by Louis Sacran

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Last week, we focused on the fact that love is not simply an emotion or an action, but love is a person. God is love. In our passage from Lamentations 3, Jeremiah reveals two beautiful realities that help us understand how God is love.

First, God’s mercies never end, and they are new every morning. Mercy can be described in many ways, but my favorite is “unnecessary kindness.” God expresses his steadfast and unending love by being kind to the extent that it is unnecessary. There is no need for something that is unnecessary; in a sense, it is not appropriate. God’s kindness is inappropriate in that not only do we not deserve it, but we also deserve the opposite of His kindness: His wrath. But, because God is love, He chooses to bless us, to love us, and to express constant kindness toward us.

The second reality that Jeremiah points out is God’s great faithfulness. If people are faithful, they are predictable; you can trust them. So, what does God’s daily mercy or kindness look like? Perhaps it’s an encouraging or enjoyable conversation with a friend. Maybe your child hits or comes closer to hitting a milestone that you’ve been working toward for months. Or, maybe you were able to exercise patience and endurance as you continue to work toward an unmet goal.

I’m not sure exactly what God’s love will look like today, but if we look closely enough at the events of our day to day life, we just might see it.

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Louis is the husband of Abigail (Founder of Spreading Sunshine) and the father of Lily and David. He is a counselor at Northeast Mississippi Community College, the associate pastor at Ripley Primitive Baptist Church, and an ACBC certified biblical counselor (Association of Certified Biblical Counseling). He is also the president of Christian Activities, Inc.