Of all the good things that we receive from God the Father, mercy must rank very near the top as one of the most prized gifts that He grants.  James 1:17 reads as follows, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”  Actually, His goodness is seen (in part) upon all men.  Jesus alluded to this in His discourse recorded in Matthew 5.  According to verse 45 He said, “Your Father which is in heaven… makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  It’s His nature to share; to be good; to be generous; to be patient; yes, even to be nice when there is no reason to be nice (other than His intrinsic passion to do it).  Try listing His benefits.  Better yet, let me do it for us both:

1.       Mercy

2.       Grace

3.       Peace

4.       Comfort

5.       Forgiveness

6.       Salvation

7.       His Spirit

8.       Heaven

9.       Victory

10.   Truth

11.   Life

12.   Health

13.   Strength

14.   Food and Clothing

15.   A mind

16.   Options

17.   Friends

18.   Family

19.   Freedom

20.   Music

Obviously the list could go on and on.  I typed these twenty in this order (without editing) as they came to my mind.  God is truly good to us.  Amen?  Amen!  In fact, in response to God’s kindness, the sweet psalmist wrote in Psalm 68:19, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”  He daily loads us with benefits!  Amen to that! 

Again, the Hebrew poet admonished himself in Psalm 103:2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” Then he asked himself a astute question in Psalm 116:12, “What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me?”  Obviously, we can never repay Him.  Despite that circumstance though, we truly owe Him everything that we do have and everything that we are.  Hmmm… what specifically should we be giving to Him in grateful worship (following naturally from what He constantly does for us)?  That list should be a long one as well, but I’ll leave it to you to produce…

Back to the topic at hand: the ancient worship leader Asaph said, “Truly God is good…” (Psalm 73:1a); to which we offer a hearty “Amen” …when we are thinking clearly.

When we meditate upon the reality of the great chasm between what we deserve from God and what we actually get from Him, our mind should rush naturally to His incredible mercy.  Ezra the ready scribe was one that realized how our God has punished us less than our sins call for.  Q: Why has He done this?  A: Because of His great mercy.  I’ll get to Ezra’s full statement later, but first let’s take an eclectic sampling of God’s revelations concerning His own mercifulness.

Ephesians 2:4, “God… is rich in mercy…”

Lamentations 3:22, “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions do not fail.”

Exodus 20:5b & 6, “I the LORD Your God am a jealous God… showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

Psalm 100:5, “The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting…”

Psalm 103:8, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”

In Psalm 136, all 26 verses end with the exact same phrase, “His mercy endures forever.”

And, Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

These few selections barely scratch the surface of the slew of Bible verses that address this great concept.  What would human life be like if there was no such thing as mercy?  I shudder at the thought.  Thankfully, God is a wonderful source of mercy (the only source actually).  Mercy originates with Him as He volitionally waits and withholds the finality of ultimate justice.  Lucifer, the demons of the fall, Adam, Cain, Ahab, Judas, you and me – we have all received a later date in God’s holy court room than we deserve.  Why is that?  Because of God’s natural disposition towards pity.  Don’t get me wrong, we all know very well that mercy never destroys justice, but it does frequently delay justice or reapplies it to an alternative subject (in the case of the redemption of the human race – we get the mercy as Christ succumbed to the pain of justice for us).  Either way, justice is always sure in one form or another - eventually. 

A good question at this juncture is this: what is mercy exactly?  For sure, it’s not the kindness of God to someone who is innocent and who is facing no hardships.  Mercy is no more applicable to a (hypothetical) righteous man than enamel paint is applicable to the sound of a mockingbird.  It just doesn’t fit.  Since “MERCY” is properly and simply defined[1] as “forgiveness shown to an offender” – then if someone is a recipient of mercy, clearly there must have been some judgment that was impending.  Negative judgment is only justly aimed at those who are guilty of some infraction.  If one has done no wrong and is in no trouble, well then they can’t very well receive any mercy can they?  It’s a nonsensical application.  They might well receive rewards and awards, but not mercy.  This is one of the reasons old fashioned preachers used to say they had to “get people lost before they could try to get them saved.”  How can we reasonably preach mercy to someone who thinks they are entitled to God’s blessings and to eternal heavenly bliss?

If there is one thing that I know very well, it is that I need mercy.  My past, my present and doubtless my future earns me much deserved wrath from the thrice holy God of heaven.  Yet, instead of damnation He has promised that I will get plenty of mercy.  Whenever I lose sight of just how pleasantly unfair God is with me, I need to be coldcocked with one of those giant family Bibles.  I’m entitled to pain, misery and death – that’s it!  I’m not entitled to any pleasure, comfort, kindness or blessing.  Of course, Jesus is entitled to every imaginable good thing, and I benefit constantly and eternally on His account… because of His mercy; because I’ve been washed in His blood.

