4. Whatever God does for His children, He does _"purely_ out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy." His fatherly goodness and mercy-- nothing else--moves Him to show us goodness and mercy. He provides and protects me _"without any merit or worthiness in me."_ When a man performs some work for another man, he has done something for him and thereby earned, or _merited,_ payment for such service. We have not given anything to God, so that He would be in duty bound to reward us for it. We have not earned His fatherly love, nor can we ever do so.-- When a rich man bestows a free gift upon a poor man, this poor man has certainly not merited this gift, but he may be _worthy_ of the help. His worthiness may have moved the rich man to take pity on him. We are _not worthy_ of anything that God bestows upon us; we do not deserve His fatherly love and kindness. We have transgressed, and daily transgress, His holy commandments. We are sinners. We so often misuse God's kindness and His gifts. If God were to treat us according to our merits and worthiness, He would not be able to bless us, but he would have to punish and condemn us. In us God does not find anything that might move Him to love us and to care for us. It is _purely_ out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy that He loves me and provides for me, an unworthy sinner. We must confess with Jacob: _"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant."_ Gen. 32,10. REMEMBER:-- 1. _In bestowing all His blessings on me God is moved only by His goodness and mercy, not by any merit or worthiness in me. All I am and all I have and receive is a free gift of His love and kindness._ 2. _God's goodness and mercy are a fatherly and divine goodness and mercy. He daily shows that He is my Father indeed, who loves me and cares for me with a most perfect, never-failing, never-ceasing love._ 3. _To believe in God the Father Almighty means to know and be assured from Scripture that the almighty God is my Father, and with all my heart to trust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._ MEMORIZE:-- _The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works._ Ps. 145,9. _Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him._ Ps. 103,13. _I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant._ Gen. 32,10. _I believe in God the Father Almighty, that is, I know and am assured that the almighty God is my Father; with all my heart, therefore, I trust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._ QUESTIONS.