You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Psalm 86:5 NIV
Abounding
Last December, Canada’s public safety minister said the federal government is exploring all options to combat foreign interference as “threats abound” for national security. But Marco Mendicino added any new laws introduced must “strike the balance” between security and ensuring the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is respected — including any potential foreign agent registry or similar measures targeting covert and hostile actors. Mendicino stated, “We are at a point in our national security landscape where there are threats abound when it comes to foreign interference.”
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When you think of the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, what first comes to mind? These days, in too many cases, the God of the Old Testament is perceived to be angry, violent, unjust and aloof. Even in Christian circles, many have this view. If this is your view, I want to take you to Psalm 86:5: “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” It is true that God is holy and just, and He calls people to a standard of purity and righteousness. But that is just as true in New Testament as it is in the Old. God’s nature didn’t suddenly change in the 400 silent years between the Old and New Testaments. He is the same today as He was in King David’s day. King David was a sinful man – just read Psalm 51, written following his sin with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. And out of that cry for forgiveness, out of that brokenness, David experienced God’s grace and His abounding love. That grace and abounding love are available to anyone who recognizes their sinfulness and who cries out for forgiveness. Call on Jesus and you will experience it too.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley