Fortunately for us, God gives unlimited mercy. We as human begins tend to have a problem with this concept and limit our mercy to others according to the situation. As usual, God is our example in giving mercy. Jesus shared this idea in the parable of the unmerciful servant found in Matthew 18:21-35. When Jesus said we are to forgive (show mercy) seventy-seven times, he meant times without number…not once…not twice…not seven times, but unlimited times.
Talk about a challenge! But what a blessing follows that challenge. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the merciful , for they will be shown mercy.” That means mercy now in this life and mercy forever in heaven. It’s also very important to remember that mercy is not getting what we deserve and grace is getting what we don’t deserve.
Jesus closes the parable in Matthew 18 with the challenge to “forgive your brother from the heart.” Now that’s real forgiveness. That’s real mercy – the mercy God wants us to give freely to our brothers and sisters in this world. It’s the mercy that God showed us when he gave us his son Jesus. It’s the mercy that Jesus showed us when he went to the cross, knowing he was going to die.
What if God limited his mercy to us? We would have a huge problem! Praise the Lord for blessing us with His mercy. Now let’s be a blessing and show mercy and forgiveness to those around us the way God first showed mercy to us.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your unlimited mercy. Help us to follow your example and show mercy and forgiveness to others whenever we can. Thanks for your love. We love you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment