T.G.I.F. / Part 1 The Goodness of God / Redemptive Mercy

"'Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God,' writes Paul in Romans 11:22. The crucial word here is 'and'. 

The Christians at Rome are not to dwell on God's goodness alone, nor on His severity alone, but to contemplate both together. Both are attributes of God - aspects, that is, of His revealed character. Both must be acknowledged together if God is to be truly known.

God's generosity in bestowing natural blessings is acclaimed in Psalm 145. 'The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.....The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing' ( verse 9, 15,16; cf. Acts 14:17 ). 

The psalmist's point is that, since God controls all that happens in His world, every meal, every pleasure, every possession, every bit of sun, every night's sleep, every moment of health and safety, everything else that sustains and enriches life, is a divine gift.

And how abundant these gifts are! 

'Count your blessings, name them one by one,' urges the the children's chorus, and anyone who seriously begins to list his natural blessings alone will soon feel the force of the next line - 'and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.'

But the mercies of God on the natural level, however abundant, are overshadowed by the greater mercies of spiritual redemption. 

When the singers of Israel summoned the people to give thanks to God because 'he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever' ( Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1; cf. 100:4 f.; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 7:13; Jeremiah 33:11 ), it was usually of redemptive mercies that they were thinking: mercies such as God's 'mighty acts' in saving Israel from Egypt ( Psalm 106:2 ff., 136), 

His willingness to forbear and forgive when his servants fall into sin ( Psalm 86:5 ), and His readiness to teach men His way ( Psalm 119:68 ). 

And the goodness to which Paul was referring in Romans 11:22 was God's mercy in grafting 'wild' Gentiles into His olive tree - that is, the fellowship of His covenant people, the community of saved believers." 

Quoted from: "Knowing God" 'Goodness and Severity' Chapter 16, J.I. Packer, InterVarsity Press, 1972 

I don't know about you, but this "wild shoot" is celebrating the goodness of God in her life this week and her spiritual redemption! Honestly, we should be rejoicing always over our spiritual blessings in Christ! ( Philippians 4:4, Ephesians 1 & 2 ) 

That's a good way to start every week! And sharing the Good News of Christ's redeeming love and mercy with others! The harvest is ripe. 

Happy Monday 🍁🐓

Archive Photo of the Farmer serving up his goat milk ice-cream on July 4th. We started out farming with Toggenburg dairy goats, and eventually switched to sheep and cattle. I'm so grateful for the salt of the earth dairy farmers who took the time to invest in us with their expertise and training. I've always attempted to pass what I've learned along to others especially with my Great Pyrenees pup families. If anyone can learn from our mishaps and mistakes, I'm thankful! Grace and Peace!