Psalm 103:6-10
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
A perceptive reader will recognize that this is the same passage that started us last week. And that is completely on purpose. As we read last time, this passage beautifully describes all the glorious ways that God showers love on us—even when we don’t deserve it.
However, as you read it again, I want you to read it in light of this passage from 1 John 3:2-3, “2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
We shall be like him. Throughout the scripture we are called to strive for Godliness. We are invited to live in a Christlike manner. This is an incredibly difficult calling. And though we may never get it perfect we will do well just by reaching for it.
It is so easy to hold someone else’s sins against them. We’ve all known someone who has held on to a grudge for so long that they may not even remember what started it in the first place. Just as God is holy, we should all live as people who are also holy. You can be merciful and gracious. You can be kind and forgiving.
God has given us so much that we can easily share that over-abundance with the people around us.