Let’s Celebrate What God Hasn’t Done

I attended an open house yesterday for Morning Star Church, as they are celebrating the building that God has graciously given to them.  Pastor Ed Copeland preached an outstanding message from 2 Chronicles 5. I was greatly encouraged by the entire day. I want to share one point with you.

One of the greatest phrases in the Old Testament is “His lovingkindess endures forever.” It is repeated over and over and over again. See Psalms 100; 107; 136. It was the refrain that the entire congregation sang together at the dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 5:13).

In the King James Version, this phrase reads, “His mercy endureth forever.” This is a legitimate translation, focusing upon an aspect of the idea of this word. God’s lovingkindess endures forever because His mercy endures for ever.

Pastor Copeland made the comment something like this: “Too often we are so into celebrating what God has done, that we forget that our greatest blessing comes to us in what God hasn’t done.” For believers in Christ, God hasn’t punished us for our sins. He hasn’t delivered us over to condemnation. He hasn’t struck us dead in our rebellion against Him. Instead, He has shown mercy.

Let’s celebrate what God hasn’t done!