Tag: mercy

How Well Are We Truly Imitating the Father’s Mercy? “Lord, Reveal Mercy, Lord, Have Mercy; Christ Have Mercy Lord Have Mercy on Ungrateful Me.” Psalm 31:20-25

Psalm 31:20-25 Complete Jewish Bible

20 (19) But oh, how great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you do for those who take refuge in you,
before people’s very eyes!
21 (20) In the shelter of your presence
you hide them from human plots,
you conceal them in your shelter,
safe from contentious tongues.

22 (21) Blessed be Adonai!
For he has shown me his amazing grace
when I was in a city under siege.
23 (22) As for me, in my alarm I said,
“I have been cut off from your sight!”
Nevertheless, you heard my pleas
when I cried out to you.

24 (23) Love Adonai, you faithful of his.
Adonai preserves the loyal,
but the proud he repays in full.
25 (24) Be strong, and fill your hearts with courage,
all of you who hope in Adonai.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Sometimes the suffering of life feels overwhelming, as if we are under attack surrounded on all sides and can’t find any relief from any one single direction.

We may be debilitated by the grief of losing a loved one. Or maybe we are sick from a medical condition or treatment. Our marriage may be in a whole lot of distress, perhaps even on the brink of separation and divorce. Whatever the case, there are days, long seasons when we feel the weight of the world on us.

And our pleas ring out, cry out,, shriek out; from our places of silent panic;

“Lord, have mercy.”

The psalmist here in Psalm 31 is feeling besieged by relentless human forces, along with the sudden abandonment of his friends. He uses words like distress, anguish, groaning, affliction, forgotten, and terror. He fears that he will die at the hands of his enemies, and he cries out to God in agony.

“Lord, have mercy.”

Perhaps we can all recall a time or two or three when we felt that way, when the walls, ceiling the roof of the house seemed to be closing, collapsing in on you.

While my personal suffering pales in comparison to that of a whole population of people contending with one of a host of debilitating chronic illnesses, I do remember feeling particularly burdened when—I was urgently admitted for open heart surgery—my sister who came down to help my wife ended up in the same hospital as I did with a bad cellulitis in both feet and was unable to walk.

In our mutual efforts at recovering, a group of compassionate nurses made it possible for us to see each other – her in her reclining chair and me in mine. We had a chance to have a deeply meaningful brother older sister talk, prayer time.

Now, almost 15 months later, we are able to look back on those turbulent times, we can see how the Lord was with us, delivered us from our tumult. God 100% answers cries of his people, shines his loving face on us, lighting up our dark.

This one isolated testimony out of undoubtedly the million if not billions more of our God mercifully answering the cries and shrieks of His suffering Children.

Perhaps now is a good time to recount your own story of God “on your jobsite.”

Perhaps even become inspired to imitate, to act, as God acted on your behalf?

More Like Our Rabbi: Imitating the Father’s Mercy

Matthew 7:7-14 Amplified Bible

Prayer and the Golden Rule

7 “[a]Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will [instead] give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake? 11 If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good  and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.

12 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 6:35-36 Amplified Bible

35 But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, [a]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” is a summary statement of Jesus’ famous teaching in the Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-23) and indeed would be a good motto for every believer’s life.

These words underscore all Jesus has previously said concerning how we are to treat others—especially those who hate us for our faithfulness to Him (v 22).

Luke 6:20-23Amplified Bible

The Beatitudes

20 And looking toward His disciples, He began [a]speaking: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever]. 21 Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are you who hunger now [for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God], for you will be [completely] satisfied. Blessed  [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are you who weep now [over your sins and repent], for you will laugh [when the burden of sin is lifted]. 22 Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship], and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with] the Son of Man. 23  Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great  [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way.

This should, however, also prompt us to pray:

“God, what does being merciful actually look like?” “Open my eyes, unclog my ears that I may hear their crying, their shrieks for help, that I may see visions of mercy thou hast for me, them, open mine ears, mine eyes and illumine me, Spirit Divine.”

As our wiser and tender and compassionate Shepherd, Jesus does not leave us to figure out this principle for ourselves. Rather, He gives us specific instructions on exactly what it means for you, me, we, imitate our merciful heavenly Father.

God “is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

As His children, we must realize that we are so mightily challenged by these Gospel Words, called to demonstrate this same kindness by loving our enemies, returning goodness and kindness for evil, giving to others without expecting anything in return. Notice Jesus lists no exemptions or get-out clauses here.

