“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” -Luke 6:36 (KJV)

Friend, mercy is one of those things we are grateful to receive but sometimes reluctant to give. We want God to be patient with our failures, forgive our mistakes, and look beyond our worst moments. Yet when someone disappoints us, we can be quick to judge them by the very moment we hope God will forgive in us.

Jesus did not say to be merciful because people always deserve it. He said to be merciful because our heavenly Father is merciful.

Mercy does not mean pretending that wrong does not matter. It means refusing to allow someone else’s wrong to make your heart cold. Mercy leaves judgment in God’s hands and chooses compassion over condemnation.

Think about how many times the Lord has met you with grace instead of giving up on you. Every morning you awaken is evidence that His mercy is still at work. The cross is the greatest reminder of all. Jesus took what we deserved so we could receive what we could never earn.

Today, someone around you may need patience, a second chance, a kind word, or simply the benefit of the doubt. Give them what God has so freely given you.

Friend, merciful people show a hurting world what their merciful Father is like. Let us walk in mercy today, because we never look more like Jesus than when we extend grace to someone who needs it…