WHAT DO WE DO WITH GOD’S MERCY?

by Tammy Phillips
June 20, 2021

“Be merciful, just as your Father, also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 NKJV)

Caution before you read this!   Holy Spirit has been transforming me and turning my disgust to mercy in many areas of my life since early 2021.   He has been teaching me the precept of mercy from Luke 6 pretty much all year.  Do not read further, if you have mercy down.  If you are always loving and kind and good, you are wasting your time with this encouragement.  If you never take offense, then move on.  I promise you; the enemy has tried to move me from a place of mercy to offended, more times than I can count on my hand in these last few months.   I am attempting a permanent move to mercy land.  I know as I write this to be prepared for the offense, Jesus said, ““It is impossible that no offenses should come…!”  I am prepared to throw it back and exercise mercy.  I choose to follow our Father’s example.    He gives great mercy, and He expects us to do the same. He gives us some pretty clear instruction throughout His word how to be merciful.

1. PLAN TO DO GOOD.

“Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.” (Proverbs 14:22 NKJV) 

It is easy to do good and love the lovable.  We must plan to do good to the person who has hurt us, the person who does not agree with us and the ones less fortunate than us.  We have to look at all through God glasses that have the lens of truth and mercy.  Those glasses include offense and pride blockers.  We may have been hurt, but the truth is the hurt is not ours to own, forgiveness is.  Mercy and truth are then ours when we make the plan to do good.

2. PLAN TO DO RIGHT.
   

“He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21 KJV)

It is not always easy to do the right thing and to follow after righteousness, particularly, when we have been wronged.  When someone slanders our name, our first response is to react and not turn the other cheek.  Our first thought is not, “let me crucify my flesh so that I can be loving and kind.”  When Jesus was spat on, arrested, and falsely accused, He chose the “right way.”  He chose silence. 

3. DO NOT FORGET OR LEAVE MERCY BEHIND

“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.” (Proverbs 3:3 KJV) 

We already have put our mercy and truth glasses with the plan of lovingkindness and good.  Now we are instructed to put on our mercy and truth scarf and tie it around our neck so they always with us. And it is so important that they are always with us, write them on the tables of our heart as a permanent reminder, never to be left behind.   Nothing like a double reminder to keep mercy and truth at the forefront of our minds.

4. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
   

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil…” (Luke 6:35)

This is a hard one to chew up and swallow. Love the hateful. Love the hater. Love the opposition. Do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. This is imitation of Father God who is love.  He chose us when we were opposed to Him.  He chose His only son to die for the whole creation who was opposed to Him. 

The one time when I was betrayed and hurt the very worst, I went to God yelling for help.  I needed comfort.   I did not understand.  Guess what our Father’s first comforting words were to me?  The scripture He brought to my mind- LOVE!  LOVE YOUR ENEMY!  I was gut hurt and He said choose Me.  Choose love not hate.  At that time, I could not get passed those three words.  Today, I see the reward at the end of the verse!  Love and your reward will be great.  Hallelujah.  Love and you will be the sons and daughters of the Most High.  

5.  DO WHAT IS GOOD

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NKJV)

The Lord really does not ask too much of us. We do not have to follow the multitude of rules from the Old Testament. He has shown us what is good.  We have simple directions to follow Him-do it.  
a.  Do the right thing.  Do truth. 
b.  Love mercy.  Love kindness. Love good. Love love.
c.  Walk humbly. Walk it out with Him. We have to be humble if we are going to walk out mercy.

I enCOURAGE you to give mercy as freely as you have received it.  Imitate our Father.  Pass it one.  It is NOT easy, but in the end, it is so worth it.  “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”  (Matthew 5:7 KJV)