Having called us to be vessels of God’s kindness, Jesus then immediately says that we are not to judge others (Luke 6:37-38).

Luke 6:37-38 Amplified Bible

37 “[a]Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change]. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

He is not asking us to suspend our critical faculties in our relationships; we have to use our minds to discern between truth and error or good and evil.

Likewise Jesus is not teaching that we are to turn a blind eye to sin or refuse to offend others, point out errors. Rather, when Jesus commands us not to judge, He is condemning a spirit of self-righteous, self-exalting, hypocritical, harsh judgmentalism—an approach which seeks to highlight, shine the brightest neon lights on the faults of others, always brings with it the flavor of bitterness.

An unkind spirit completely violates Jesus’ exhortation to overflow with mercy towards both friend and enemy. Each and everyone of us needs to identify any spirit of judgment we may be harboring, to root it out, and to replace cruelty with kindness and harshness with patience, self-control and understanding.

This is how we show to others the kind of mercy that God has shown to us.

A (possibly apocryphal) story is told of how, when Queen Elizabeth II was a girl, she and her sister, Margaret, would be told by their mother before they went to a party, “Remember: royal children, royal manners.”

Their behavior would not make them members of the royal family, but it would demonstrate their royal character and royal membership in that royal family.

Fellow Christians, you and I are members of the royal family of the universe, with the King of creation as our Father. Be sure that your manners reflect who you are and whose you are. Be merciful, even as your Father is 100% merciful.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 Easy-to-Read Version

A song of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd.
    I will always have everything I need.[a]
2 He gives me green pastures to lie in.
    He leads me by calm pools of water.
3 He restores my strength.
    He leads me on right paths[b] to show that he is good.
4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave,[c]
    I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me.
    Your rod and staff[d] comfort me.
5 You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.
    You welcomed me as an honored guest.[e]
    My cup is full and spilling over.
6 Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life,
    and I will live in the Lord’s house[f] a long, long time.[g]

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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God’s Indictment of His own People: Where Are my Measures of Justice, Kindness and Humility? Micah 6:1-8

Micah 6:1-8 Amplified Bible

God’s Indictment of His People

6 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills [as witnesses] hear your voice.
2 
“Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
For the Lord has a case (a legal complaint) against His people,
And He will dispute (challenge) Israel.
3 
“O My people, what have I done to you [since you have turned away from Me]?
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 
“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess].
5 
“My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab devised [with his evil plan against Israel]
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him [turning the curse into blessing for Israel],
[Remember what the Lord did for you] from [a]Shittim to Gilgal,
So that you may know the righteous and saving acts [displaying the power] of the Lord.”

What God Requires of Man

6 
With what shall I come before the Lord [to honor Him]
And bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 
Will the Lord be delighted with thousands of rams,
Or with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my acts of rebellion,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

God’s Case Against His People

What God Is Looking For

6 1-2 Listen now, listen to God:

“Take your stand in court.
    If you have a complaint, tell the mountains;
    make your case to the hills.
And now, Mountains, hear God’s case;
    listen, Jury Earth—
For I am bringing charges against my people.
    I am building a case against Israel.

3-5 “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?
    Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!
I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;
    I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you—
    and Aaron and Miriam to boot!
Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,
    and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.
Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.
    Keep all God’s salvation stories fresh and present.”

An important part of many court decisions is known as “restitution.”

Restitution means that a guilty person’s sentence includes making amends for the wrong that was done. So that when someone is found guilty of theft, he is not only punished for his crime but is also ordered to repay what he stole.

Today’s Bible reading portrays the ultimate courtroom drama. God has a case against his people, and the entire creation is called in as the Lord’s witness. In the first five verses of Micah 6, God pours out his heart like a rejected lover.

“Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,

Shouting at the mountaintops unto the enduring foundations of the earth, What did God ever do to you, deserve the way he was treated by his unfaithful people?

The people stand silent before God, their Judge. Their guilt is obvious, and no defense argument can be offered. So verses 6-7 move right into the matter of restitution. But how can sinful people ever repay a holy God? Micah confirms that no sacrifice on our part can ever sufficiently provide restitution to God.

How fully wonderful that the good news of Jesus announces God’s provision of the sacrifice we could never make. In Paul’s words, Jesus is the one who “loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice unto God” (Ephesians 5:2).

Nothing we could offer would be enough to make restitution.

But the offering of Jesus, who laid down his life for us, is.

So, what is it that we are supposed to offer at least as a show of good faith?

