In him and through faith
in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
I can only go boldly before God because of who He is, not who I am.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and
to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24
It is not my failures that should keep me from him, but my weaknesses that make me run to him.
This is what I want with my children too. I want them to run to me when they fail. I want them to see me as merciful and a loving mother. I want them to come because of their confidence in ME, not their confidence in whether they are good enough or successful enough. I want them to know that I can handle their sin, mistakes, weaknesses.
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them
finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13
But do we really do that? Do we really always give mercy to the confessor? If I want mercy, I need to extend it. How time and again I am messed up in tears at how beautifully God extends his compassion over my weakness. I want to be a giver of lavish mercy.
It's what says, "You are safe here. I can handle what you have to say. I can see beyond what you have done."
It's an invitation.
Have you had the invitation before?
When someone lets you fall apart before them. They still see the very best in you. They still see all of your possibilities. Patiently they let you be who you are at that moment and then look you in the eye and say, "You are wonderful. You are incredible. You are lovely. You are worthy of love and you have a Hand on your life that will not forsake you. You can be weak- so that you may become strong."
It's the ministry of Jesus. It's the invitation to receive redemption. It pushes back against condemnation. It shames, SHAME! It blesses brokeness. It is the spirit of adoption. Adoption reaches into the snare of hopelessness and it answers the prayer of the hopeful. Adoption is attacked because it is the creation of God. It is what Jesus did on the Cross. His blood spoke a better word. Adoption is the better word!
And true adoption, can only be formed out of mercy first.
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