Intro: Mercy and Truth always come together in the love of God which is abundant and endless. Mercy is an essential quality of God; associated with forgiveness. Did you know when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, it is an act of God’s mercy and Truth because he loves us, wants to forgive us, and simply wills the holy best for us? God wants us to enjoy a sense of well-being and he knows sin robs us, so he convicts us [of wrong actions against the Truth] in order to bring his healing presence to us.
In Ephesians Chapter 4:20-24, the Apostle Paul tells the Ephesians their old lifestyles have to go. There is no excuse for ignorance, because Jesus brings a God-fashioned life that is worked out from the inside. God’s Spirit guides the believer’s conduct [through conviction] and reproduces his character in us. We are saved from sin and the work of evil by the merciful love of God! If we have never thought about conviction this way before, we need to wake up!
Ephesians 5:1-2 Wake Up from Your Sleep
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Prayer: Lord, please continue to teach me about your merciful love and help me to translate that into holy actions that grow the relationships around me each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.