“Mercy, peace, and love, be multiplied to you.”
Jude 1:2
Are you experiencing the MULTIPLICATION of mercy, peace, and love in your life?
Is your life getting more and more peaceful; or more and more chaotic and full of strife? Do you feel more loved as each day goes by? Or, do you feel more alone, lost, and afraid? Are you acutely aware of the great covering of God’s mercy upon your life? Or, do you often fear judgment, and greatly worry that a great disaster is about to befall you?
My walk with God has taught me that the closer I am to Him, the more obvious the benefits of His mercy, peace, and love become and thus, the more I appreciate His presence.
But God’s presence is experienced only when we walk in truth. The book of Jude is a warning against apostasy, which is the abandonment of truth. When we abandon the truth, we become slaves. Jesus said:
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31-32
The experience of our freedom in Christ is what multiplies our sense of mercy, peace, and love. Freedom in Christ happens when we “abide in His Word.” If I treat God’s Word and His commandments as a buffet-line I think I can pick and choose from—then I am living in apostasy. The trade off of God’s peace and love is—simply not worth it!
I found out how painful it is to abandon truth in my last damaging relationship with a man who didn’t want to live by God’s rules. When I compromised following God’s Word in order to please this man, I felt God’s presence subside. All I had left was a “love” so far inferior that I felt an overwhelming sadness. It was like I had traded my best friend for someone who was only capable of worldly love. My dear friends, there is no comparison to God’s love!
So, I ran back to God and He received me with gladness.
This principle does not just hold true with love—but it is also true with experiencing all the fruits of the Spirit. If you want to have God’s mercy, peace and love MULTIPLIED in your life—seek God’s ways. He loves you more than you love yourself and HIS peace surpasses even your greatest understanding of peace.
