Mercy
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law of freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:12-13)
Lent is a time when we consider the grace and mercy of God found in Jesus.
I once heard a description of the difference between grace and mercy. It is by God’s grace that you and I receive what we do not deserve: We are adopted as God’s children, we share in the inheritance of our elder brother Jesus Christ, we receive all of the promises of God’s Word, and so much more!
On the other hand, it is by God’s mercy that we are spared what we do deserve - judgment.
It seems to me that I hear a lot more teaching and preaching on grace than I do on mercy. I wonder if this has anything to do with receiving and giving? Everyone loves to receive good things. Those things are especially pleasing when they are gifts we never really deserved.
On the other hand, there is a stingy spirit lurking in the souls of most of us. Giving is not easy, especially when we give to those who don’t deserve our gifts. To those who annoy or offend, or trouble us in some way or another.
When we refuse to give others the gift of mercy, we give them judgment instead. The problem with this is that we cut ourselves off from receiving God’s mercy in our own lives. The same pipeline from which mercy flows into the lives of others is the same pipeline from which God’s mercy flows into our own lives. This is because the source of mercy is God. The conduit for that mercy is Jesus Christ.
I find myself in constant need of God’s mercy. It is God’s mercy that leads to victorious living in my life - freedom from the guilt and bitterness that would strangle my soul. And as I extend mercy to others, especially those who clearly do not deserve it, I open up the pipeline for God’s mercy to flow freely into my life.
Father, I need your mercy. I fail so often in my attitudes and actions. I’m so quick to judge and condemn the “others” in my life. Help me to recognize that mercy really does triumph over judgment. I open my spirit at this moment to receive your abundant mercy, and I commit to allowing that mercy to flow into the lives of the “others” in my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
In Christ,
Dan