Mercy

I am sure you have heard people say "what goes around, comes around" or "you reap what you sow." The bible talks about reaping and sowing, but with mercy you are not reaping what you sow. Instead of reaping punishment for a "bad act" (sin), you do not reap at all. This is a very important to the operation of grace.

Mercy allows us to live freely in grace because we are not required to fix or pay back every bad choice we make. If we had to pay for the damage of every bad spiritual choice we made, we would wind up spending all our time in bondage trying to fix our mistakes. Life would simply become unbearable, because we would wind up living under an endless burden of guilt and shame. Mercy releases us from our burdens and allows us to pursue a fresh start with little spiritual baggage (guilt) to carry. With mercy we are able to take advantage of the new opportunities given to us by grace.

The parable that Jesus taught in Matthew 18:21-35 reminds us to live in mercy and forgiveness. By showing others mercy we ourselves reaffirm belief in God's mercy in and through us. When we show mercy we then open up new possibilities for God's grace to bring change into our lives and the lives of those receiving mercy. This parable shows us that God expects and requires us to be merciful as believers in Christ, not to do so will throw us into the terrible bondage of retribution.

As I close, I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:7. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Go and be blessed.