With eyes on the cross: Mercy

Luke 6:27-36
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless thosewho curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offerthe other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do notdemand them back. 31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32If youlove those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love
them. 33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? Foreven sinners do the same. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, whatcredit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35But loveyour enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will begreat, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."

Think of the most challenging people in your life...go on... who is it that makes you groan? Who makes you uncomfortable... and rubs you the wrong way? They can be found at home, at church, at work and occasionally in one time meetings. I don't have to look back very far in my memory for one of those moments... it just happened a couple of nights ago. I was sinned against by my husband in a weak moment of his- he was tired and I was tired. I was complaining and he let me know it. I responded in sharp tones and he corrected me again and again. Sound familiar?

The amazing thing about mercy is this: We received it despite our sin. God poured out His mercy when we deserved judgement and wrath. The Cross is the place we go to remind ourselves that we deserved death and yet God has loved us. So, what does that mean for me? That means that I have a mandate... a command from my Father to be kind to those who sin against me because He was kind to me! He displayed his mercy on the Cross and it is His example we must follow.

Christians...the church should look different than the world. The world responds to offences with anger... pay-back...bitterness... snubbing, but the Bible shows us God's model for us: "he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil."

If God is kind to those who ungratefully reject his sacrifice, shouldn't we, His children be kind and merciful to those who sin against us?

All of this ran through my mind as I locked myself in the bathroom to think about my heart after the conflict my husband and I had. I wanted to be angry with him, but God's truth would not allow me to. I had to line my heart up with the truth of the gospel: I deserve only judgement but Christ died for me and saved me from death, can I not humble myself, overlook my husbands offence and respond to him despite his sin with kindness? After all, he had to do the same for me.

By God's grace, I can, and I did. My husband poked his head in moments after I got my heart right. We looked at each other and laughed- it is amazing how sin can distort our emotions. The truth has a way of bringing it all into perspective and shining the light of joy and peace into even the hardest situations. That is truth I am holding onto this week- The truth of Mercy.