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“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” —Hebrews 11:7 One day in the presence of Mark Twain someone said, “This world is coming to an end.”  And with a gleam in his eye, Twain said, “Don’t worry, we can get along quite well without it.” As we look at our world, our world is a sinking world, and we wonder if we can do without it.  But God promises that a new world is coming, a better world is coming, and that world is the world of His kingdom and of His glory. Noah learned how to rise above a sinking world. His faith produced good works.  He believed God and built an ark.  He believed God and obeyed God. And so because of a faith that worked, Noah was able to rise above a sinking world, and so can you. How did Noah do it?  How do we do it? God spoke to Noah!  And when God spoke above the clamoring voices of his times, Noah listened to the voice of God and obeyed the voice of God. In the midst of all the voices that are clamoring for our attention just as in Noah’s day, we must hear the voice of God!  Beyond the rabble noise of the crowd, beyond the call and the cry of the crowd we must hear the voice of God. God is speaking and wants you to listen. Tuesday, November 27, 2018 Unfailing Mercy by Dr. Paul Chappell “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:13–14 Thomas Hooker was a powerful preacher and effective author in the early 1600s. He fled from England to America because of religious persecution, and helped establish the city of Hartford, Connecticut. Even today he is known as the “Father of Connecticut.” Hooker’s life made a difference, and he accomplished a great deal for the Lord, but he never forgot what God had done for him. It is said that on his deathbed, one of Hooker’s friends told him, “You are going to receive the reward of your labors.” The dying pastor replied, “No, I am going to receive mercy.” The unfailing need that we have for God’s mercy because of our fallen state is matched by the unfailing supply of mercy that God provides to those who trust in Him. “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). No matter how much we work for God, how much we give, how much we witness, how much we accomplish, we are still utterly dependent on His mercy. Our best attempts fail to measure up to God’s standard. But mercy covers our faults with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, allowing God to see us as acceptable unto Him. Today’s Growth Principle:  When we recognize the vital role God’s mercy plays in our lives, we will give no place to pride.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that NO one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Nota bene: Grace is getting something we don’t deserve; Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.