Friday, September 13, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

"Mercy, no."  "Lord, have mercy."

Mercy in a football game.  A merciful death. Mercy that I don't deserve...

My one word this year is grace.  Grace and mercy go hand in hand.  To be honest, I get the two mixed up, and since I only have five minutes, I'm not going to stop and look up the definitions.  I just know that you have to have one to get the other... or rather, you have to be given one to receive the other.

Mercy is a gift.  It is a pardon.  It is letting go.

It's hard. 

As I've worked on grace this  year, I've  had to forgive in some somewhat difficult situations.  I've had to ask God for mercy... for myself, for others, because I can't do it on my own.

I am not very merciful.  I like to hold grudges.  I like to seek revenge.

But He is. 

Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King.  His mercies endure forever. 

This phrase is repeated... in the psalms, in other books in the Old Testament, too many times to count.  Often, it is translated as love.

And mercy is full of love. Mercy must come from love, true mercy.  Or compassion...

When a team is mercied in a game, it means the clock keeps running.  The score is so bad that it is recognized that they most likely will nto be able to win, so the clock keeps running and they keep playing...
and when mercy is given to us, it is because we were so far gone that we had no hope, but God looked down on us, and seeing us in our need, even before we took our first breath, made a way that we could hope.

His mercy changes everything. 

This week, I've been reading in Ephesians... and two words stood out to me.  But God...

But God in His mercy, loved me anyway. 

His GRace is sufficient... and His mercy endures forever.

Linking up with Lisa Jo Baker at her blog for Five Minute Fridays, where we write unedited for five minutes.  Love this community!
Five Minute Friday

1 comment:

  1. "He made a way that we could hope." LOVE that! Thank you so much for posting!

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