If Grace is the free gift of His Presence, what is Mercy? I have always heard that Mercy is not getting what you deserve. I believe that is true, but I feel like that definition focuses on the fruits of Mercy instead of the actual root. What if Mercy isn’t about the receiver, but the giver? What if Mercy is a type of vision? What if it is a different type of seeing? What if it is a different way of seeing people? In order for us not to give people what they deserve, we have to see past the filthiness of their sin. Jesus must have seen something different in the woman caught in adultery or the woman at the well. He must have dug a little deeper. He must have saw something of value worth pursuing.
In Luke 15, Jesus talks about the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. In all three parables, there is something that is Lost and needs to be found. Etched in the fabric of being Lost is the reality, that in order to be Lost, you must have Belonged initially. The Father’s heart searches and finds His Belongings!
Sin is the essence of being Lost, but like we covered earlier, being Lost is a double-edged sword. One edge, is the sin right in-front of us, and the other edge is this indescribable truth that we still Belong! Why is this truth important? This is important because this is where Mercy comes in. When our vision is focused on the first edge, people are dismissed and cancelled. When our vision focuses on the second edge, we see the Hope that can restore anyone and everyone. See, the reason we Belong is because of His Love! John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” He loved the world before everything else. We Belong to this massive club called “His Love.” Therefore, His Love opens the door for Hope. Since that Hope is accessible to everyone, Mercy is how we get the message out. The message, the Good News, is that we have Hope because of God’s Love for us! Mercy is seeing that Hope for everyone and sharing it, instead of seeing the state of their lostness. The ability to see Hope, allows us to share the Good News: YOU BELONG IN HIS LOVE! Come and experience it!
P.S. So Grace is His Presence, but Mercy is seeing His Love extended to everyone!
Andrew
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