Mercy is often defined as not getting what you deserve!! I praise God for the mercy I have been given in my life by family, friends, strangers and, most of all, God. His mercies are TRUE every day for me!!!
Have you ever made that dreaded walk or dreaded phone call or made that visit…to apologize for a wrong you inflicted???? And when you did, you received LOVE, Tears, HUGs and Mercy!!!!! That’s what I am talking about!!!! It is the very best feeling in the world when you feel you deserve a “tongue lashing” or something worse……and not only do you get forgiveness……you get that MERCY…meaning you don’t get the punishment you feel you deserve!!
We all watch TV or read newspaper stories about crimes committed. Sometimes we feel the punishment doesn’t fit the crime! I know I have felt that way before and rightly so!! Thank goodness God, in His love for us, can extend the MERCY…that only HE is capable of……a Godly MERCY!! I think sometimes as humans our expectations of other people are unrealistic. We are looking for them to have God’s mercy!!! WE, in our own strength, cannot come close to having HIS kind of Mercy…. We can seek to be more like Him and have Him create within us the power to be more merciful…. But…He….is…God and His MERCY is Full and Complete!!!
God is God and we are not. Seeking God’s mercy and receiving it is like a cold drink after a hot marathon run. It refreshes us, revives us and quenches our thirst.
We need to be careful not to equate God’s mercy with human mercy. Of course, we as Christians want to be “Christ-like” when we extend mercy and forgiveness. It is only possible with God’s help. God’s mercy, when we sincerely humble ourselves and seek forgiveness, is CONSISTENT, ABUNDANT, AND COMPLETE. GOD, not only pours it out immediately but, has the capacity to NOT REMEMBER!!!! In Psalm 103:8-12 it says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him, as far as the east is from the west, so far does he REMOVE our transgressions from us.”
If you find yourself in a spot where you think you deserve punishment, or guilt overwhelms you, turn to Jesus. If adversity looms every waking minute, or the old feeling of “when it rains it pours” comes, turn to Jesus. If you have looked to friends or family for relief, forgiveness, mercy, or reassurance and find they have failed you, let me encourage you to turn to Jesus. He is where MERCY resides………the mercy of all MERCIES…Scripture says it ABOUNDS!!!!! The ocean of God’s love and mercy is infinitely deep and wide for all who will turn to HIM!