Mercy!

Mercy!

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36 KJV

Once again, we read of verses which speak directly to people who have sorted out their allegiance, not people who are unsure of who they are, what they have been called out of and into and where they are headed. This Christian race is not for the unsure or the uncertain; I may not know when it will be over, but I must be aware that I have been called into a race, and I must run in line with the rules of the race set out by God. Today's words are for such people, who are sure and certain of who they are, and who know that the call of God upon their lives requires them to live differently. 

What does it mean to be merciful? Two definitions on the internet: 'showing or exercising mercy' and 'bringing someone relief from something unpleasant.'. These two above clearly show that a requirement for being able to show mercy is to have first received mercy. A fundamental rule of life is this: 'you cannot give what you don't have'. If I will show mercy, I must first have experienced it. How would I know if I have received mercy? The fact that I am alive today is the loudest testimony that I have received God's mercy. I stand where I am now simply because mercy found me. It was not really because I was smart and savvy, or that I knew my way around; it was God, from first to last, showing off his love, grace and favour. Very clearly, as is seen in a verse just before today's extract: '.... for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.' That is the standard I am asked to live up to and emulate. 

If God commands it, his grace can help a man to live it. He is not asking me to do the impossible by myself, but to depend on his grace to help me do the impossible. He will not place a burden on me that he will not supply grace and strength for me to bear. It then means that if he supplies the strength I need, I will not have an excuse for not living in line with the instruction. I read today's extract again, and it seems to me to be a command; an instruction and a directive. I could take it anyway I want, but whatever Jesus says must become my life's pursuit and priority. His own life is the perfect example of the standard that meets his approval and expectation. 

In light of what I know I have received, what decisions do I have to make? What steps do I need to take? What quarrels do I need to end? Is there any malice I need to resolve right away? Is there any hurt I need to let go? Is there any load of bitterness or heaviness of heart that I need lightened? Whatever the need, God's grace is equal to the task. He will not put on me more than I can bear, and he will not leave me alone to bear the burden alone. He is my help and strength, so he is all I need for all that life may throw at me. In that light, it helps me deal with other people with mercy. I can overlook insults, because I have been forgiven much. May I keep that grace always before me, so that I can be always conscious of where I have come from, and where God is taking me to, and how he wants me to live with other people. God's time of favour is here.