TODAY’S DEVOTION (Sunday 1st June 2025)
“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So, then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Romans 9:14-16 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 152ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
Today marks the beginning of the mid-month of the year. It’s going to be a journey of 30 days. I have decided to call the month my month of mercy. Many of us may not understand why, but as the month unfolds, most of us will come to understanding.
To start with, I was born on earth in June. I rediscovered God’s path for my destiny in the month of June after a season of oblivion. I was salvage from the mouth of the dragon in the month of June.
Majority of the great things God did in my life, that eventually made me what I am today, took place in June by God’s sovereign mercy.
If you want to check how God’s mercy looks like, please do not go far just look at me and you will just know.
I have come to realize that if God’s mercies do not rewrite our terrible and morally bankrupt stories, nothing else will. God ordained His mercy to be the most powerful force on earth for the salvation and redemption of the most valiant offender who breaks down in submission to God’s will and ways.
Mercy is God taking away the consequences of our sins and giving us what we do not deserve at the end. And all that is accessed through the door of repentance and unlocked by the key of submission to divine will.
It is God’s mercy that crowns our year with His goodness. The Bible says, “You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance” (Psalms 65:11 NKJV). It does not just crown our year; it crowns our life. If a year of our life is not crowned with God’s goodness for you, it might be difficult to pass through that year or live that life in blessing.
One of the exploits of God’s mercy is to crown our year or lives with God’s goodness.
A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT IN OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT THIS MORNING QUOTED GOD SAYING,
“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
If God decides to have mercy on you, it does not matter who may have decided to mess your life up, it will never happen. God’s mercy is the antidote of all that can come from hell to hurt or harm you. Sometimes we think that God’s mercy is for wicked people. Well, that is true but not the whole truth.
Understand that God’s Children needs more mercy than the lost. The reason is because it does not take any effort to stand strong in sin. But it takes a lot of effort, external support from Heaven, to stand strong in righteousness. So, you will need God’s mercy this month than any unsaved person out there. Peter shows us this when He said,
Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 4:18-19 NKJV
This scripture made it very clear that we need more mercy from God than the lost. The Bible made it clear that the challenges of saying yes to Jesus are not easy without God. It says if we the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? We need a lot of mercy from God to retain our salvation having received Christ as LORD and savior.
Becoming a true Child of God is not the end but the beginning. The real warfare is not in becoming but retaining your position or status in the Spirit as a true Child of God once you are saved. That is where the need for God’s mercy comes in.
Child of God, it’s possible to lose what makes you a true Child of God if there is no mercy in your life as a righteous Child of God.
JESUS TELLS US THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS HAPPENING WHEN HE SAID,
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13 NKJV
Losing your flavor as the salt of the earth is losing what makes you God’s true child on the face of the earth. The greatest tragedy in the life of a Christian is the loss of his flavor as the salt of the earth, not the loss of a job, a marriage, some money or an opportunity to travel for greener pastures. Hebrew made it clear that once that is lost even when you seek it with tears you will not find it again.
Jesus Himself asked “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” That is why we need God’s mercy as His righteous seed! We need it this month as well as for the rest of our lives so that our flavor as the salt of the earth will remain.
Jesus made it clear that if we lose our flavor as Children of GOD we cannot be seasoned again. The next thing that will happen is that we will become good for nothing; men and devils will be trampling on us. Sadly, that has become the lot of many in the kingdom today, that is why we need mercy!
Another highlight in our devotional text today says, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Meaning, to retain our flavor as the salt of the earth it is not by might nor by power but by the mercy of the LORD!
Zechariah the prophet puts it this way:
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
I believe God is answering us today and saying, “yes, you need to make sure you do not lose your flavor as my child, but it will not be by power or by might but by my Spirit.” In other words, by His mercies! Paul will later warn, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV).
NOW HOW DO YOU TAKE HEED? BY KNOWING THAT IT’S NOT BY MIGHT OR POWER BUT BY THE MERCIES OF GOD AND THEN GOING ALL OUT FOR IT.
Friend, when it comes to “walking” and “talking” with GOD, or retaining your flavor as His child it is indeed not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
If God’s mercy is on your life, you will be able to overcome temptations. If God’s mercy is upon your life, trails of faith will not be able to have you. If God’s mercy is upon you, He will make sure you find a way of escape in any Circumstances that the enemy or you throw at you. Yes, sometimes the enemy throws things at us and other times we throw them at ourselves.
But if the mercy of God is upon us, He will always make a way of escape for us. May the LORD make a way of escape for you this month. May the enemy not be able to catch up with you. May it be your month of uncommon mercy. In Jesus precious name.
Talking about the exploits of God’s mercy in our lives, the Bible says,
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
If you look at this scripture you find another reason why we need GOD’s mercy. God’s mercy is the regulator of the impact of temptations on us. It will make sure we are not allowed to be tempted beyond what we have spiritual capacity for by creating a way of escape for us; especially when it becomes too much than we can bear.
What is the message this morning? The month of June is declared unto us as our month of GOD’s MERCY.
It is not because we are sinning or wicked; it’s because we are determined to live a sin and wickedness free life. Yes, it’s because the mercy of God is all we need not to be messed up by the enemy of our souls or those who hate us this month.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY.
“My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:20-24 NKJV
