Grace and Mercy
We serve a great and mighty God who is full of love and mercy. God is a dreadful God who is powerful and he loves justice. I think that one of the most significant characteristics of God is his love. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). God is himself love and created us out of his love for us and his desire to be in relationship with us. Even when we drift away from God, he is patiently waiting for us to return to his presence and to be in fellowship with him.
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). God would go to the ends of the universe to demonstrate how much he loves us. He continues to extend his mercy and grace despite our weaknesses and failures. God is kind and longs to do great things for us. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). We often experience hurt when we stray away from the presence of God and the devil is good at trying to convince us that it is because God does not love us.
God does not move away from us, but there are seasons when we feel far from God because we have strayed away from his presence. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you” (Jeremiah 29:12). It does not matter how far you have strayed away from the presence of God. It does not matter how long it has been since you prayed and spent time in his presence. He is waiting for you to return to him and he is waiting to answer when you call out to him.
It is our sin that makes us feel far away from God but he is patiently waiting for us to return to him. God is faithful and full of mercy and he wants us to be close to him. God is ready to forgive us when we confess to him and he is ready to restore our relationship with him. He is not like people and we don’t have to work to earn his trust because he knows everything there is to know about us. God is not surprised when we mess up and he loves us just the same.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
A.P.-Y.
Published by Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
View all posts by Anneta Pinto-Young
Published
June 18, 2021
