Mercy, grace, and hope

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. – Titus 3.3-7

According to what? What would happen if God saved me according to my birth? What would happen if God saved me according to my wealth? Would it do much good if I was saved according to my good works?

Thank the Lord that those things are not the basis for God’s kindness and love to be poured out. It is all according to one thing – according to His mercy He saved us.

We were all in the same boat before Christ. Not all of us were all of the things talked about in this passage, but all of us were some of them. We look at a world that is still without Christ. How exactly do we expect them to act? But for God’s mercy being poured out on us we would all still be in the same boat.

Bus God did pour out His mercy. He didn’t just dribble it out - He poured it out. He didn’t pour out just a bit – He poured it out abundantly.

God’s mercy was poured out and His mercies are new every morning. We have been justified by His amazing wonderful grace. And because of that we are ‘heirs together’ with the assured hope of eternal life.

Mercy, grace, and assured hope.

Does it get any better than that?