Being Like Him - a 40 Day Lenten DevotionalSample

Mercy

Mercy and Grace are interchangeably used. However, both have a different and distinct meaning. Someone said, ‘Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, while Mercy is not getting what you deserve.’ Mercy is not receiving the wrath and punishment our sins deserve.

Again, taking a closer look at the Family of God and their dealing with humankind will show us His merciful character. It was the immeasurable Mercy of God on us that caused Him to suffer on our behalf, in our place. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit averted our impending judgment and directed it to themselves.

God’s holiness and His standards of holiness are unmatchable to any of our human attempts. His holiness cannot tolerate the sight of any evil. This unmatched holiness would not allow for us to relate to him or live eternally with him; hence, the death of His son was needed. How grateful must we be for the mercy that protects us from being consumed by God’s wrath towards our sin?

Prophet Micah prophesied God’s heart to Israel and as to what the Lord requires of His people. Micah 6:8, says, “To act justly and to love mercy...” God wants His people who have received infinite mercy from Him to show and share mercy to others. Becoming like Him thus calls us to be merciful like Him.

What evidence can we see of God’s mercy in our lives today? Our very existence is the proof of God’s mercy. If Christ did not absorb the wrath of God that we deserved, we would have perished as objects of His wrath long ago. What great mercy has been given, for us to inherit eternal life instead of eternal death. It is because of these mercies that we exist, showing mercy is no more a favor we do but a debt to the blessing of our existence.

Maybe we can think of someone we may have judged as certainly deserving of punishment? It may include even those who have persecuted us. May we plead for God’s mercy on them? May we show mercy to someone who has wronged us personally and say a prayer of blessing for them? Can we show acts of mercy to someone by not giving them what we think they deserve based on their sin against us?

Prayer

Merciful Lord, as a recipient of your mercy, give me the grace to share acts of mercy to someone today. Enable me to live mercifully through your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.