Justice.

Kindness.

Mercy.

On the same measure as God as when God sent His only Son to us. (John 3:16)

Except, where is it?

God searches for it, searches everywhere, God never stops searching for it.

But, even at the minimal discernable, detectable levels, they are not found!

We know how God feels about this … we have the words of Micah 6:1 – 5.

But, what we do not have is what is man’s response to this grievous crime?

Sitting in our witness chair, being questioned, silence, We have no response.

We knew what was going on, we knew we were guilty, we have no legal defense to protect us, yet we would plead our innocence before God, righteous judge.

Just what were we thinking?

Were we thinking at all?

“And are we yet disproportionately alive in ourselves versus alive in God?”

Detectable Degrees: Justice, Kindness, and Humility?

Micah 6:6-8 The Message

6-7 How can I stand up before God
    and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings
    topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
    with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
    my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

* * *

8 But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.

It is quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, do not take yourself too seriously, take God seriously!

So, God, through His words of truth, to the ancient Prophet Micah says;

It is quite simple …

Do not take ourselves too seriously. (How hard can this possibly be?)

What is that supposed to mean to me?

What is that supposed to mean to you, the reader of this devotional?

What is that supposed to mean to the church, to not take itself too seriously?

And if God’s word teaches us that “Truth be Told, It is really quite easy,” then what are we missing here … easy for God – but isn’t everything easy for God?”

When John Newton, the 18th-century hymn writer and pastor, preached on this verse, he entitled his sermon “No Access to God but by the Gospel of Christ.”

Why would he use a title that seems to lack any connection to the verse?!

Newton himself commented, “There is hardly any one passage in the Bible more generally misunderstood.”[1] 

1 The Works of the Rev. John Newton (1808), Vol. 2, p 543.

His sermon title, it seems, was prophetically aimed at correcting the common misunderstandings.

Reverend Newton’s title alerts us to the danger of reading the virtues described here, justice, kindness, humility, then attempting to live them out without the gospel, or proclaiming them in place of the gospel, as a means of access to God.

Neither of these does justice to what the prophet—and the Lord—intended.

The best way to understand Micah 6:8 is not to just give us, a list of things, that contribute to our justification, but as evidences of our justification.

When we view it this way, with the proper motivation and goals established, we can truly understand what the Lord was calling Israel, and is calling us, to do.

The Lord, through Micah, tells us first to “do justice.”

This means a commitment to act in accord with God’s will and purpose.

For example, in Deuteronomy,

Moses says that God “executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18).

We want to care about the things God cares about, which means taking such priorities seriously, seeking to never get tired to “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Second, the Lord tells us to “love kindness.”

If doing justice is the action, then loving kindness is the heart attitude that fuels it. It’s deep warm-hearted compassion, ensuring that we pursue justice not as a big media circus performance of some duty but as a glad action of benevolence.

Third, we are to “walk humbly.”

In other words, we are to surrender our inflated self image, walk in submission to God’s will, to embracing our utter dependence on Him every step of the way.

Why does Micah end this verse with humility?

First, because humility is what is required to acknowledge that we do not perfectly obey the call to love kindness and do justice—and so we need the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness of the Lord and not just His commands.

Proverbs 15:33 The Message

33 Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—
    first you learn humility, then you experience glory.

Proverbs 18:12 The Message

12 Pride first, then the crash,
    but humility is precursor to honor.

Proverbs 29:23 The Message

23 Pride lands you flat on your face;
    humility prepares you for honors.

And second, because even as we do obey Him in the way Micah 6:8 calls us to, the fruitfulness of our labors is ultimately not up to us.

You and I cannot fix the world; we must instead entrust the solution to the world’s King and Judge.

Doing so both motivates and sustains us, with God’s help, to live out the gospel that has saved us, through expressions of justice, kindness, and humility, for the good of our neighbors, for the witness of the church, for the glory of Christ.

Across the centuries, Ancient words of Micah calls us today to reflect humbly on our need for the gospel, to look deep into your heart and ask the Spirit to grow it in Christlike kindness, then to look to your world and actively pursue what God reveals through the ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ to be fairness to be just.

Ephesians 4:1-3 The Message

To Be Mature

4 1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

James 1:26-27 The Message

26-27 Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

We are assured by the truth of God through Christ, revealed by Micah 6:8 that

It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.

So, what do you believe?

Easy peasy, led, guided and directed by God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Infinitely too complex, immeasurably too Complicated because of our agendas?

In the name of God, the Father and God, the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 65 The Message

65 1-2 Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.

2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
    or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
    but you get rid of them once and for all.
Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
    at home in your place!
We expect our fill of good things
    in your house, your heavenly manse.
All your salvation wonders
    are on display in your trophy room.
Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
    Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
    of mobs in noisy riot—
Far and wide they’ll come to a stop,
    they’ll stare in awe, in wonder.
Dawn and dusk take turns
    calling, “Come and worship.”

9-13 Oh, visit the earth,
    ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
    fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
    Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
    soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
    bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
    scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
    Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
    a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
    Oh, oh, let them sing!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Forgiven and Forgiving: A Prayer for us to also Forgive, to Love Like Jesus. Matthew 18:21-35

Matthew 18:21-35 Easy-to-Read Version

A Story About Forgiveness

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when someone[a] won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive them more than seven times. You must continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times.[b]

23 “So God’s kingdom is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24 The king began to collect his money. One servant owed him several thousand pounds[c] of silver. 25 He was not able to pay the money to his master, the king. So the master ordered that he and everything he owned be sold, even his wife and children. The money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.

26 “But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt sorry for him. So he told the servant he did not have to pay. He let him go free.

28 “Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’

29 “The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’

30 “But the first servant refused to be patient. He told the judge that the other servant owed him money, and that servant was put in jail until he could pay everything he owed. 31 All the other servants saw what happened. They felt very sorry for the man. So they went and told their master everything that happened.

32 “Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant. You begged me to forgive your debt, and I said you did not have to pay anything! 33 So you should have given that other man who serves with you the same mercy I gave you.’ 34 The master was very angry, so he put the servant in jail to be punished. And he had to stay in jail until he could pay everything he owed.

35 “This king did the same as my heavenly Father will do to you. You must forgive your brother or sister with all your heart, or my heavenly Father will not forgive you.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In a matter of days, when Good Friday is once again placed before Christians, Jesus, mere minutes from a gruesome and unjust death, will utter the words;

Luke 23:33-34 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Crucifixion

33 When they came to the place called [a]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [b]But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

“Father, (in Heaven) forgive them; for they know not what they are doing.”

And I begin to obsess all over again about the word and the task: “forgive”

Along with all of that obsession, I again turn to those familiar bible passages.

When I read Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, my blood begins to boil.

I think, “How ungrateful, mean, and greedy this man is. There isn’t a single kind bone in his body!”

Here was a man who owed more money than he could ever repay.

But after he was so graciously forgiven of his huge debt by the King, he turned around and unjustly punished another man for owing him just a small amount.

The forgiven man had received an inconceivable measure of mercy, but he did not reciprocate, did not himself show one ounce of mercy to the other man.

It is not wrong to be angry about this.

In fact, this is the response Jesus is looking for.

But we must not stop there.

Jesus designed this story to help us think and act faithfully as children of God.

How should we respond to the kindness God has shown us? God has forgiven our huge debt of sin; will we do the same for others who have sinned against us?

It is easy for us to ask for God’s forgiveness and yet carry grudges and ill will toward others.

It is easy to remember and resent what others have said and done against us.

But if we accept God’s forgiveness and yet fail to forgive others, we are no different from the ungrateful man in Jesus’ parable.

Jesus teaches us to forgive and to keep forgiving so that we can’t remember how many times we have forgiven.

When we walk with the Spirit, we are changed.

God’s kindness begins to flow from us to others.

A Prayer to Forgive and Love Like Jesus 

Matthew 18:21-22 New American Standard Bible 1995

Forgiveness

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Granting forgiveness can be complex and hard to give and receive, especially when it’s a repeated offense, when it is closely attached to betrayal and you’re left holding the shattered pieces of a broken heart filled with so much pain.

Yet, in the upside-down gospel of Jesus Christ, its exactly what we’re called to do – forgive, forgive the unforgivable, not once, but time, time and time again.

It sounds so easy, right? Yet, as you most likely know, forgiveness comes with an acknowledgment that needs to be made from our heads to our hearts. That’s because forgiveness can be messy and intertwined with so many deep emotions.

When Peter approached Jesus with the question of how many times he should be forgiving his brother, it was more than likely an honest, sincere question.

A question to determine the length of mercy.

Maybe he was harboring pain from a past hurt or trying to decipher and grasp the unparalleled meaning of the forgiveness Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:14-15). 

