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“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).

“I’ve done it again. Messed up big time,” Lisa said to herself. “Dumb, dumb, dumb!”

She wanted to tell the truth. She tried to tell the truth. But Lisa had once again stretched the truth to a lie. And she had thought she was only making the story a little more exciting. Made herself look a little better than what was real. But now she was caught. Knee deep in a lie and the evidence was plain. The punishment would be huge, she was sure. Mrs. Franklin did not tolerate lies.

But this time Mrs. Franklin had a new idea. “Lisa, I know you lied. You know you lied. You have confessed to the lie. You know that a lying tongue is something that God hates. And because God hates it, I hate it also.”

“Here it comes,” thought Lisa. “I’m dead meat.”

“But as much as God hates lies, He loves you,” Mrs. Franklin continued. “Today I want you to understand your wrong actions and the mercy of God. You have shown you understand how your actions grieve God. Here is the mercy part. You may go to recess, and we will not discuss this any further.”

The mercy of God goes hand in hand with His love. Without the love of God, there would be no mercy. When we see the mercy of God, it is because He is love. When I think about it, God’s love shows God’s mercy continually. We deserve Hell and complete separation from God and from all that is good. Yet in His mercy God has chosen not to give us the punishment we deserve. That is mercy.

God is merciful.

My response:

» Do I recognize all the ways God has shown mercy to me?

» Do I try to show mercy to others?

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. . . . They desire a better country, that is, an heavenly [country]” (Hebrews 11:13, 16a).

A Puritan preacher named John Bunyan wrote the book Pilgrim’s Progress. It tells the story of a man named Christian and his journey to the Celestial City. Along the way to this heavenly city, Christian meets with terrible dangers, and he meets many people who try to lure him away from the right road. Christian has to avoid these side trips, say no to many temptations, and even leave certain people behind. The point of the story is that a true Christian must stay on the road to Heaven, not get sidetracked by the junk on the side of the road. Christians must not get caught up in the distractions of this world. Sometimes even things that seem fun and harmless can become traps that pull our hearts away from God and cause us to love this world.

What do you think of when you hear the word “pilgrim”? Some people think of a pilgrim as someone who is sour faced and out of touch and who doesn’t believe in having any fun. But the Bible says in Hebrews 11 that true believers are to be pilgrims. People who live by faith are pilgrims on this earth. This world is not their home; Heaven is! Like Christian in the story of Pilgrim’s Progress, true believers must stay on the road to Heaven, where they will be with Jesus Christ forever. They might have to give up certain activities that draw their hearts away from God. They might have to say no to certain people who try to distract them from obedience to God. They might even have to avoid places where they know they will be tempted to sin. The most important thing to a pilgrim is not this world, but the world to come. God wants us to live for Heaven.

God wants us to live for Heaven rather than loving this world.

My response:

» Are any of my friends or activities turning my heart away from God and the road to Heaven?

» What does God want me to do about friends or activities that turn my heart away from Him?

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31).

There is a large parking lot close to my house. I don’t know if it looks like a pond or what the attraction is, but large Canadian geese land there every spring and fall as they migrate. They spend their time eating bugs off the grass and being a bit of a nuisance. When I look up from the geese, I see little sparrows sitting on wires. They travel together, sit on wires together, then fly away as one.

In Matthew 10:29–31, Jesus is speaking to the crowd about not being afraid. He tells them to not be afraid of what others can do. They were experiencing difficult times because they believed in Jesus. Jesus needed them to understand that God cared for each one of them. God cares for you as well. Sparrows are small birds that seems unimportant. But God takes care of them. God sent Jesus to give us salvation. He cares for us even more than He cares for the sparrows. God cares when you are afraid, angry, lonely, hungry, happy, sad. God cares about you and every part of your life.

Talk to God about your fears, your thoughts, and even your joys. Then leave it up to Him to work in your life. Look for how God cares for you in the little and the big things. If you are having a hard time, try writing down the ways God has shown you that He cares.

My response:

» What good things are happening to me?

» What are the ways I am changing?

» Do I thank God for His care for me in all the areas of my life?

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Bethany’s eighth birthday had been wonderful. Her parents had given her a shiny new purple bicycle with purple and white streamers on the handlebars. It was exactly what she wanted! She knew it cost a lot of money. She had dreamed about that bicycle, admired it in the store, and hinted about it to her parents for several weeks. And now it was hers! She had spent the last hour outside riding it up and down their street. Finally, Mom called her in for bed.

As Bethany passed the kitchen on her way to bed, she saw the leftover chocolate cake sitting on the counter. “Mom, can I please have one more piece of birthday cake before bed?” Bethany asked.

“No, honey, it’s too late at night,” said Mom. ‘I’m afraid it will upset your stomach. You can have some tomorrow.”

Let’s pause the story right here. What do you think Bethany will do? She has several choices. She could burst into tears and tell Mom that she’s mean and never lets her have anything good. She could march off to her room pouting and slam the door. Or she could run to her mother, give her a hug, and thank her again for the bike.

Of course, it’s obvious to us that the last choice is the best one. Mom has already given Bethany a wonderful, expensive gift. She has only denied Bethany one small thing that wouldn’t be good for her anyway. How ungrateful Bethany would be if she forgot all about the bike and complained about that one small piece of cake that Mom said no to.

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, God has provided you with the most wonderful, most expensive gift there is. Salvation is bought for us at the cost of Christ’s blood. It is the greatest of all gifts. God never says no to those who come to Him humbly seeking this great gift.

But sometimes God says no to the lesser things we want. He says no because He knows the thing we want would not be good for us. The best way to respond to God when this happens is to thank Him. Remember all that He has already given to you in Christ. Trust Him to give you only the best things in His perfect time and way.

God wants us to respond with thankfulness in every situation.

My Response:

» Have I thanked God today for His gift of salvation?

» How do I respond to God when He says no to me?