God’s Grace

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness…

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:9-12

This is the definition of grace! The fact that God does not deal with us as we deserve, but rather because He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness, He deals with us as a loving Father and calls us to repent and to come into His arms. The only thing that He asks in return is that we fear Him. This is not the trembly fear of guilt and retribution, rather this is to revere and worship Him as the One True God above all things.

Fearing God gives us perspective. It leads us into right relationship with our Heavenly Father. It allows us to remember how great our God is and how small we are, not to demean us, but to make us realize our need to rely on Him. Fearing God pulls us to our knees in worship and respect. It gives us the desire to serve God and to be with His people. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10)