Matthew 6:14-15 New American Standard Bible 1995

14 For if you forgive [a]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive [b]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Either way, Jesus’ answer must have sent shockwaves through Peter’s soul.

After all, the Jewish practice was to forgive someone three times for the same offense (Amos 2:6).

So, upon hearing seventy-seven times, which could be construed to mean “70 times 7,” equating to 490, that must have sounded absolutely absurd!

Peter’s heart must have sunk, thinking that type of forgiveness is impossible.

Yet, that was exactly the point Jesus was driving home!

Jesus knows forgiveness isn’t easy and that it is impossible to do on our own.

This is why He modeled throughout His life how to forgive and shared the importance of giving and receiving this gift.

Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44-45), asking God to help us, all while going to Him again and again until we gain the peace that surpasses understanding.

Matthew 5:44-45 New American Standard Bible 1995

44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  45 so that you may [a]be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

The single most profound example Jesus gave us was on His final day, as Roman soldiers mocked, scourged, and nailed Him to the cross, Jesus prayed for God to forgive them (Luke 23:34) for they knew not what they were doing.

Dear friend, beloved reader, the principle of forgiveness isn’t measured by our emotions or a number, but rather it is to be measured by the grace and mercy in which we receive from God, which is endless.

Real forgiveness, authentic forgiveness takes time to bestow and can only take place with God’s help, allowing Him to open our minds and soften our hearts.

Is there someone to whom you need to grant the gift of forgiveness?

Then lift your heart to Him, your Father in Heaven, today, and seek His help.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Kind and gracious and merciful Father, how can we even begin to thank you for the wonders of Your love? The act of grace and mercy that You so selflessly displayed on the cross never ceases to amaze us. As we come into a holiday that marks both grief and hope with the solemn actions of Good Friday to the victory we can reclaim in Your resurrection, please posture our hearts to give grace through forgiveness. We ask that You help us be mindful this time of year of the Truth found in Your Word that Your love, mercy, and grace forgave us first. We are so very thankful for that. Help us receive that forgiveness You so graciously give and extend that to others as we yearn to follow Your loving example. Please soften our hearts to give and receive this most precious gift of forgiveness. Lord, I ask that You please come into my heart and help me personally forgive the person who continually floods my mind. I need Your help. I need Your mercy and grace. I need You to remind me that You forgave me and so I must forgive them. Help me let go of the hurt, the pain, the betrayal, and the shame. Help me let it go and turn it all over to You. Please cleanse my heart and soul of any unrighteousness, bitterness, or resentment. I earnestly seek Your peace. Amen

Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.

32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Let Us Lean into God’s Compassion. Psalm 86:11-17

Psalm 86:11-17 The Message

11-17 Train me, God, to walk straight;
    then I’ll follow your true path.
Put me together, one heart and mind;
    then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;
    I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.
You’ve always been great toward me—what love!
    You snatched me from the brink of disaster!
God, these bullies have reared their heads!
    A gang of thugs is after me—
    and they don’t care a thing about you.
But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
    not easily angered, immense in love,
    and you never, never quit.
So look me in the eye and show kindness,
    give your servant the strength to go on,
    save your dear, dear child!
Make a show of how much you love me
    so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,
As you, God, gently and powerfully
    put me back on my feet.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Can anyone truly say that they are slow to anger?

We strive to be slow to anger, but we are all always a work in progress.

It helps when we remember we need mercy and grace every day.

We must all confess that we miss the mark, but I know God is slow to anger.

And when we are angry at ourselves for being quick to anger, we know that God looks on us with an unmatched and much undeserved kindness.

His eyes fill with steadfast love, and He helps us through the mess our anger creates for ourselves and anyone else who is in the very near vicinity of it.

We will so freely admit around others we’re so grateful God is compassionate.

To be compassionate means their is within us an empathy to feel sorrow for someone else’s suffering, with a longing, a stirring desire and effort to help.

We see God’s compassion for us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, we can have forgiveness and salvation.

Our lives change when we meet Jesus so that we can know of God’s great compassion – His compassion helps us live for him alone in our day to day.

There is always an action behind compassion.

As we lean into God’s compassion, we begin to see his actions in our lives.

We experience His mercy when we mess up once again.

We know his grace when he encourages us to fall forward into his arms, and He helps us to have courage to be able to stand again when the floor is all we want.

All through the Old Testament, we see how full of mercy God was to his people.

Then in the New Testament, we see Jesus’s compassion on the crowds.

