Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

An Undeserving Brother

Yesterday we looked at what God says is true about Himself—He’s merciful and compassionate. Slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. What we believe about God really matters. In fact, it determines what we believe about everything else.

God doesn’t ask us to blindly believe in Him though. He asks us to have faith. What is faith? Faith is trust, based on evidence, that leads to obedience. We can trust that God will be merciful today, because we’ve seen Him be merciful before.

Want an example? Keep reading.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace. Help me see your grace in my life more clearly today. Jesus, thank you for clearly representing God’s grace to me. Holy Spirit, help me know you more and live in light of the mercy I’ve been given. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7 NLT

Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! Genesis 4:13 NLT

Consider….

Sin wants to control us. We talked about sin and its damaging effects on our lives last week. The story of Cain and Abel illustrates where sin leads, but also how God gives undeserved mercy.

God warned Cain what would happen if he didn’t watch out—sin would control him. And it did. One day, in a blind rage, Cain struck down his brother, Abel, and killed him.

This example may sound extreme because there’s murder involved, and chances are, you’ve never killed someone. But, this story paints a powerful picture of where sin always takes us—to death.

“For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23 NLT

Relationships were severed. A family was broken. Anger and violence won out over compassion and justice. We know what that feels like.

But what’s God’s response? Justice and mercy. Because of what Cain did, he was separated from the rest of his family, destined to be a wandering outsider for the rest of his life. That’s what sin does—it cuts us off from relationships. But God’s justice is never without His mercy.

Cain feared for his life without a tribe to protect him, so he begs God for mercy. God responds by putting a special mark on Cain that signaled to anyone who saw him that he was under God’s protection. That’s pretty wild. Cain was afraid of the same thing he had just done to his brother being done to him. If Cain had gotten killed, we’d probably think that’s pretty fair. A life for a life. But God’s mercy isn’t fair. It’s not getting what we deserve.

From the very beginning, God has shown Himself to be a God of justice and mercy. Even when sin takes us further than we ever wanted to go, we are never outside the reach of God’s mercy.

“For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT

Practice…

Remember God’s mercy for you.

When was a time in your life that you didn’t get what you deserved? Journal about it and thank God for showing you mercy.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes. Ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, come back to God by praying this Scripture:

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 145:8 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.