You can’t buy grace.
Father Richard Rohr writes, “The experience of forgiveness or mercy is the experience of a magnanimous God who loves out of total gratuitousness. There is no tit for tat. Grace isn’t for sale.”
We can’t buy God’s love.
There is nothing, NOTHING that we can do to be worthy of God’s love. Therefore we don’t “earn” it by being worthy, by achieving, or even by obeying the commandments.
Salvation is God’s amazing loving-kindness that is always and forever . . . eternal. It is a gift to us.
That is mercy. God grants us mercy. Then and now, Jesus calls us to offer that same mercy to others. In the days ahead we will explore how.
Read the beauty of God’s faithful mercy in Psalm 136,
Psalm 136 The Message (MSG)
136
1-3 Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.
4-22
Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.
The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn,
His love never quits.
And rescued Israel from Egypt’s oppression,
His love never quits.
Took Israel in hand with his powerful hand,
His love never quits.
Split the Red Sea right in half,
His love never quits.
Led Israel right through the middle,
His love never quits.
Dumped Pharaoh and his army in the sea,
His love never quits.
The God who marched his people through the desert,
His love never quits.
Smashed huge kingdoms right and left,
His love never quits.
Struck down the famous kings,
His love never quits.
Struck Sihon the Amorite king,
His love never quits.
Struck Og the Bashanite king,
His love never quits.
Then distributed their land as booty,
His love never quits.
Handed the land over to Israel.
His love never quits.
23-26
God remembered us when we were down,
His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot,
His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need.
His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits!