http://youtu.be/VpodVp6LH8s - Mercy came a running - Phillips Craig and Dean
The mercy I show is the mercy I will receive. I could be in trouble. I'm not always so merciful.
Do I really feel any better when I choose to retaliate when someone treats me harshly? I don't think so. I might feel better for a moment, but it doesn't last. You know why? Because that person who treated me harshly will just lash out at me again in defense. It becomes a vicious, never ending battle of words and attitude. What if I offered forgiveness instead of retaliation? What if I blessed my enemy instead of cursing?
This is not my idea. It comes straight for God. He gave us so many examples of how to forgive and how often. And yes, He is talking to you about your circumstance. Whatever wrong has been done to you, God calls you to forgive. Just like He forgives. He not only forgives, He forgets.
Matthew 18:21-35 NLT
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Forgiving isn't just a suggestion. It's a critical part of our Christian walk. It sets us a part from the world. It's set Christianity a part from every other religion.
I was reading in 1 Peter this morning and I came to one of my favorite passages. It's not always easy to obey these instructions, but we are called to bless those who insult us. This is what makes us different from the world - not retaliating, not insisting on our own way but responding to insults with blessings:
1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
1 Peter 3:8-12 NLT
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”
I don't always do this well. It's our human nature to become indignant when someone offends us.
We are all "right fighters" as Dr. Phil calls it. When we think we have been mistreated or that someone has treated us unfairly, we get indignant. "How dare that person treat me that way!" Right? We hold grudges and even after an apology, sometimes we still remember and refuse to be merciful. That's not the way God intends us to behave.
All you have to do is take a little trip down your Face Book page to see unforgiveness. You can see people "facing off" regarding some real or imagined wrong. We use Face Book to ridicule those who have offended us. We hold the offender up for the judgment of others. After all, it's not fair for people to treat us badly. We deserve justice! Even though no name might be used, generally, our friends know who has "done us wrong". But do we really feel any better for having told the world we've been mistreated?
God calls us to be different. Our lives should reflect the attitude Jesus had towards us. He died for us, while we were still sinners! He died for us and offered us His Hand in love and forgiveness. Some of us have reached back and accepted His gracious Gift. Some of us turn our backs on His mercy. Yet, He still stands offering His gift if we'll just receive it.
Do I offer my hand in forgiveness to those I feel have hurt me? Or do I cling to my rights?
If we are ever going to win over the world for Christ, non-believers have to start seeing that our lives are different. They should see us loving the unlovable. They should see us offering mercy instead of retaliation. We should always be the first one to make a move towards reconciliation, and if we're rejected, we should never put a message on Face Book that shouts out of our unforgiveness. We bless instead of curse. When we do, we make Jesus proud of us. The angels rejoice!
We are to be different. That's our purpose while on earth.
If we are merciful to the undeserving, others can see Jesus living in us, giving us the ability, the strength, the love to be like Him. If we really do that, others will want Christ in their lives, too.
Instead of retaliating with insults, what if we showed mercy? What if we offered a blessing instead of insults?
That's what Jesus did for us. He did nothing to deserve the persecution He received, yet He left His defense in the Hand of His Father. Can we do that, too? Or do we deserve better than Christ? We have all disrespected Jesus at one time or another. I do it all the time - every time I choose to do things my own way instead of listening to His direction. I disrespect His divine wisdom and love by thinking I deserve better than He received on this earth. He pleads with us to treat people the way He treated them - with mercy and love. Yet we have the audacity to think we have a right to lash out at perceived wrongs directed at us.
Lord, forgive me for thinking I deserve to be treated better than you were treated. Forgive me for my unforgiveness towards others. Purify my heart. Renew in me a right spirit. Help others to see You living in me - help me to return blessings instead of insults to those I think have treated me unfairly. Help me to be a living sacrifice for You. Thank You for Your gracious mercy. I do not deserve Your forgiveness yet You give it so freely. I love You, Lord. Please, change my heart and make me more like You.
It's not about me.
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