Pastor Mike's sermon hit home for me today. Mercy & Grace / Grace & Mercy - aren't they the same thing - those wonderful blessings from God that we can't live without? I liked how Pastor put it - Grace is the pardoning & forgiving - Mercy is the doing part - Webster says: "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power."
We aren't just suppose to accept God's amazing free gifts of grace & mercy - but we are suppose to give them back out to the people we meet everyday. I find myself being a fake grace & mercy giver - that's right I know what God's word says - so I might say all the right words but I am the judge and jury in my mind. How is it possible for women to say one thing and be thinking another at the same time? You know exactly what I'm talking about: We have a friend who has asked for our advice on a matter - we freely give our advice - except said friend doesn't listen and is now in a pickle. This friend is now in need of comfort or more - I will comfort and say all the right words while thinking if you had just done what I told you to do none of this would have happened. I believe this is FAKE MERCY. I'm using an easy example - what about the tough ones? The one's where we don't even want to fake it - we have decided they don't deserve it?
What are we suppose to do? How are we suppose to act? How do we live out this grace & mercy gig with God everyday? Well I think most important we need to go back (yes I need to finish) to our Holy Habits. If we aren't filled up on Jesus through personal relationship (prayer, bible reading, worship, etc) then we haven't got a chance to be pure in heart, merciful, or peacemakers. My day is different, because I'm different, when I start my day with the Lord - quality time getting filled up. The fruits of the spirit come easier - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the days I can live out grace & mercy with God by my side. I'm also going to incorporate this into my prayer life. For example: Dear Lord - don't let me miss the opportunity to share your grace and mercy with others. Help me recognize those moments and have the courage to serve.
I don't want to be a fake, I want to be pure in heart, merciful and a peacemaker. What about you?
