Fri.-Sabbath, 5/29-31/15 Devotion

Hallelujah—it is almost Sunday! We *get* to go to church! In order to help get us ready, here is Thomas Watson, from his outstanding book, entitled, "A Body of Divinity":

"As God’s mercy makes the saints happy, so it should make them humble. Mercy is not the fruit of our goodness, but the fruit of God’s goodness. Mercy is a gift that God bestows. They have no cause to be proud that live upon the gifts of God’s mercy. 'If I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head,’ (Job 10:15). All my righteousness is the effect of God’s mercy, therefore I will be humble and will not lift up my head. . . .

"God’s mercy is free. To set up merit is to destroy mercy. Nothing can deserve mercy, because we are polluted in our blood; nor force it. We may force God to punish us, but not to love us. 'I will love them freely,’ (Hos. 14:4). Every link in the chain of salvation is wrought and interwoven with free grace. Election is free. '[God] has chosen us in [Christ], according to the good pleasure of His will,' (Eph. 1:4). Justification is free. 'Being justified freely by [God's] grace,’ (Rom. 3:24). Salvation is free. 'According to [God's] mercy He saved us,’ (Titus 3:5). . . . If God should show mercy to such only as are worthy, He would show none at all."