Nehemiah 9:17

Nehemiah 9:17 (KJV)

And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them: but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

People are quick to say that God is loving.  While this is true, the tendency is to take advantage of His grace and mercy by the things we say and do.  We sometimes allow the enemy to use us when we are vulnerable.  Instead of dealing with our issues, we make excuses for our shortcomings.  We rationalize that God understands why we are the way we are.  But the most important attribute of God is His holiness.  He cannot tolerate sin.  He must be Lord of all or Lord not at all in our lives.  Then we can really testify of His loving kindness and tender mercies towards us, because we have confessed our sin, repented and are forgiven.