Love Mercy

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”   Micah 6:8

This verse has been on my mind a lot lately. The concept of mercy is quite powerful and can be quite convicting. Mercy means not giving someone what they deserve. Fresh from Easter, the mercy of Christ dying for us and paying our debt so that His mercy is lavished on us is fresh on our minds. But how about the concept of us showing mercy to others - not giving others what they may actually deserve and choosing instead to operate in love? Hmmm….

When we combine this command to love mercy with the command to love others as Christ loves us and the truths in 1 Corinthians 13 that love does not seek its own and keeps no record of wrongs suffered this is quite a tall order.

This is not easy but much of what God calls us to do is meant to stretch and grow us. As we give thought to this let us also remember the promise of Phil. 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

One more thought….heard a powerful statement from the pastor yesterday. He said, “The resurrection (and thus salvation we receive in Christ) does not merely free us to live any way we want but rather the resurrection empowers us to live the way we should.”

Talk About Love

"And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire." Matthew 26:39

WOW...what an example Christ set here for us of dying to self. At the most pivotal, frightful, excruciating point of his life, with the fate of all mankind resting on his shoulders and the knowledge of the cross (and the immense suffering prior to the actual crucifixion) at the forefront of his mind, Christ's prayer here shows the full extent of his "human-ness" and yet the overarching power of a love only God himself is capable of.

While you will likely never be called to die for a world of people who hate you, you may be called to go through a trail that is very painful. It is ok to ask God to take it away, but keep this scene in mind and know that whatever brings Him the most glory and points people to Him as your source of strength should be the ultimate desire of our hearts. And you can rest assured that on the other side of your trial He will raise you up again!

Don’t forget what Christ went through about two thousand years ago this week. Take time to let it soak in and to give Him thanks for paying a debt that He did not owe and that we could never pay.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13