Dear Family,
Today is Monday, April 21, 2025. This is Day 2 of Week 2 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 9th day of Counting.
As we move through this Counting and tracing the activities of ancient Israel, please notice the vast number of times that Israel cried out and God delivered them. Also, notice just how infrequently Israel’s attitude was good. God did not save them out of Egypt because they had repented in any way. He saved them according to His will and for His name’s sake. He did it as a witness to other nations that He is God!
From this perspective where we see Israel’s “poor” example, one overwhelming lesson is regarding God’s goodness. In this story we discover the depths of God’s grace. He demonstrated restraint, patience, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and many other aspects of His divine nature when He dealt with Israel.
There is no way we can come to the conclusion that Israel deserved any of God’s mercies, yet, God poured out His mercy over and over. Grace! Israel received God’s grace!
The pure truth is God has prepared the entire family of man to received God’s grace. We learn of it in John 3:16 and in other Scriptures like 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
As part of the Church today, we need to realize we are recipients of even greater measures of God’s grace than ancient Israel received. God has given us life and numerous talents and abilities. He has watched over us, protecting us and bringing us to a place where He has called us to repentance. He has forgiven us and granted us the gift of His Holy Spirit. He is placing His divine nature within us, daily teaching us and fellowshipping with us. Now, that’s GRACE!
Truly, God does none of this because we deserve His favor in any way. We have these blessings because He is a determined GRACIOUS God!
We are truly a blessed people. Let us strive to really get our minds around this kind of perspective about Who and What God is as He deals with us. God did not fail ancient Israel. He will not fail us. All of us who will put our trust in Him will be delivered!
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God