Grace and Mercy. We hear these words often. Especially when we find ourselves or see others in unfortunate situations whether self-inflicted or due to no fault of our own. We find ourselves asking God to give us grace or asking Him to show mercy toward that individual that we may see facing an unfortunate situation or a life-altering consequence. However, do we truly understand grace and mercy at its core? Let's Explore:

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Grace is defined as:

• help or kindness shown by God,

• favor,

• God's benevolence towards humanity, bestowed freely and without regard to merit, and which manifests in the giving of blessings and granting of salvation.

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Mercy is defined as:

• something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing,

• compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence,

• kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation,

• a kind or forgiving attitude toward someone that you have the power to harm or the right to punish.

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Grace and mercy although we may not acknowledge it as such, are gifts that God gives us without regard to who or what we are. Grace and mercy are not dependent on how much or how little we own, how popular or unpopular we are, how intelligent or in lack of knowledge we are, or any other demographic. Grace and mercy are not dependent on how capable we are but is rooted in who God is and the love and compassion that He has for us. Because we know God to be loving, caring, compassionate, and patient we take for granted the favor that He shows us, the blessings that He bestows upon us, the chance after chance that He gives us, and most importantly, the forgiveness that He provides us through salvation. We sometimes see these things as acts that GOD IS SUPPOSED TO DO because that's who we know Him to be. And in many cases, we find ourselves taking advantage of these gifts not realizing that they are not obligated to us. We are not entitled to grace and mercy by our own merit, but it is to our benefit that God freely gives them to us.

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We at times take giving in to sin and temptations likely, thinking "I'll just do what appeases me and then repent." There are many people who will knowingly and willingly do the wrong thing, partake in the wrong action, make the wrong decision, and take the pleasure route, because they see God as a "free pass" or "Get Out of Jail Free Card". There are many who play their game of life, seeing God as a cushion to the consequence of their fleshly desires. There are many people who truly think that they are fooling God by intently doing what they know they should not do and then confessing their sin once they are pleasured by whatever it is that they were tempted by because they know that grace and mercy are available to them.

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We must all realize that God knows our hearts. God knows when we are truly trying to stay on the right path and have a moment when we fall astray. And He knows when we aren't trying to stay on the right path, have no desire to change, but simply confess as a safeguard to make sure that we're covered. There are people who repent and truly try to change and there are those who repent and in the midst of repenting, are already not just thinking but have already planned to partake in the same action, at the same time, the next day. They are repenting as a safety measure. They are depending on grace and mercy to cushion their fall. The fall, that they are willingly going to inflict upon themselves.

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Salvation is personal. We cannot judge anyone else's life even if it does not reflect what we consider to be 'Godly' or 'Ungodly' character. We cannot say when someone should or shouldn't repent because salvation is between God and the individual that's seeking it. However, we must recognize that God's power is limitless. God has the power to forgive, the power to save, the power to cleanse, the power to blood wash, the power to justify, the power to correct, and the power to turn around whatever situation that we are in. And it is our same God that also knows when we are genuine or if we are pretending to want to be changed, pretending to want to be delivered, and pretending to want salvation, only as a means of doing what we think we are supposed to do. We must recognize that not only is God all powerful, but He is all knowing.

 

Throughout our day, our weeks, our months, and so on, we might sin without realizing it. Therefore, there are many of us who in our alone time with God or during our prayer time, ask God to forgive us if we have done anything to fall short whether known or unbeknownst to us. Because we all might sin without realizing it, there are many of us who repent routinely to make sure that we protect and maintain our salvation. However, asking for forgiveness routinely is not the same as asking for forgiveness out of routine (doing it because we are taught to do so even if we don't mean it in our hearts). There are some of us who repent out of tradition but are far connected from the meaning, responsibility, or requirements that come as a result of us asking for forgiveness.

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Whether we are honestly trying to do right or pretending to want to get right, we all have to be grateful for grace and mercy.

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In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul reminds us, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (NIV).

