“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy,
not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners.”
–Mt 9:13
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 Jn 1:9
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515–1582), a Roman Catholic
Carmelite nun and Spanish mystic wrote, “I had many friends to help me to fall;
but as to rising again, I was so much left to myself, that I wonder now I was
not always on the ground. I praise God
for His mercy; for it was He only Who stretched out His hand to me. May He be blessed for ever! Amen.” And Winston Churchill (1874–1965), prime
minister of the United Kingdom was sure: “All the great things are simple, and
many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy,
hope.” Luke 6:36 reminds us to be
merciful, even as your heavenly Father is merciful.
Richer Fruits
A president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln
(1809–1865) remarked, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than
strict justice.” Joyce Myer (b. 1943), a
Christian author and speaker said, “God’s mercy is fresh and new every
morning.” While Pope Francis (b. 1936),
of the Catholic Church affirmed, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less
cold and more just.” People can
therefore say like 1 Peter 1:3 blessed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ! According to his great mercy, he has surely caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
who rose from the dead.
Thanks-living
Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892), an English Baptist
preacher said, “I think that is a better thing than thanksgiving:
thanks-living. How is this to be
done? By a general cheerfulness of
manner, by an obedience to the command of Him by whose mercy we live, by a
perpetual, constant delighting of ourselves in the Lord, and by a submission of
our desires to His will.”
Still as people live in this world they should be
aware of the role nature plays. Neil
deGrasse Tyson (b. 1958), an astrophysicist and author wrote, “Even with all
our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it
once was, it takes just one big disaster to wipe all that away and remind us
that, here on Earth, we’re still at the mercy of nature.” These circumstances in the world are
unpredictable, so people have to put their faith in a loving God, who provides
for us, and keeps us safe.
But how can people be recipients of God’s grace and
mercy? Why do we often turn to the
things of this world to solve our problems?
Often we’re misguided when we find they aren’t the answer. People though ought to submit their lives to
Christ. Such an act brings grace, mercy,
peace, and love – the foundation of true fulfillment.