Love Mercy

LOVING MERCY IS LOVING LIKE GOD LOVES

God gave you mercy when you deserved judgement—this is His invitation into radical love!

A simple definition of mercy is “undeserved kindness.” Throughout the Bible, you see God giving mercy to those who least deserved it. Romans 5 describes this character of God perfectly saying, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even when you were an enemy of God, He radically loved you by sending His Son to die for you. You didn’t do a single thing to deserve this gift, yet God gave it freely and mercifully. In the same way that God extends this mercy to us, He commands us to do the same to others. God in Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Loving mercy is radically loving those who least deserve it!

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus shares a parable on the unforgiving servant, who after being forgiven a great debt refuses to extend mercy to the one who owed him a little debt. This unforgiving servant loved mercy only when it benefitted him! He refused to give what was given to him because he didn’t have a revelation of the great debt he was forgiven. When you understand how much you have been forgiven, you will show mercy as God commands—even for those who don’t deserve it. In this year of Radical Love, God will teach you how to love your enemies. There are situations in your life that seem impossible, but will only be healed by the love and mercy of God!

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your mercy. You have forgiven me, so I choose to forgive those who have wronged me. Teach me your ways of loving mercy. Amen.

APPLICATION

• Ask God to search your heart for any areas of unforgiveness.
• Forgiveness isn’t a one time thing, but often something you have to do over and over again. Take time to forgive by blessing those who have wronged you.
• Ask God to teach you how to radically love and show mercy.