A Great Mercy

Think back on a time when you were shown mercy…

Maybe you owed someone money, but they decided to cancel your debt. Maybe you hurt someone you love, but they gave you another chance. Maybe you made a huge mistake, but you received forgiveness instead of punishment.

In the fifth of the beatitudes, a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom, Jesus said this:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 NIV

Because we are imperfect sinners who have all fallen short of God’s standards, we all deserve death. We all deserve punishment. We all deserve to be eternally separated from God.

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ NLT‬‬‬‬‬

Jesus is passionate about justice and righteousness while simultaneously fervent about ...

“And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth...