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New Sunrise – New Mercy

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Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning Lamentations 3:22

Did you ever stop to think that while the sun sets on this side of the earth it is rising on the other? At the same time that the sun is setting on one day it is is about to dawn on another. In the midst of this current world wide pandemic or in the middle of a personal crisis we may find ourselves at a dead end, but God does not. He never runs out of new ideas a new sunrise or new mercy.  One of the greatest promises in the Bible is God’s mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s mercies are always new and have not altered over time. They have no expiration date! God isn’t worn out from trying to get His mission accomplished and He never changes.  So even if it feels as if the sun is setting on all your hopes and dreams; God’s mercies are ever new and His new mercy is promised on your horizon. 

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The Day The Lord Has Made

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This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV

Interestingly the day that King David was writing about in this Psalm was not the church picnic, or some other celebration. In fact when David woke early that morning he looked out his window and saw an army camped out on his doorstep and he began to cry out to the Lord for help. The rejoicing part of this psalm begins as David realizes that God is listening to his cry for help and that God will come to his rescue.

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As we face off against this latest Corona crisis, with each of us virtually barricaded in our homes it is easy to give in to boredom, frustration or even despair. But David reminds us that the circumstances we are in are not the source of our hope. Our hope is in the Lord. We are in trouble but God is listening. He knows what to do and He promises to come to our rescue. So whether God’s rescue looks like a sudden turn of events in our favor or a quiet voice reminding us that His grace is all we need; we can know one thing for sure:

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!!

Changed Destinations

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So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. Luke 24:28-29 ESV

It is interesting that these two disciples had walked all day with Jesus. They had listened to all He had to say. They had talked with Him and told Him all their problems. But all down that long hot and dusty road, they never realized who they were spending their day with.

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All down the path they had walked focused on their hopelessness, confusion and fear. At any moment Jesus could have stopped them in their tracks shouting, “Hey guys, it’s me! I came back from the dead! Everything is going to be great!” but He didn’t. Instead Jesus first asked them about their problems then patiently explained and then he fell silent. He acted as if He would just go on without them. Then they made a choice that changed their destination from a village to a vision. They found one small kindness they could offer to a stranger who had shared His day with them. Jesus accepted their invitation and when they sat down together to eat He blessed the bread; showed them who He was. Will we invite some of the least likely strangers to sit with us tonight? When we make room for Him at our table He will still break the bread and give us a glimpse of His face as He has been doing for 2000 years!