Mercy chooses forgiveness
Chapter 15
by Gini Crawford, MSW
God's mercy
God's love gave us mercy when we were His enemies (Romans 5:8-10). God is full of mercy. This means He shows great compassion and sympathy towards us. His mercy gives Him a determination to alleviate the consequences of sin giving us forgiveness. We live in a world that can lack compassion and sympathy; even your family or close friends can be uncaring and lack sympathy-compassion towards you. It is safe to say, whoever was your offender wasn't compassionate towards you and had no sympathy when it came to hurting you. (1 Peter 1:3-4).
...But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions... / ... keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Ephesians 2:1-5; Jude 21 NIV®
God's mercy came according to His love, bringing us forgiveness through Jesus. Because love is at the very heart of Who God is, we don't need to fear that He will stop being merciful (1 John 4:16-18).
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1 NIV®
We all need mercy because we are all offenders. God says to love; we chose meanness. God calls for patience; we get angry. God conveys kindness; we show unkindness. God shows grace; we envy. God sacrifices to forgive; we don't. Just remember, you need mercy, I need mercy, and we all need mercy, so ask God to give you the desire and strength to show mercy.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 NIV®
Do you have trouble showing yourself mercy? I know I can. It's very important when you do something wrong, and we all do, to give yourself a break and show yourself mercy. To not condemn yourself. Remember, Jesus died to forgive all your sins even the ones you think are unforgivable. After all these decades, God's mercy in Jesus still staggers my logic. To be honest, I don't give myself the mercy God gives me. You too?
Our merciful example Jesus
Starting from eternity past, Jesus imparted mercy towards us (Psalm 25:5-6). As He walked the earth He demonstrated mercy: He showed mercy to Matthew a tax collector who was considered wicked in those days (Matthew 9:9-13). Jesus had mercy on a demon possessed boy and healed him (Matthew 17:14-18). Jesus tells the Pharisees they should be practicing mercy (Matthew 23:23). Jesus' greatest act of mercy was His death on the cross for us. (Titus 3:4-7). Beautiful reality, isn't it?
If you think about it, mercy and forgiveness can't be separated. When you forgive someone you are showing the person mercy. If you are merciful you will have the motivation to forgive. Unmerciful people probably don't even think about forgiving. Jesus showed us mercy and forgave us, when we were His enemies. Do you show mercy? (Jude 21-23).
A man sat in prison because he had murdered a young woman. The only reason he had any peace at all was because Jesus had given him mercy and forgiveness. He had found God's mercy through the parents of the young woman he had murdered. They said, "God loves you and wants to give you mercy. We are trying to give you compassion, but to be honest, we are struggling. We know our daughter would want us to pray for you to find Jesus Christ. She would have forgiven you."
Life Application
Healing attitude of thankfulness
Gratitude and resentment live and grow in relationships. We choose which one we will embrace with each relationship. We know what resentment means, so what does gratitude mean: Gratitude is a simple yet powerful emotion that means recognizing and valuing the kindness, help, or positive experiences you've received from God and others. God tells us it is His will for us to be thankful. People who forgive more readily, are more likely to embrace gratitude. Are you thankful for the kindnesses people do for you? Read Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:15-19.
We often get stuck thinking we need ideal responses from a person to be grateful for them. I think you would agree; we more readily keep a record of a wrong done than a positive done. Here's how to change that unfair attitude: Make a written list of positive things a person has done towards you. Be specific. If the positives outweigh the negatives on your grateful list of the person, and I find they almost always do, it will warm your heart towards them. This certainly helps with forgiving. Do you need to make a list of what you are thankful for concerning a person because you are finding it hard to forgive? If so, start writing that list.
There is a clear contrast in Ephesians 4:31-32 between the emotions from unforgiveness and forgiveness. The strong negative emotions in verse 31 towards people lead to stress, discontent and a person no one wants to be around. The positive emotions towards people in verse 32 lead to contentment, serenity, and happiness.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 4:30-5:2 NIV®
Ask yourself, what type of person do you want to be? The person God wants you to be, who brings kindness, love, and forgiveness into the world, or the person who is angry and bitter? You have a choice.
Dear Jesus, let me show mercy even when I feel like I want to get revenge. Let me be kind, loving and forgiving like You.