Mercy on DisplaySýnishorn

“I am crowned with blessing

I will always sing Your praise

Hallelujah, Hallelujah”

MERCY - OUR ONLY HOPE

We come alive in the mercy of the Father; rescued from our own weakness and failure; saved by His kindness; our sins forgiven; adopted into the eternal family of God. We've been brought into the Kingdom of mercy - where each believer stands equally free before His holiness, made new through the Cross. Nothing earned, nothing to take credit for in ourselves - yet each one of us, known and valued, deeply loved by the One who made us.

Yet sometimes when we look in the mirror, it doesn’t feel like we’re sons and daughters of God. Next to the material world, God’s promises can seem like just a shadow of what’s available here and now. All around us are temptations to fame, fortune and influence. Success and security feel so attainable - within our reach - if we’ll just join with our culture and live for the moment. That‘s the wrestle of following Jesus, facing the worries of life and learning to trust in the goodness of an invisible Father.

The society we live in cannot comprehend the unseen Kingdom of God. And when our lives pursue a reality that is greater than what this world can offer, people will notice. Some will feel threatened because we don’t value what they’ve devoted their lives to, others will be attracted to God’s mercy on display. That’s always been the nature of the Kingdom.

When Paul wrote his second letter to the Christians in Thessalonica he was trying to encourage them, because they were living in a very hostile society. He wanted to remind them that the mercy they’d received was of far greater value than anything this world can offer. They needed to realise that suffering is evidence of what really matters - proof that points to the ultimate worth of our faith. Our hope is in a mercy that this world cannot even see, much less understand, so of course we’ll be persecuted when we live by faith. But we are crowned with blessing through Jesus, even in the middle of the hardest times - even when it doesn’t feel like it.

There will be a day when God sets everything right. Those who reject Jesus will still have to face God - but without any mercy to stand on. That’s a sobering thought. You and I have been entrusted with this Gospel of mercy - it's our responsibility to share it with our friends and neighbours. Our lives must point to a reality that is unseen, a Kingdom that is of absolute value. We are called to be ‘Mercy on Display’, living mirrors of God’s kindness and generosity. As we seek first His Kingdom our lives become banners that point to a Father whose love and kindness is reliable; a Father who listens to our requests and meets our needs; a Father who has given us every good thing through the Cross. We don’t deserve any of it - it’s all a gift of mercy.

1. When am I most tempted to seek after the things that this world offers?
2. How much does my life prove to others that God’s mercy is real and life-changing?
3. Who are the people that I think God wants me to display His mercy to?