The Lord’s mercy is available to those who desire His ways, who seek His ways, who desire to keep His ways. This isn’t the same thing as just keeping His ways. It begins in the heart. You can be a “good” person and still not receive His mercy if you don’t love Him.
His mercy is not for those who do not fear Him, who do not seek Him and do not desire to keep His ways.
We cannot choose rebellion and sin and expect His mercy, even if you regularly attend church and do ministry and call yourself a Christian. If our heart is inclined to our own way we are in direct opposition of the Lord.
He is a just God. It’s not about legalism; it’s about relationship that transforms you. If we don’t love Him, we won’t desire to keep His ways. If we love life and our own ways more than we love Him, we’ll be in constant war against Him…we will reject the Cross of Christ.
•I thought about my ways and TURNED my feet to His testimonies, to keep His commandments.
•Teach me, revive me, give me understanding, incline my heart to Yours, establish Your Word, make me understand, strengthen me according to Your Word…
•It is good for me that I have been afflicted…THAT I MAY LEARN Your statutes! (Wow!)