by Mike James

What is mercy? One definition is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone within one's power to punish or harm. This obviously makes mercy a characteristic of God.

In Joel 2:1-3, we read the following: "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."

In Micah 7:18, the prophet provides a similar description of God's mercy: "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."

If mercy is important to God, don't you think we who are trying to become like God should express it a bit more? Are you working on being gracious and compassionate to others? Do you forgive and remove anger and not let it fester?

Mercy is not just a characteristic of God but something we should display. In Micah 6:8, God makes it clear He wants us to walk humbly and love mercy. Luke 6:36 tells us, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."

Now that we have some understanding of mercy let's talk about what it looks like and how we can show it. If mercy includes compassion, how do we show it? Listen to others when they need to be heard. Help them when they need help. Encourage when someone needs to be lifted up. Paying attention to people will help you maintain compassion for all.

Do you have a forgiving heart? Do you let bygones be bygones, or do you hold onto past indiscretions against you? Don't forget the past is over and done with; we can't change it or make it disappear. The more time you spend on the past, the more difficult it will be to create a future for yourself.

Another important aspect of mercy is action. To show mercy you usually have to act in some way. Jesus showed His compassion by healing many sick individuals. What are we doing to show our compassion? Are we offering money to the needy? Visiting the sick? Providing clothing to those who need it? All of these things can express mercy in action.

But what about being merciful to yourself? I have counseled a few people who could not forgive themselves for previous issues in their lives. They kept reminding themselves of the problems they had encountered in their past and could not move past it. By continuing to focus on their sins and imperfections, they were stressed out and anxious and had trouble moving forward. Stop this if you are doing it! Christ has paid the price.

Don't forget, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice for all our sins (1 John 2:2). All of our sins are washed away by the blood of our Savior. Any new sins are also taken away as long as we repent and ask for forgiveness.

Remember the definition of mercy we started out with. Don't forget you can punish yourself. Many of us don't consider being merciful to ourselves. We should not only extend mercy to others but to ourselves.

In an article by Newspring Church, they say that grace is getting what we don't deserve and mercy is not getting what we do deserve. That's a neat way of looking at the differences between mercy and grace. But let's not forget that the same God who gives us grace also extends understanding to us.

One of the best examples of mercy is the story of the prodigal son. The prodigal son squandered his inheritance and lost it all due to his actions. The worldly way of looking at it would be, he got what he deserved. But God does not look at things the way the world does. God is love, and we who follow God must live the way of love (1 Corinthians 13). When the prodigal son returned to his father, humbled and repentant, his father welcomed him with open arms.

Never forget, you can come back to God your Father. If you are feeling bad and repentant over your actions, that proves you can come back. Don't let Satan or his influence fool you into thinking there is no way back. Where there is a will, there is a way. Hope springs eternal. Never, never, never, never, never give up. Remember the example of the prodigal son.

Because Christ faced the same temptations we do, we can approach Him with confidence, knowing we can receive mercy and find grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Sources:

The Zondervan 2000 Pastor's Annual, by T.T. Crabtree, (Grand Rapids: The Zondervan Corporation), 1999, pp. 155-157.

"What is Mercy and Why Does God Give it to Me?" by Newspring Church, https://newspring.cc/articles/what-is-mercy-and-why-does-god-give-it-to-me.