.png)
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 118:29)
Almighty God is the very definition of mercy. The Lord has deep awareness of our suffering and He moves to relieve it, through justice.
Here is the meaning of mercy, from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:
Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; Compassion is defined as a Deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.
Literally, a suffering with another; hence, a feeling of sorrow or pity excited by the sufferings or misfortunes of another; sympathy; commiseration; pity.
Jesus Christ is described, in the Holy Bible as a man of sorrows:
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)
Imagine the emotional pain of being despised by the people you created. Unimaginable, really, for us humans. Just know that the man of sorrows, Christ Jesus, is the most merciful.
Mercy can be further defined as clemency or leniency toward an offender.
We are all offenders in that we have sinned against God. But His mercy forgives our sins through the action of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ; whereby He died for the sins of the world as an act of mercy and one-for-the whole world justice (judicial punishment for sin).
Justice is defined as: Fairness. Conformity to the principle of moral rightness.
Jesus was not a sinner. He was 100% true, righteous and perfect. But, God, in the form of the man Christ, He laid down His life for us. And was paid the justified wages of sin: death (through Adam and Eve's Original Sin that brought mortality into humanity.
But the merciful gift of God is eternal life through Christ, and only Christ, for whosever believes in Him alone as the one true God. (Romans 6:23)
Likewise, us true sinners, we should have mercy
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
The merciful have a disposition to be kind and forgiving, to the point that we forgive our enemies.
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." (Luke 6:35)
The Lord is so merciful that He is giving all humans ample time to repent.
On Judgment Day, there will be no excuses for not repenting and believing in Jesus Christ:
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (Colossians 3:12-13)
If the virtues listed in the Holy Bible were a spreadsheet, then the overarching theme, in the row that includes mercy, is the column of love.
Those are the two commandments upon which centers all of the divine laws of God: Love Him, above all, and do unto others as you would have them do to you. That is, love your neighbor.
Love is a prevailing theme in the Holy Scriptures. Here is a tidbit from Paul:
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:14)
Mercy me!
Mercy can also mean "Something for which to be thankful; a blessing."It was a mercy that no one was hurt."
Thank God for His tender mercies. Be thankful for the love, mercy and justice of Almighty God, Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Long live the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Comments