In the quietness of the morning it seemed that I could hear the faint sound of a motor.  It was still dark outside, too early for the sound of lawn maintenance that we often hear early in the day.  I lay in bed wondering if this sound was outside, or in the house (running water, furnace, etc.) The only conclusion was that the sound was inside my head.  (Surely, you have heard such a sound. If not, you will when you’re old.) The sound is gone now, but it brought to mind the thought that there is a power within the world that keeps it going.  Since it encompasses, and works within the whole of the universe and creation it is beyond our comprehension, beyond our finding out.  It is revealed through various means—God’s Word, His Spirit, our circumstances, in relationships, in quietness, and in upheavals.

Without God’s mercy His wrath would have already been poured out upon the whole earth.  Since the flood He has promised this mercy until He has accomplished all His will on the earth.

Mercy, or Mercy and Grace?

 What is the difference in God’s mercy and His grace?  My understanding of the two is that mercy is “not receiving what we deserve.”  God has not destroyed the earth and all its inhabitants at one time, so that He may bring into His kingdom all those for whom Christ died—-that He may save a people for Himself; accomplishing His purpose for creation and His glory.   Mercy for some is living a good life here on earth, though they may not inherit the kingdom of God.

Grace is “receiving what we do not deserve,” — CHRIST!  No one is born into this world deserving life in Christ. (Romans 8:2) It is freely given according to the counsel of God’s own will.  (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 1:11)

Mercy for some is to save us from our sin—not to leave us where we are, but to take us to something else.

Regular or High Octane?

As “regular” gas fills a vehicle and facilitates its movement, so, mercy may get us through this life, enjoying our own success and pleasure—our own life.

Grace, on the other hand, is the high-octane power of God within a man to move him in the life and joy of Christ here on this earth, continually filling to His praise and honor, and future glory, moving us onward and upward to the unknown heights of heaven.

Mercy is for earth or water movement only.  Grace is for God’s people, the power to raise us beyond this world to His glory.  When the apostle Paul spoke of being God’s “workmanship” he had no inkling of the extent to which a ship could rise—from this earth— and beyond to the glory of God and His presence.

Grace, which comes from Christ alone, is the only means whereby man can be lifted from this world to the next.  Grace is the means of God’s preserving this world, its turning, its beauty, its movement within, its working according to His own pleasure.