Morning Devotional

December 31, 2003

"His Unfailing Love" 

by Don Emmitte

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I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. (Lamentations 3:20-25 NLT). 

For some it may be difficult to look back at 2003 and be very hopeful about the future. The past year may have held some of the most difficult and trying days of your life. These experiences may be making it hard to see the unfailing love of God in your life. There are two examples that come to mind from Scripture that reaffirm the unfailing love of God, one stemming from defeat and the other from victory. 

The first is the story of a scandalous woman caught in the act of adultery by the most pious men of her day. They brought her before Jesus, naked, guilty and without defense. She didn't have an advocate; she didn't have a chance. The crowd was ready to stone her and by law, they had the right to. Then Jesus stepped in. Full of love and forgiveness, He asked the men who among them was without sin. Only a perfect man would be worthy to cast a stone at this woman. Of course, no one there could claim to be without sin. One by one, they dropped their stones and walked away. Finally, the only one still standing there with her was Jesus. He truly was without sin and thus was entitled to do as the law commanded - stone her. Instead, Jesus looked at her without condemnation and said, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:12). After living a life of blatant sin and constant defeat, the woman received a fresh start from Jesus.

Another woman, Mary of Bethany, knew Jesus well and loved Him dearly. Once, when Jesus was visiting her home, she sat before Him and anointed His feet with very costly oil. The disciples looked down upon Mary for being so extravagant to waste such a precious resource on Jesus' feet, a resource that could be spent elsewhere. But Jesus defended Mary in front of everyone present. In fact, in Matthew's account of the same story, Jesus is recounted as saying, "She has done a good work for Me…wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Matthew 26:10,13). Jesus took the disapproving opinions of others and turned them into praise, giving Mary a fresh start.

So, whether you are in a season of defeat or triumph, go to Jesus, the giver of mercy and new beginnings. Praise Him for His forgiveness of all your shortcomings. Thank Him for His empowerment in all your victories. There is nothing to dread or fear in the future, for we serve the same gracious Jesus who gave hope to the worthless and praise to the criticized. Enter 2004 with expectancy for God to use everything in your past for His glory and your good. May the grace of our merciful God bathe you in glory this year! Happy New Year!