Mercy is not receiving the consequences which we deserve. Mercy is God forgiving us when we deserve judgment and death. Mercy is God withholding discipline when we have done nothing to merit it. Mercy is God removing the consequences of my actions when by all right I should have been blasted by them all. Mercy is a major characteristic of God. It comprises His very being. God is a merciful God.
I cannot find one example in Scripture where a person humbly calls upon God for mercy and fails to receive it. God loves mercy and He wants us to be merciful as well. He says that if someone sins against us seven times in a day and then says he repents, we are to forgive them each and every time (Luke 17:4). You know, I personally struggle with that at times. God finds it easy. I have all this baggage I bring to the table when people sin against me that wants me to hold grudges and exact vengeance. God has none of that baggage and delights in mercy and forgiveness.
May we all find the grace to be as merciful and forgiving to others as our God is to us. Otherwise, He will treat us with the same unforgiving spirit as we treat others. Matthew 18:35
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