Jesus delivered his good news of freedom, healed the brokenhearted, and gave sight to the blind of eyes and heart.

From the Old Testament we should recall God’s Prophet Jonah who did not understand the Lord’s compassion for the Ninevites and why he, Jonah should be the only one from God to communicate that message of compassion.

He ranted and raved against God, vowed that he would do everything in his power to avoid fulfilling God’s command, ran away from God’s command and ended up spending three days and nights in the belly of a whale before he finally obeyed God, fervently warned the people of Nineveh of imminent destruction.

The Ninevites repented, and God extended compassion to them.

He did not destroy them. Instead of rejoicing, Jonah thought this was very wrong and in the end He pouted in anger because God was compassionate.

We can learn much from Jonah.

For one, to obey right away.

Second, to remember how much we need mercy and grace.

We are not perfect.

We do not have it all together.

Yet, it’s so easy to look at everyone else’s failings and refuse to see our own.

We want to experience God’s compassion, but do we want everyone even our greatest enemy to experience His compassion?

Truth be told, In our most honest moments, we struggle to say yes.

We want God’s acts of compassion toward us.

We want Him to forgive us, to help us, to bless us.

But when we have been angered, when we have been wounded by someone’s betrayal – as Judas betrayed Jesus, we (humanity) want punishment for them.

If there are 100 people out there who are reading this devotional out there in the world, it is reasonably safe to believe no one can confess that “I am not slow to anger,” and when pressured a tiny bit they struggle to show mercy and grace.

But God. by His living Word, He steps in to our anger and answering our prayers reminds us all that we need His compassion just as much as everyone else does.

This truth from Psalm 86:15 keeps us humble and fully reliant on his grace.

Throughout my Cardiac Rehab struggles I’m prayerful for his steadfast love and His strength to extend compassion when I could be compassionless like Jonah.

First, compassionate with myself to not be so angry at myself for my setbacks.

Second, compassionate towards my wife, family and friends who try to help me.

It’s tempting to respond like Jonah – to get flaming angry, want to run away.

But, maybe Jonah did not fully realize how compassionate and merciful God was towards him in letting him live in the belly of the fish while being guided to the shores of his final destination being Nineveh that he could fulfill his mission.

Perhaps He knew God’s nature because he experienced for himself, but he was slow to learn as he grew angry when God showed compassion to the Ninevites.

People whom in his mind he still believed and still felt didn’t deserve it.

We know the Ninevites gave up their evil and violent ways.

They humbled themselves before God, and He responded in compassion.

But, how much did Jonah actually humble himself before seeing God’s victory?

Humility is key in learning to let go of our anger and to receive God’s strength to extend compassion to others.

The book of Jonah ends with God asking Jonah a question, (Jonah 4) and we’re left wondering what happened to him and whether or not there was any change.

Why did Jonah stay angry?

Why did he still harbor resentment toward God?

Why was Jonah so slow to learn to be slow to anger and abounding in mercy?

Intersecting Faith and Life:

The next time we find ourselves struggling with anger, remember Jonah.

Let him be an example of how not to respond so quickly, so often, with anger.

Jonah appreciated God’s compassion for himself, but he grew angry when God showed compassion to people he felt did not deserve it.

What about us in 2024?

God’s compassion extends to all. 

Lean into it and encourage others to lean into it as well.

As we do, we will experience God’s grace, mercy, steadfast love, and strength.

In turn, we will learn to be slower to anger and be quicker to show compassion.

Lord Have Mercy, Christ Have Mercy, Mercy on Me

Psalm 103:7-12 New King James Version

7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

When Jesus said on the cross, “They do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), he was teaching us a lot about ourselves – what we do with our anger.

We have an uncanny ability to remain blind to our sin and how deeply it cuts God’s fatherly heart.

But when Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,” he was also teaching us about God.

“Father, forgive. …”

These words go well together because the Bible affirms that, above all else, God is a God of mercy!

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

As our heavenly Father, it is in God’s very character to forgive.

Again and again, when we come back from the strange ways of our ignorance, our anger and foolishness, we find God waiting for us with a welcoming heart.

He is ready—even eager!—to forgive us when we return home.

God’s heart is not quick to condemn but, rather, to forgive.

“God did not send his Son … to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17).

In Jesus’ plea from the cross, then, we have both the hard brutal truth about ourselves and the glorious truth about God:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Thanks be to God that still today Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them,” on our behalf (see Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).

Practice leaning into God’s Compassion – for the sake of self and for others.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

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