Far be it from Holy and Almighty God to have loved any sinful man or woman for who that sinful individual of mankind is. No, most Merciful God would not be as Good as He alone is were He ever to have done so. What a credit and a glory it is to Him that He has loved mankind in spite of the way mankind naturally is, and that He has loved men for His Namesake alone; which is to mean, for the sake of His Righteous Son, Jesus Christ; which is again to say, on behalf of the merciful sacrifice of His Son, on behalf of just such a one whom is ever the namesake of any father, such as Almighty God is. It is no credit to mankind, that he praises the One Who showed him such surpassing mercy, Who repaid him not according to the measure of his innumerable offenses, both on his part ignorantly and willingly performed, but rather according to what he did not remotely deserve. It is no real credit to any of us to repay God and His unfathomable Mercy with simple praise. And it is only His credit to be satisfied with the poor praises of mankind. The mere lipservice of praise is a poor substitute for actual, deliberate wrongdoing, and can never be thought to recompense any actual offense. No natural man would ever think the offer of mere praise an acceptable compensation for the pain of any tremendous loss. God was first offended, and then took upon Himself further offense in order to redeem us with His Mercy: He has been doubly offended by all and willingly so for all Who love Him, in His everlasting extension of Love! But how much more wretched and offensive is the sinner who refuses to pay his poor praises to God for the real, costly Mercy which God has extended to him? The poor, such as mankind ever is before the riches and splendor of God, has only ever something of his poverty to offer in return, like the poor widow who gave all she had in the form of the two mites that she offered to her Maker above. Sin is an act of rebellion, and rebellion is an act of war, and war is only ever waged by one's enemy; and how every one of us has only ever made himself, by his sinful acts, the enemy of God, Who has not dealt with His enemies according to His Righteous Justice, which is His due, but Who has permitted His Mercy, in the form of His Christ, to triumph over His Righteous Judgment, in effort to save what has only proven itself worthless, so as to repurpose such worthless men and women that we, of ourselves, are for the Kingdom of Heaven, whomever has truly been made a new creation in Christ. Yes: it is only to the credit of God that mankind's worthless praise is viewed by Him with any worth, and it is only for Christ's sake that mankind is looked upon with any Grace. It is the Worthy Sacrifice of Christ alone which gives man's otherwise worthless praise its tremendous worth! Praise God for His Son, Jesus Christ! Without my intercessory Savior, God could not love me, because there is truly nothing lovable about me before Truly Righteous eyes, such as only God innately and fully has, save what Christ has accomplished in Me! I praise God for loving me in spite of who I am, and for having time and time again chastened me, as a son, and fashioned me from within into something I have no right of my own to have ever become, let alone imagine; to be taken from the place of dishonor, upon which my own works have continually established me, and to have set me as a vessel of honor according to the One Whom long ago worked for me on the cross, and Whom today daily works in me, for His glory! Glory be to the only God, the only One Who is the truest and fullest expression of Love, Who has loved only enemies, and teaches all Who hear Him to do the same, during this earthly duration of His Grace. Because He loved me, to whom He has revealed the rage I've long and repeatedly harbored against Him in my heart that my wicked self would never have wanted to naturally confess--because He has loved me, whose many repeat offenses ought to have removed me once and for all forever from His Gracious sight--because He has loved me, in spite of my stubborness, in spite of my lies, in spite of my hate, and has turned such things into obedience, into truth, and into love, only by His long-suffering Grace--I will praise my God on account of such unfathomable Mercy, made fathomable to me only by His Spirit in the Person of Christ; for pondering His Mercy is my greatest treasure--to ever ponder, so as always to imitate, the surpassing ways of His Beloved Son, to no credit of my own, but always to His glory, in Whose Person and Example Almighty God was well pleased--that is this poor man's fortune--that is this wretched man's greatest gift! Praise ever be to the infinite Mercy of Holy and Almighty God, before Whom I have only the right to tremble and be cast utterly out of His sight! Praise be to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God! May God have Mercy on us all!