Our Amazing God!

Exodus 34:6 "And the Lord passed by before him,and proclaimed,The Lord,The Lord God, merciful and gracious,longsuffering,and abundant in goodness and truth."

       The sun rose today on a largely selfish,wicked humanity.God's gifts of life and strength and provision and salvation were freely doled out.Laughter and enjoyment flowed,flowers bloomed and birds soared. And these are just a few of the demonstrations of God's steadfast love,His faithfulness, and His longsuffering for his creation.(It rains on the just and the unjust).
       Nothing we will experience on earth can compare to the "mountain top" experience of Moses as he talked to God and experienced his glory.As God passed near Moses again He emphasized His love and forgiveness.Through their worship of the golden calf and the activities that followed,the israelites broke many of the commandments they had recently received and promised to obey. In response,the Lord told Moses of his love and capacity to forgive "wickedness,rebellion and sin".That was extremely good news for the people who needed His forgiveness and restoration.Saints God is still expressing that capacity today, for all who seek him.

      Look around you,see the evidence of God's faithfulness and goodness,His mercy and His patience.Feel the clothes on your back,the bible in your hand.smell the coffee or the food being prepared in the kitchen Consider the church you enter every Sunday with the freedom to have christian fellowship.Not because we were so good,but because God is that Good, and He loves us just that much.

     Now reflect back on your week.Whether it seemed a good or a bad week,due to circumstances,God was there with you.You were not alone.Did he send any of his people to encourage you?No doubt the presence of His spirit brought you gifts of love, joy, patience,kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to you.(Saint how many times during this week ,month or year have you thought how would you make it, but yet here you are.) How good He is!How about the last several years? Or your lifetime?How can you see God's steadfast love and faithfulness in retrospect?Were you rescued from something? Given some wonderful gifts of relationship, health, home,or career? Did God reach into your circumstances and do a miracle? Yes, we live in a fallen and frustrating world,but if we will take time to look into the face of God's faithfulness to us, we will see more clearly that life with God is good.

We might be tempted to think that the people of Israel were an especially challenging group of people.But we're stubborn and stiff-necked people too!We take God's goodness for granted so often.How desperatly we need His compassion, mercy, forgiveness,and steadfastlove in our lives!And what would we do without God's abiding presence?