T H E O P H I L U S

You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

Psalm 85:1-3 –

Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 85

Many of us picture the Lord to be a God who never gets angry, and who is not one that we should fear. We’ve described so much about His love, that we’ve imagined the Lord to be soft, squishy, and playful. But this is far from the full reality of who God really is. Even in the gospels we can see how Jesus not only displays gentleness and kindness, but there are several cases where he was quite upset. But the difference between God’s anger and ours is that He never sins as a result of his anger. His wrath is completely just, and because he is God he also has the authority to pour his judgement on us. The concept of Grace is often perceived as tender and soft. But rather the act of Grace comes at a bloody and cataclysmic conflict. The nature of God’s holiness leaves no room for sin. And because of God’s holiness and incompatibility with sin our approach to his throne is immediate death.  This is why our salvation comes at a cost. Jesus, God’s one and only son who is completely righteous, holy and without blemish throws himself into the fire of wrath in order that such incompatibility be mediated.

So now that we’ve understood then more clearly the holiness, authority and power of who God is and the wrath in which he is capable of, we must begin then to realize his mercy. His mercy is then God holding back his wrath – even if it should be rightfully served. The most beautiful part of this story is this: God’s wrath was held back because his love and faithfulness to revive us was greater. God’s mercy and grace displays to us that his love for us so desires then to restore us – so much that he gives his son to bleed and die for us.

Revival begins in our lives then when we respond to God’s mercy and his holiness by repentance and humility through prayer; when we practice grace as he did for us; When we forgive as God has forgiven; when we hold back our need for wrath on others. Just as God gave us all that is good, we too, ought to repeat exactly what he has done for us so that we may imitate his love, his goodness, and his great faithfulness to us. This my friends is where revival begins in our churches, homes, and humanity as God so designed us to be.

Grace means undeserved kindness.
It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees he is unworthy of God’s favor.