Tuesday, September 27, 2011

For a lack of mercy we fall

Oh, what mercy we are given. I know someone who has great difficulty in finding it, or giving it. He went on a four-day spiritual event, and found it completely lacking. He doesn't want others to experience the grace and mercy of God either, telling them he wouldn't go again even if a gun were put to his head. He was quite happy to tell others he would never bake cookies for prisoners because, well, they're prisoners. He simply has forgiveness issues.

The Bible describes it in various way at various times. God said this in Exodus:  “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose."

The part about you will be forgiven as you forgive doesn't register with him at all. Jesus, after telling the very famous parable of the Good Samaritan said, "36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Mercy. It's all about mercy, wrapped with grace, with a bit of love inserted for flavoring.

The man, whom I like a great deal, should read these sentences from Paul's letter to the church in Rome. He wrote, "They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."





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