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Regardless of how 'holy' or 'unholy' we think we are, none of us have the power to save ourselves (to give ourselves salvation), neither do we have the power to have faith solely by our own strength. It is all by God's strength and His grace that we are able to do so. We often find finger-pointing between those that say they live accordingly and those who know they don't. However, whether living upright, super saint, or straight-out sinner, none of us are deserving of grace and mercy. Furthermore, it was not our ability to be or appear holy that brought it about. It is because of God and God alone that we receive His grace and mercy.

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Sometimes when we find ourselves living a life that is pleasing to God, we tend to forget that we were not always hikers on the right path. We tend to credit ourselves for our turn-around and for our life transformation. Many of us indeed work hard to get ourselves together, overcoming unsurmountable pressure, sins, temptations, and defying the odds. However, while we have all had to sacrifice some blood, sweat, and tears, it is still through God's grace that we were able to do so. Even when we overcome the challenges, the sins of our past, and our temptations, we cannot lose sight that it was God's grace that allowed us to do so.

 

We cannot look down on or belittle others who we find on their wrong path. We cannot condemn them, making ourselves holier than thou. We all must ask God for discernment as to how we approach individuals who we think need to be encouraged to take a different route. If and when God does lead you to witness to or encourage someone who may be taking a dangerous route, let God lead you as to what to say and pray that the same mercy that God so offered you is also given to them as a means of helping them to overcome. Stop being judgmental as if you skateboarded your way into salvation, pretending like you did not fall off at one point or another. And even if you didn't fall, STILL DON'T JUDGE!

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In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul states, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (NIV).

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Paul knew that he had a sinful past. Paul, the apostle, was once a persecutor of the saints. No matter how great of a work Paul was doing or did for God, he would not credit himself for his turnaround because he knew that it was grace that fostered it. Paul acknowledged that yes, he worked abundantly hard to get to where he was, but it was God who though he was a sinner, and brought harm against the saints, saw fit to look past who he was to help him to mature into who He had called him to be. Paul acknowledged that it was God that did the transformation. Paul did not care to place himself above anyone who had come before him or who would come after him. Paul's desire was that  the power of God be manifested and recognized in and through him. While there is nothing wrong with taking pride in how hard you've had to work to overcome the things that once bound you, don't forget that God was the foundation and source of the grace that brought you out of your sin. Don't forget to bestow the same grace on others who may be undeserving of your love, kindness, compassion, help, and guidance.

 

Grace and Mercy (Interchangeable?)

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Grace and mercy may appear to be the same, but they are distinct. Although we may have defined grace and mercy in our opening passage, in order to make it more understandable think of it in terms of grace being getting something that we don't deserve and mercy as not getting what we deserve.

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If we examine Hebrews 4:16 it states," Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (NIV).​ In this scripture, we see grace and mercy both at work. Both coming about through the sovereignty of God.

 

If we dissect this scripture, it tells us to approach God's throne of grace with confidence. Because of God's sacrifice of His Son, Jesus and Jesus giving up his life, we can approach God with confidence because it was through this sacrifice that we were given access to Him. We no longer have to seek out high priests as our only access to God. God's sacrifice of Jesus means that we are no longer separated from God and that God no longer only dwells in holy temples, but His Spirit can now dwell within us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We no longer have to fear entering into the presence of God. We don't have to worry about whether or not our burnt offering or sacrifice is good or worthy enough because Jesus was the one and only, final sacrifice, for all our sins.

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If we continue reading verse 16, it states that when we approach God, God can give us mercy (not giving us what we deserve) and we can find grace (obtaining that which we don't deserve). If we break it down further, we can go to God as a sinner and through confessing our sins and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior we receive the gift and reward of salvation (grace) saving us from the judgement that we might be deserving of (mercy).

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In Psalm 51, after David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, he made the following plea:

            Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great                            compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from

            my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you

            only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and                    justified when you judge (vs. 1-4, NIV).

 

This passage provides insight into the term mercy in the context of mercy being defined as not giving someone the punishment that they might deserve (God not giving us the punishment we might deserve). In this passage David calls on God reminding God of the loving and compassionate God that we know He is. He asks God to blot out his transgressions and to wash away his sins. David acknowledges that he could not escape the remembrance of his sin. If we dig deeper, we can even say that David's sin was also before him because he married Bathsheba after he had Uriah killed. Her presence in itself would always remind him of his sin. David had a genuine guilt for sinning against God. In this particular passage, it was not solely the consequence of sin that David was crying out for, but he really felt that he had disappointed God. He acknowledged God as a rightful and just judge. David was seeking mercy.

 

One thing that we learn from David is that God judges our hearts. Even amidst David's mistakes, God favored him, showed him mercy, and used him mightily. God promised to make David's offspring great, although many might think that David's sin did not make him a deserving candidate for such a blessing (God showed him grace). God saw fit to still bless David in spite of his wrongdoing.

 

In 2 Samuel 7:12-15, we find that God makes a promise to David which states:

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                When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring                  after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a                    house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a                    father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the

                rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from                      him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you (NIV).

 

This passage also highlights our discussion concerning those who repent not from their hearts, but who do so as a safeguard, thinking that they outsmarted God. There are many who repent without an apologetic heart but do so thinking that it will save them from their consequences even if they don't mean it. Although faithful, compassionate, loving, and kind, God still disciplines as needed. Even when God forgives us it does not mean that there won't be some consequence for our previous actions. Although God gives us grace and mercy, we may sometimes have to face certain consequences for our behaviors and actions.

 

David's guilt, remorse, and plea for mercy was heartfelt. David was wholeheartedly apologetic. However, we see that David still had to face an unfortunate consequence due to his affair with Bathsheba and killing of Uriah. However, it did not stop the covenant that God made with David from being fulfilled. God did not turn his back on David even when he fell short. We see in the above passage that God promises David that He would not stop loving Solomon when he fell short, but He makes it clear that He would also discipline him.

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Some of us may receive a consequence deserving of our actions and some of us won't. It is not for us to decide as it concerns ourselves or to judge as it concerns others. We have no control over God's mercy in our lives, nor the lives of others. We can ask for it, but it is God's will and choosing that decides. This is why grace and mercy are to be treasured and appreciated. Romans 9:14-16 states, "What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!  For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy" (NIV).

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God is not obligated to give us mercy regardless saint or sinner. It is completely up to God. And while we may consider certain things that we have to face as unfair, it is in these rough moments and these moments of cloudiness as to why we have to endure certain things, or experience certain situations, that we have to trust God at His word. We most to trust that God has a reason, plan, and purpose, for all that He does. It is in these moments that we must trust that God is a just God. This is why when we do find ourselves receiving God's grace and mercy, we must be completely and wholeheartedly appreciative of it, realizing that He didn't have to give it to us.

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We must all understand that grace and mercy are not a birthright, but they are a privilege that God grants as He so pleases. Because of God's sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, we all have access to God's grace of salvation. That is the grace that God grants to all of us. Even when we fall short, this grace is still free to us. However, we must choose to be saved by this grace that God so freely offers us. We must not take this grace for granted. It is also through this grace that we can ask God for His mercy to be bestowed upon us. However, mercy is still God's choosing. There are times when God will give us mercy without our asking for it and there are times when we must seek His face for it.

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We see that Jesus chose to have mercy on Saul (Apostle Paul). He chose Saul to be the one that would help to proclaim his name. Saul did not request to be an apostle, but Jesus chose him and he accepted the call.​ However, we see David intently crying out to God for mercy. We know that God favored David and would have probably showed David mercy even if David had not pleaded for it because God knew David's heart. But David's love for God caused him to seek God's face for repentance concerning the sins that he had committed.

