Wednesday 20 June Bible in one year : 1 Timothy 4-6

Memorise - The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. Proverbs 11 vs 17

God is abundant in love and His love is wonderful. There is a generic love of God and the special love of God. John 3 vs 16 speaks of the generic love of God for mankind. Every man born into the world is a recipient of this love, whether this love is accepted and appreciated is a personal matter for individuals. It is this generic love that makes Him send His sun and rain on all men - good and evil. Our Lord Jesus spoke about this love in Matthew 5 vs 43-45. This love is not dependent on the action of the other party neither does it demand reciprocity. Beyond the generic love however is the special love of God. To partake of His special love, you must first acknowledge His generic love and accept its gifts as outlined in John 3 vs 16 . This love can only be accessed by loving and believing in Jesus who is the recipient of His special love.

For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me , and have believed that i came out from God . John 16 vs 27

His special love therefore is conditional and demands reciprocity . He said in Proverbs 8 vs 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

The more God’s favorites love God, the more God loves them in return. Are you a recipient of His general love or a partaker of His special love? How much do you love God? Do you rise up early or at midnight to seek His face ,praise and fellowship with Him? May you reap His superfluous love this season.

God also gives mercy . God’s mercy is great towards those who fear Him. Psalms 103 vs 11 says for as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him

This means , the level of mercy you enjoy from God is a function of your fear of Him. Believers who do not fear God will not receive much of His mercy. If you truly fear and love Him, He can extend His mercy even beyond you (1 Chronicles 17 vs 11-13). In addition , Matthew 5 vs 7 says mercy follows the law of reciprocity . When you show mercy to others, you will have a harvest of mercy. If you fail to show mercy to others, you may soon run out of mercy yourself. Proverbs 11 vs 17 says if you show mercy to others , you are only doing yourself a world of good. That means each time you refuse to be merciful to you neighbor ,you hurt yourself. How merciful are you ?

KEY POINT: if you get more judgments than mercy , it is most likely because you are indebted in mercy. Sow mercy to all who have hurt you.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

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