“…humbling us with the mercy God requires so we can see the mercy God offers.” Tim Keller in Ministries of Mercy, p. 66. I’ve been meditating on this quote for some time.
I’ve revised this into a more general statement regarding the value of the Law or the commands of God in our lives: “Seeing what God requires humbles us so we are willing to receive what God offers.” In other words, when we truly understand the extent of what God requires of us, we are humbled, understanding that we can never accomplish what he requires in our own strength or resources, and thus made willing to receive and utilize God’s resources to accomplish what He has commanded us to do.