Righteous Lot (so called by God) was the first to receive mercy (by that title) in Genesis 19:19.  He took note of God’s zealous kindness saying, “Your servant has found grace in Your sight, and You have magnified Your mercy, which You have showed unto me in saving my life…”  Lot, though a child of God, had been vexed and polluted by sin – but still, God was merciful.  God delivered him even though he was very much unworthy of deliverance.  Now, before you grumble about God’s gentleness toward wicked Lot (so called by us), don’t forget that you and I are also just as unworthy of God’s compassion, pity, clemency, forgiveness, kindness, sympathy, understanding, leniency, benevolence, forbearance, blessing, relief, etc.

Consider this great passage which I referred to earlier: Ezra 9:13-14, “After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this; should we again break Your commandments… Would You not be angry with us till You had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?”  Interpretation: What if we sin presumptuously after having already received God’s mercy?  Logically, the original condemnation should return with additional severity.  If we have experienced God’s sacrifice and now return again to our former criminalities, then we are doubly deserving of penalty.  God could rightfully deny us a third opportunity if we have squandered our second chance, and yet… experience and revelation tell us that when we have been accepted into God’s family through the blood of Christ, we have become heirs of the eternal mercies of the Almighty.  Let us never abuse our privileged position of security.  Mercy received should more grandly affect a positive change in us than any threat of negative consequences could ever possibly accomplish.   And, truly we find that this is the route of sanctification as described by God in Romans 2:4 where He asks rhetorically through Paul, “Do you despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering [toward others]; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

We should never begrudge a full day’s “mercy wage” distributed to the sinners around us when those abundantly benevolent wages come from the hand of the One who has the prerogative to do anything He wants to do with all that He possesses.  In fact, we should be volunteers, willing gladly to help distribute God’s abundant mercy as far and as wide as is possible through the power of the Spirit.

Mercy!  Mercy!  Mercy!  Thank God for His loving mercy!  His mercy toward me… toward you… and toward the whole world…

 

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You’re thinking, “Ohhhhhh!  Don’t say that!”  And, you know what?  You’re right.  I shouldn’t say that in most circumstances. 

In fact, I grew up with that phrase included on the list of forbidden verbal flourishes.  Likewise, it is taboo in my household as well (for the young‘ns as well as for me and Mom).  Its harshness just crosses a line somehow (IMHO).

Yet, we would do well (at least, I would do well) to give ourselves a hearty, “Shut your big fat mouth!” admonition every morning in the mirror.  We sometimes just say way too much.  Superfluous quantities tend to negatively affect quality in speech! 

The Bible has much to say on this topic.  Read on…

“In the multitude of words there wants not sin: but he that refrains his lips is wise” - Proverbs 10:19.  Words are like bullets.  The fewer times I shoot off at the lip, the more seldom I will hit unintended targets.  Simple laws of probability here; hmmm, common math says I should say less if I want to do less damage.

“Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise: and he that shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding” - Proverbs 17:28.  What’s the old saying?  “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear ignorant than to open your mouth wide and remove all doubt.”  Wooo!  That hits home…

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” - James 1:19.  Who is this counsel for?  Every man!  That’s a hard pill to swallow.  What about those of us who “make our living” with words.  Ah, it’s even more important for us.  Brevity, precision, homogeneity, purpose – these wholesome goals should harness verboseness and (what we called in college) snow.  There is no need for filler.  Get to the point; make the point and then move on to the next point (and yes, I’m listening to myself here).

I have a dear loved one who was once nicknamed “Radio” by a missionary/preacher.  He said, “She talks whether anyone’s listening or not.”  Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty many times myself of “talking just to hear myself rattle.”  Not prudent.

James was none too gentle in addressing the loose cannon that always stands ready behind the bars of our teeth.  He came down hard on us in James 3:5-8, “The tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Solomon made one of the most perfect (and my personal favorite) observation along this line.  As an old man he wrote, “Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and you upon earth: therefore let your words be few” - Ecclesiastes 5:2.  That’s about as clearly as this advice can be given, eh? (i.e., we know so little, so why do we say so much!?)

So, in the spirit of today’s line of thought, here is a final word from the inspired Word: “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” - Matthew 12:37.  Ouch!  I had better be more careful… and perhaps (in light of these verses) more brief.

(Finally!  For today at least, I succeeded in shutting up quickly).  ;-)

 

Yesterday I started reading a small book entitled One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill (http://www.markcahill.org/request.html).  Since I’ve only just begun reading the book, I must reserve any endorsement until later.  However, his basic thesis came out early and clearly and here it is: once you & I get to heaven, we will never again have an opportunity to share Christ with a lost soul.  I find this reality to be very sobering.  But, being stirred is worthless unless our actions and habits are changed to such a degree that we begin to more effectively buy up the opportunities that we have to proselytize. 

