Tag Archives: mercy

Finding Our Way Home

The Lord is always calling us back, reminding us of His great love for us. He is a just God, and He is a good God. He knows there must be atonement for sin, that our sin debt must be paid. Yet, He cannot handle, He cannot fathom, living apart from us. He grieves deeply when we walk away from Him, even when we wander. As our Creator, He knows we are created, even wired, to be in relationship with Him.

We as parents become desperate when our young child wanders away. They are looking for freedom, yet we know what lurks around the corner, and so we desperately desire to help them, to protect them, because we love them.

God feels this way about us: He loves us, wants to help us and protect us, because He sees the pitfalls and the pain that lies around the corner. He sees if our ways are leading to death, and He so desperately wants to intervene to stop us from sabotaging ourselves.

Yet, in His love for us, He has given us free will. He does not want to control us. He wants to love us and be in relationship with us. Yet, we have a choice: To walk hand-in-hand with Him or to set off on our own.

So, He calls out to us again and again. He speaks to us in a still, small voice, guiding us. He speaks to us through nature – His creation, through music, through others. He speaks to us so clearly and directly in His Word, the Bible. He ever desires to be in relationship with us, now and forever.

I’m reading the Bible, in the book of Hosea, about God’s people, the people of Israel, walking away from Him. After guiding, leading, protecting, providing for and loving them, they have walked away from God and chosen their own projects over Him – lifeless, silver idols. You see a desperate Father who sees His children are headed for death – the just consequences of their choices, but He cannot bare it, though they have turned their backs on a relationship with Him. Yet, He does not give up on them, and He never gives up on us.

Eternal death was their consequence for sin, and so this loving Father determines to conquer even death for them. He says, “I want to free them from the power of the grave. I want to reclaim them from death” (Hosea 13:14).

Instead of death, what they deserved – what we deserve for our sins, He says, “I will cure them of their unfaithfulness. I will love them freely… I will no longer be angry with them. I will be like the dew to the people of Israel. They will blossom like flowers” (Hosea 14:5).

As a just God, He knows their sin must be rectified, yet His loves leads over anger, and He brings a cure: The cure is love. And so, He sends love into the world to rectify wrong. Love conquers. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

God sent Jesus to conquer death, to take on the consequences of our sins in our place, so we could be made right with God and spend eternity with Him. And Jesus, God in the flesh, the light of the world, the very person called “Love,” in His love, laid down His life by death on a cross to restore our brokenness, to make us right with God.

This is love.

This is God.

This is Easter.

Love has a name. His name is JESUS.

Jesus is calling you. Your Father wants to spend eternity with you. He changed it all, conquered it all, with you in mind. In His love, Jesus, the one who IS Love, died for you, rose for you and lives for you today. Will you live for Him, with Him, for eternity? Not one thing separates you from this opportunity.

If you want to receive this gift, the removal of your sins and eternity with God in heaven, as well as His love, protection and guidance in this world, whisper (or shout) this prayer…

God, I admit I have sinned. I need you. I surrender my life to you. I can’t do this on my own. I cannot live this life as you desire. I pray that you would help me. Jesus, I acknowledge that you are Lord, that you are way – the only way to the Father. I receive you as the Savior of my life. Save me. I invite you into my heart and into my life. Please forgive me for my sins. Heal me. Please help me. I want to walk with you, God. Please show me how. Please heal me and guide me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

The Gift of Pardon

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

Mercy, def. compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm

In our anger and fear, we jump to conclusions, point our finger, and judge. Yet, consider this: Our anger, striving, jealousy, and desire for revenge, can cause us to see things through a tainted lens, distorting the truth. At any time, because of our sinful nature, we may actually be the one in the wrong – and only us. In our fear of being slighted, we may become the oppressor in need of mercy.

Though we say we should not trust others, even other brothers and sisters in Christ, the truth is, we should never fully trust ourselves. We are sinful, emotional, and reactive, and in need of God’s mercy all the time… “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Therefore, it is so very important that we, “speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:12-13). And, oh, how we are in need of mercy every, single day!

Along the way, sometimes in embarrassing ways, I have learned how wrong I can be and how much mercy I require from the Lord and those around me. I have learned the importance of seeking counsel and a Godly sounding board to better process and understand a situation. I have learned the danger of processing on my own, in my limited, sinful view, by seeing the harm it can cause to relationships. I have come to see how easy it is to feel right and justified in anger. My, what a strange phenomenon that is to me! Our anger and adrenaline cloud our view and suddenly make us feel like a genius. Meanwhile relationships are damaged.

Through my experiences of judging others and myself through a skewed lens, the Lord has taught me ways to judge others more rightly: I have learned to judge a person by their fruits, not by my emotions. And I have come to see that this takes time, experience, and observation, not simply raw emotion. I am still learning to catch myself in this. I must remind myself to put this into practice when I begin to feel myself quickly judging a person or situation.

“Judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement” (James 2:13) So, I will sow mercy because mercy is granted to those who sow it. And I need mercy at any given time, even in moments when I don’t yet realize I need mercy or how important mercy is to me in that situation.

Let us sow mercy bountifully, recognizing we may be wrong at any given time, and we may not learn that until later, when we come down from our emotional high or have had time to reflect. Take into account how many times in the past you were wrong when you were so confident about being right in that moment. Think about the number of times God showed you mercy and bailed you out from the dire consequences your behavior deserved. Consider what Jesus did to redeem you from the pit of despair and the pit of hell because of His mercy for you, for us.

The mercy Jesus has shown us in the here and now and for eternity is so vast, so great. The mercy, compassion, and love He has poured out on us is a gift, nothing we deserve. And, if you can’t in your emotion remember all that has been given to you when you did not deserve it, at least consider walking in love and showing mercy as a gift to the person on the edge of the cliff.

“Be devoted to one another with brotherly affection, give preference to one another in honor” (Romans 12:10).

Let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt and lavish mercy freely, knowing we need that mercy just as much. And let us remember that it was mercy and love that led Jesus to the cross to forgive our debt of sin, sickness, pride, anger, and shame. His love and mercy showed us preference over His perfect, sinless life here on earth.

Mercy and love led Jesus to the cross. May mercy and love guide us through our day. May mercy and love lead in our interactions, in our relationships, and in our decisions. We must lean into the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts, our minds and our emotions to do so. His love and mercy are available for us and through us when we submit our lives and surrender our attitudes to Him.