“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12).

These are some of the most important verses in all of scripture. Few other verses so clearly teach us about God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Mercy – “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

• That’s mercy. That’s all God
• We are absolutely deserving of judgment and damnation for we are all guilty
• Yet, that’s not how God deals with sinners. He offers sinners mercy. In fact, he offers sinners himself as the one to bear the brunt of judgment and wrath
• It is mercy because we do not receive what we deserve the gift of God’s Son

Love and Grace – “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him”

• That’s God’s love. That’s all God
• God’s love is amazing, awesome, is literally out of this world!
• No matter where you stand on planet earth, how high are the heavens above you? The heavens extend out for infinity. As far as the scientists can fathom, there is no end to the universe
• God’s love for you in never ending and immeasurable
• God loves you so much, that God could not imagine an eternity without you in it. So God sent his Son to die on the cross for your sins, so that in Christ you can stand in God’s kingdom as God’s child
• While this love is given out freely, it is made a reality only for those who fear him. The word for fear has little to do with feelings of terror, and has much more to do with honoring, glorifying, and loving
• It is God’s love. It’s all God. We receive what we don’t deserve. It’s all grace

Forgiveness – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

• This is forgiveness. This, too, is all God
• When we confess our sins and repent, God forgives us. At that very moment God sends our sins away from his presence and from us, and never stops moving away from us
• As far as the East is from the West, so far has God removed our sins from us
• When we confess and repent, God forgives. And when God forgives, he no longer sees the sin that separates us from his love and presence
• This is forgiveness. This, too, is all God

What an amazing God! What an amazing love!

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1).

To keep a car running properly for the long run, it needs more than fuel. It needs regular maintenance. It needs minimally regular oil changes and tune ups. It needs these regular service because the running of the car makes things get out of calibration.

Our daily reading of God’s word and prayer is like fuel for cars. This is what keeps us going.

But we need a regular check in for recalibration and for remembering. The race of life has a way of getting priorities, goals, and hopes out of whack. The race of life has a way of making us forget about purpose and meaning.

Rest. Respite.

Sounds good, right?

The key to resting in the shadow of the Almighty? Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. You gotta get yourself to the house of God. This is the place of worship, the place of recalibration, the place of remembering.

God calls us to worship, not because he needs to be worshiped, but because we need to worship. It’s in the context of weekly worship that God both sets us right and helps us to remember who we are because of who he is. We need this recalibration and remembering every week because the race of life makes us forget.

This is why worship for the Christ-follower is a non-negotiable. We worship because we need to worship. We need a regular tune up and oil change. We need to remember.

The Lord’s people spend the Lord’s day the Lord’s way.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

By this, we are told.

“This” is the identifying marker of Christ’s disciple.

So, what is “This”?

That you love one another.

It’s not that truth doesn’t matter. It’s just that truth matters when it is revealed, told, and shared in love.

There’s a huge difference. Leonard Sweet says, “Too many Christians want to change the world not because they love the world but because they hate the world.”

If the people we are trying to share Christ’s truth with know and perceive that do so because we hate who they are and what they are, truth may be uttered but that truth will never change anyone. Such truth will only revile and repudiate the very Christ we’re trying to share.

As I listen to the ways Christians speak about BLM, gun control, mask mandates, Trump and the elections, I can’t help but wonder if Leonard Sweet is right.

It’s not that truth is not important. It’s just love is even more important.

Love doesn’t cancel out truth. Love comes alongside truth to make truth even more compelling.

As many of you know, there were multiple Greek words that are translated as love in the English. Out of all the words, the word agape – unconditional love – is a love that we are only capable of living when Christ enables us to do so. Agape is the way God loves us – unconditionally, steadfastly, sacrificially.

Guess what word for love is in our verse of the day. Yup. Agape.

Of course we share Christ’s truth. And, we share Christ’s truth in Christ’s love.

When the church is known for the way she loves, the people who don’t know Jesus and people who disagree with us are ready and open to receive Christ’s truth.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”