someone. Being the hands and feet of Jesus to my world is better than any two-hour movie. God’s mercy to me causes me to be merciful, which becomes an incentive for others to experience mercy from God.
May is MERCY Month, Day 20 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
James 2:10,12.13
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, for judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
This quote from James is a “hard saying”. It is not hard to understand. It is very plain and simple. It is hard because we all deserve justice. James is saying, if you make your life into a world of compliance and keeping of the law but fall short in one miniscule and seeming nonessential point, you deserve and should be accountable for judgement. It doesn’t matter if you went to church every time the door opened, or gave all that you had to ministry, if there is one spot, one little blemish, there will be judgement. Judgment is required. But if I show mercy, if I show love to the undeserving, if I go out of my way to be merciful, then I will be shown mercy. My mercy is a sign of God’s mercy. God exercises mercy with delight and His mercy rejoices and overcomes His justice.
May is MERCY Month, Day 21 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
It is coming. It is roaring toward me like a train through a black and ominous tunnel. I cannot escape. In a day arriving soon my earthy existence and all that I have attempted to do will be over. I am what I am. All the preaching, all the writing, all the effort I have expended will be over. It evaporates. There is nothing left. Unless Jesus is who he is. Jesus the GREAT I AM. Unless Jesus is raised up becoming the mercy and grace filled, I AM, it will be over. Never-the-less, I am who I am because Jesus is the Great I AM. It is the grace of God with me.
May is MERCY Month, Day 22 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
2 Corinthians 4:14-16
We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
That is why! With examination, and minute dissection, I search for the reason of my often tumultuous, high and low existence. All the efforts to be more than myself; to show mercy, to love unconditionally, to be full of grace to all have reason. I have a reason not to give up. I have an overflowing of mercy in my life, I experience God pouring abundantly and without measure for my benefit. That is why I will never stop. That is why I will never surrender. That is why, though my life is but a fleeting moment in eternity, I will be renewed every day. I am an INOGAM (in need of grace and mercy). And I am blessed by that.
May is MERCY Month, Day 23 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Hebrews 4:14,16
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The kingdom of God is full of great contradictory truths. One of those truths is that the power of Jesus Christ is perfected in our weakness. Two things can be the truth at the same time. God’s strength is more easily seen in moments of weakness. When times are tough, and we come to the end of ourselves we will find God.
May is MERCY Month, Day 24 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
King David of the Old Testament was a piece of work. Despite being a great ruler, he was a fornicator and an adulterer. He is not alone in the pages of the Bible. Plenty of other bible characters have done something terrible at some point in their lives. Saul was a disbeliever, Moses was a doubter, and Jacob was a liar. Yet, God made them his witness and used them to accomplish His purpose. Not only did He forgive them (MERCY), but He also endowed them with unmerited favor (GRACE). The difference between mercy and grace? Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance from his father. The father’s grace gave him a party.
May is MERCY Month, Day 25 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Why is the road to destruction so wide? Why is it so easy to find this gate leading to destruction? Always remember a gate is always associated with two alternatives. A binary choice. A one or a zero. Ultimately it is the individual who by his actions determine which gate found. The number going through is not determined by size of the gate, but the gate size is determined by the number of those who pass through. One gate is mercy, the other justice. My choice: Mercy!
May is MERCY Month, Day 26 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
If I am need of mercy, then what is this “thing” I need? One definition states mercy as a “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power” It is a compassion for others, an inner pity for those who have fallen into misfortune or unhappiness. It is not punishing when it is deserved. So, what was The Great Teacher saying? Was he saying If I show mercy, I will get mercy? I think not. When God has shown us grace and mercy, then I must also be merciful to those who do not deserve it. I am not merciful to get mercy, but I show mercy because God’s love provided mercy to me.
Because of this they already have: The mercy of forgiveness of God who delivered from their sin
May is MERCY Month, Day 27 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Matthew 18:32-35 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Debt, a four-letter word that seems to have associated itself with everyone. If I go and help someone, they say to me, “I owe you one.” Our national “I owe you one” is now over $28 Trillion dollars. So, every person in the America owes about $86,000. I personally do not have that kind of money laying around. My biggest debt is not counted in dollars. We are all God’s debtors. Yet we say, “I don’t have enough to pay my debt, could you give me a little more time?” God, responds to my cry for grace and instead pours out mercy. I don’t have the amount I owe to God and I will never have it. I do not need a longer grace period; I need the mercy of forgiveness. And because of that I must, must show mercy to all around me.
May is MERCY Month, Day 28 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
James 4:7
Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
When Adam and Eve committed the first sin against God, they ran to hide from Him. People are still hiding from God today. We hide because of the guilt. Hiding away from God will not make it disappear. Those who want to retain their sin will keep it hidden. God will not be hidden from. If you want to be blessed, you must expose sin—bring it out of the dark and into the light—so that you can obtain mercy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 29 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
1 Timothy 1:13
Thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service. I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy. And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Paul needed it. Every thought every action in the year preceding his conversion was made with a zeal that would not be slowed. He was a fanatic keeper of the Law and hated everyone who did not agree with him. It drove him to persecute Christians and acts of excessive violence. On the road to Damascus, Paul was awakened to his folly. He needed change in focus, a new understanding, a new belief. What Paul needed in his life was MERCY and GRACE.
May is MERCY Month, Day 30 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Mercy is God reaching a conclusion of worth. I am not deserving of any leniency, yet God sees in me the possibilities of great things. Mercy is God not punishing me for the sins of my life. God’s mercy is bigger than any mistake I have ever made. Grace is blessing me despite the fact I do not deserve it. Mercy is the deliverance from judgement. Grace is extending kindness to me the unworthy.
May is MERCY Month, Day 31 INOGAM –“In Need Of Grace And Mercy”
I John 1:8-9, 2:1
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. My dear children, I write you this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the Righteous One.
It is not God who separates us from him when we fall short of God’s ideal. It is me who moves into the shadows. I know my need of grace and mercy, but I am fearful of the terrible willfulness of my actions. I pull back my hand in fear of being slapped away. I need the grace and mercy of the Father. I acknowledge it is the explicit, voiced, and demonstrated will of God to forgive. I have an advocate! Someone to plead my case. I have no power to right the wrongs I have done. Only God can cancel my past and give me a brighter future.