Have Mercy!

“For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.” (James 2:13 MSG)

Having mercy is all about showing human kindness towards others who have betrayed us. I am pretty sure that we have all been offended and endured all kinds of hurt in our lives, many times from those who are the very closest to us! And oh my goodness; isn’t it just so exhausting to turn the other cheek and be compassionate to someone who has offended, criticized, or wounded us deeply? But when we withhold forgiveness from others, we are not showing our appreciation for God’s mercy toward us. It’s easy to be nice to someone who is nice to you, but what about having mercy towards those that assault or insult our character and dignity? Sometimes mercy is raised to a new level when we are called to show mercy to people who are unkind or do wrong things to us.

“If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”(Romans 12:8 NIV)

God calls us to be real and show mercy that goes beyond being hypocritical and polite. It’s human nature to regard others’ offenses more highly than our own, and to react in a ‘tit for tat’ way to get revenge. We naturally want to be treated fairly, and as a result we are driven to get restitution. But what about when we hurt others? We have a completely different attitude and expect a certain amount of grace….right? I believe we all need to remember moments like these, and when we experience a time of outrage at someone else’s behavior or fault, we must remember to apply mercy that will take over and help us overcome our annoyance and ill temper. God is a God of mercy, and He expects His children to be merciful as well.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Mercy is a heavenly quality that is a characteristic of God himself. And understanding how important it is to God that we show people mercy helps us to clearly define and distinguish our Christian individuality. We have to realize that we are all imperfect, and haven’t we all at one time or another approached the throne of mercy to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made? How can we deny any measure of grace to others when we so desperately desire it for ourselves? God’s mercy is needed by all people, and the benefit of showing mercy and kindness to others is that we will be shown mercy and grace as well. According to God’s definition, grace is the power to be self-controlled, upright, and live a godly life. And those filled with His grace are eager to do what is good. When we are filled with His grace, it is so much easier to remove the scales of resentment and anger from our eyes, and allow us to see and treat others as God does. Mercy is a divine quality, and it is to the merciful that God will show mercy!

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