 

Even more interesting is that we see God's mercy being acted out in different ways concerning Saul, the king and Saul, the apostle (Paul). Both Saul's sinned but had different outcomes concerning how God imparted grace and mercy into their lives. King Saul disobeyed God's instructions and though God had mercy on him at different times during his reign, at some point, King Saul's disobedience amongst other things, caused the entire throne to be taken away from him. On the other hand, we see Saul (Paul) having sinned by his persecution of the saints and anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ. But God took Saul, transformed him, used him to spread the gospel, making him one of the greatest apostles in history. God dealt with the hearts of both Sauls prior to them stepping into what God had positioned them to do but they reacted differently. They handled the grace and mercy that God had shown them in different ways.

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The Apostle Paul's wrongdoing led to promotion and Paul becoming one of the greatest examples of what it means to follow Christ and King Saul's wrongdoing led to a demotion. What they did with the mistakes that were made known to them made all the difference. We can make many assumptions as to why their outcomes occurred as we see some clear differentiations in their characters, their lifestyles, and the acts that led to their outcomes, but one thing that we know for sure is that God knew their hearts. God knew who would follow him wholeheartedly, obey His commands, and glorify His name above their own. If we read the book of first Samuel, we can better understand why King Saul's consequence was as it was. However, we see God's mercy operating in the lives of both the just and the unjust. Looking at both Sauls we find a great example of Jesus' teachings that can be found in The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In Matthew 5:45, Jesus states, "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (KJV). God shows grace and mercy toward both the just and unjust. God's love is available to all.

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Mercy is in the hands of God and God alone. We must thank God for his mercy and hope and pray that God sees fit to bestow it on us as needed, as we see through various examples that God's mercy is a gift. Mercy is not guaranteed although we are all guaranteed the grace of salvation. The only mercy that we can be sure to receive is that when we receive salvation and live accordingly, we are freed from our sins therefore not receiving the eternity that sinners receive but receiving the eternity that God provides to those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and live, commit, and walk according to His ways.

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One thing we can hold on to is the fact that God is compassionate and He gives us a chance to get right with Him. God gives us a chance to humble ourselves, submit to His will, and live our lives in a way that pleases Him. While God is not obligated to provide us with His mercy, God will never turn His back on anyone that is truly trying to live right and please Him. God will not deny salvation to anyone. God will not ignore our attempts to wholeheartedly commit ourselves to Him. Even if and when God may withhold mercy as it may concern the consequences of our actions and decisions, salvation is always available through the grace of God. Many of us want mercy without the responsibility of the salvation offered through grace. We want God to help us out of our turmoil without committing to in turn give our lives to Him.

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There are many people who find themselves in need of God's mercy and make all kinds of promises to God as to what they will and won't do if God has mercy on them. They make all sorts of promises to God as to what they will do if He helps them out of the situation that they are in only to renege on what they promised once God gets them out of what they were facing. There are times that before God will show us any mercy, we must be willing to make a change in our own lives.

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In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it reads, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (NIV).​ Israel often found themselves in opposition with God. They had a habit of wanting God to give them everything while in return giving God nothing that He required of them. Solomon had accomplished the task of building the temple just as God had promised David he would do. And in doing so, Solomon prays a prayer of dedication for the temple. In response to Solomon's prayer, one of the things that God promises Solomon is that he will hear the prayers of Israel, forgive them, and heal their land, IF they will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways.​The mercy and grace that Israel was seeking would be given to them, but they had to partake in the act of confessing their sins and turning from their wickedness. They had to turn from their arrogance of thinking that they operated out of their own strength and their own power. They needed to seek God's face. They needed to acknowledge God for who He was and who He had always been to them. Israel so easily cried out for mercy, only to immediately turn back to their disobedience and idolatry every time that God delivered them.

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Sometimes we are going to have to commit to God and put ourselves in a position to obtain His grace and receive His mercy. We have to do our part because we can rest assured that God will do His. It is not God that wavers in His faith and commitment to us, but it is us who waver in our faith and commitment to God. We have to be willing to do what God asks of us just as we want Him to do what we request of Him. We must honor God at all times because even when we don't deserve it and even when we don't do what God might require of us, He is still compassionate and forgiving enough to overlook our flaws and give us mercy in spite of such. We must honor God for the mercy that He provides us. Furthermore, we must not hate when God provides mercy to those that we don't think are as deserving as we are.

