GOD’S MERCY

Humility. Many of us need more of it. Scripture helps us become right-sized.


HUMAN DESIRE OR EFFORT IS FUTILE
Consider this:


“It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:16 NIV)


My human instinct tells me my drive, ambition, energy, and focus will make me more acceptable to God. Reading this passage humbles me. Contrary to how I may think, it is not up to my desire or effort that I have been chosen by God to be His adopted child. God chose to have mercy on me, not because of anything I have done to deserve His mercy. No. He graciously bestowed this mercy on me who does not deserve this unfathomable, immeasurable, and priceless favor.


Meditating on this is humbling.


DAILY SURRENDER
Day after day, God continues to show me that what He wants most from me is my full surrender.


“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)


God’s will for us is total and complete surrender. And no matter how many times I think I have fully surrendered to Christ, there always seems to be a little more surrender left in me. Or, to put it another way, there continues to be a little of my flesh still yet to be surrendered. Do you experience this same thing? Why can’t we just once and for all give Christ everything, without reservation? Why do we tend to hold a little of our old self back?


GOD’S MERCY LEADS US TO LOVE OTHERS
Now that we have been shown mercy, we should show mercy to others. For it is written: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8 NIV)


As I fully surrender myself to Christ, I realize that I don’t have the right to withhold God’s love from anyone. I have been shown complete and utterly undeserved mercy. Therefore, I must surrender my perceived right to withhold mercy from others, and freely give the mercy I have received to others who are also undeserving. None of us deserve this tremendous gift of eternal life that God has so graciously bestowed upon us. How can we possibly withhold God’s mercy from others?


A critical part of surrender to Christ is that of any perceived “rights” that I have. I no longer have rights. I never had them in the first place. I only thought I did, and every time they creep back into my mind, I must surrender them. This need to give up my rights and surrender leads me to a continual renewing of my mind on an everyday basis. For me, this time will be necessary until the day I go home to Heaven. From my experience, I need a daily renewal, and I find no substitute for an hour of time first thing in the morning. I cherish this time of connecting with God in intimate prayer, meditation, conversation, and reflection.


Jesus gave us this model: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 NIV)


CONCLUSION
Attempting to fully grasp God’s mercy for us is a humbling experience and leads us to surrender to Christ. This surrender to Christ’s mercy and love leads us to love others and bestow on them the mercy and love we have received from Christ Jesus our Lord. What a glorious life we have in Christ. Praise be to God who has had mercy on us. Amen.


Your aspiring servant, Daniel M. 
February 13, 2024
POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily conversations with Christ.