I’ve always considered myself to be the most unlikely salesman in the world.  Generally, I have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.  Of course, it sounds nicer and more palatable as a ministry strategy: “Reach the reachable; teach the teachable.”  Yet, in action, it amounts to little more than passivism. 

Now, indeed, Christ laid the truth out and left people to do with it what they would.  In fact, at times He seemed to attempt to dissuade followers from committing to Him (I think He did this to weed out the insincere).  Still, He never missed an opportunity to lay out the truth and to exhort people to make a choice.  And, that is exactly what we are to be doing: plainly proclaiming the truth as constantly and clearly as we are spiritually able.

What tools are at our disposal? 

1.       We can give people literature.  Books and booklets that include the gospel should be freely distributed at every opportunity.  At people’s doors, checkout counters, fast-food windows, with tips, in public restrooms, tucked in to our monthly payment envelopes… a plethora of opportunities abound.  We should be creative and aware in this regard.

2.       We can invite people to our gospel preaching church as often as we strike up brief conversations with folk.  It fits fluidly into an exchange.  Even with total strangers, we can thread comfortably into the conversation where we go to church along with a cordial invitation for them to attend as well.  Certainly… friends, family members and neighbors should receive frequent invitations.

3.       We can participate in our local church’s visitation/evangelism outreach program.  Whether it is a door to door visiting schedule, home Bible studies, street preaching, specific house calls, a phoning strategy or whatever else; believers should be active in their local church’s evangelism program.

4.       We should be willing to wear our Christian testimony and love of Jesus on our sleeve.  Evidence of our relationship with Christ should naturally flow from our lips in every situation which we encounter.  Our sphere of influence should be our mission field.

5.       We can pray for more evangelists and missionaries.  I’m not talking about more full time ministers necessarily, but more divine calls.  Pray for God to burden and equip more of His children for this great work of rescuing lost sinners. 

6.       We can give of our own means to the individuals and organizations that we perceive God is blessing with Christian fruit. 

7.       We can bring the lost one’s that we know into contact with those who are obviously gifted with harvesting talents.

Now, just as importantly, we should also be aware of the topics that God has chosen to use in evangelizing.

1.       Our testimony.  We should simply tell people what God has done for us in saving our soul and changing our life.  Our own real life experiences with God are difficult for Satan to refute.  He will fight to discredit and deny our claims, but the sincere witness telling what he or she encountered in Christ is very potent spiritual material.

2.       Our Bible.  Mysteriously, God takes the eternal word which we share with others and cuts deep into their heart with it.  We may not see the result immediately, but His inspired revelations are never wasted.  Quote it, explain it, read it, share any part of it… God will bless His Holy Word.

3.       Our Savior.  Make much of Jesus.  His perfect life, His horrible death, His literal resurrection, His departure and promise to return again… all of these supernatural and seemingly surreal truths can be confirmed and affirmed by the Holy Ghost in the mind of even the hardest cynic if we will just talk about them.  Give the Spirit that material to work with.

4.       Our guilt.  Sin, death, pain, sickness, sorrow, hell… don’t hesitate to bring it up.  Just as we are quick to mention the weather, we should be quick to admit the reality of the horrid human condition.  Why would anyone come to the Savior if they don’t even realize that they need to be rescued?

In all of this, depend on the Holy Spirit of God to empower and direct you.  Sure, put on the armor of sincerity, maturity, sobriety, morality, compassion, effort, awareness and knowledge… but by all means, let’s go to battle.  We are not wrestling against visible enemies; we fight the good fight of faith against powerful and invisible foes: the hellish evils of the flesh, the world and devils too.  Lucifer’s objective is to foster in every man’s heart some measure of rebellion against the Almighty.  Our objective is to foster humility and faith in the hearts of men.  Never forget, there are only two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.  We war a good warfare promoting the light of Life. 

Let’s share the good news with gusto.  Not to just sooth our guilty consciences, but to truly honor the Savior, to contribute to God’s rescue of the damned and to share the glorious gift of forgiveness which we enjoy.  Remember, we who are now saints were also all once under the same condemnation.  

Let’s see some gospel fervor folk!  Let’s repent of our lackadaisical disengagement, our passive disinterest, our carnal unbelief, our immature cowardice, our convenient excuse-making, our lethargic ignorance, our sinful blindness and even our naive procrastination… may God forgive us and grant us His presence and power to go forth boldly preaching Jesus at every occasion.

Jesus still saves sinners today!  Hallelujah!  But they can’t trust in Jesus if someone... um, if you and I fail to introduce Him to them!