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Give What You are Asking For

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While we all want the benefit of grace and mercy and might even become angry with God when we feel He has not given it to us, how easily we fail at providing grace and mercy to those who hurt, betray, ridicule, disappoint, and trespass against us. While grace and mercy are things that we all want, it is these very things that many of us are hesitant or not willing to give.

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If we are to be completely honest, while we might easily ask God for forgiveness, we struggle to forgive. While we want God to help us even when we find ourselves repeating bad behaviors, we get tired of helping those close to us who keep ending up in the same situation due taking the same actions.

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While we pour our hearts out to God asking Him to be patient with us because we are truly trying, our frustrations flare with those individuals in our lives that might need us to be patient with them. We want God to listen when we make our plea to Him, yet we send others to voicemail or block their numbers from our phones so they can't make their plea to us.

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Now it is not to say that some of these things aren't done with merit. It is not to say that any of us are wrong when we find ourselves on the side of having to show someone 'tough love' instead of grace and mercy. We are not perfect and we all struggle to get to where God has called us to be. However, these points are being highlighted to emphasize and remind us that it is easier to ask for grace and mercy than it is to give it.

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Whenever we find ourselves struggling to forgive, struggling to give someone the benefit of the doubt, or struggling to show grace or mercy toward someone else, we must go to God and ask Him to lead and guide us on how to proceed. And then we must act according to how God is directing us. If God tells us that maybe it's time to let someone go, not allow them to be a part of our lives, not to interact with them, not to have a relationship with them, or not to help them out of their rut this time around, then we must do as God directs us. But if God tells us to forgive, to show grace, and to show mercy, then we must do as God directs us. We must follow God's direction and not our emotions.

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It is important that we seek God concerning all the issues of our lives because the truth is that there are people who will take advantage of our love, kindness, and compassion. There are people who will take advantage of our unwavering grace and mercy toward them. Therefore, we must let God guide us in all aspects of our lives and in all of our relationships regardless of if friend, family member, significant other, co-worker, team member, acquaintance or stranger. We must put God at the center of all that we do.

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We will all have moments in which God may lead us to forgive because that is a command and God will require that we keep loving because that is a command. However, while forgiving and loving, we cannot become enablers to bad behaviors which is why we must allow God to lead us. There are times in which we will have to discipline those that we love and care for. There are times when God might not allow us to come to the aid of that friend or family member who keeps putting themselves in the same rut. There are times when we may have to walk away from some people and some relationships. Love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy are not one and the same although they can all work together. When we handle things based on our natural understanding and from a point of flesh, it might seem like these things work in opposition of one another, but we must ask God for discernment, strength, and understanding to navigate our way through. We must allow God to guide us.

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Parents love their children but might have moments in which while they forgive them, they still must punish them or discipline them so that they learn. We find this same dynamic in many of our relationships regardless of the type of relationship that it is.

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It is sometimes difficult to judge right versus wrong as it concerns how we act out grace and mercy in our lives because it will look different depending on the scenario, the dynamics that are involved, and the people involved. What may seem just in one situation may not seem just in the exact same situation when different people are involved. Grace and mercy won't look the same for all of us, nor will we have the same outcome when it is given to us or when we bestow it upon others.

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Parents might find or maybe you have experienced a situation where you did the same thing as your sibling but maybe you got a worse punishment although your sibling was the one who persuaded you to tag along or partake in whatever action you decided to partake in. Or you might have done the same thing that a friend did, but their punishment was more severe. You could have been late for work because of a detour due to construction and got written up while a co-worker did not show up at all, posted pictures of their night out on social media, and did not receive as much as a verbal warning. You could have been given a courtesy for being late on your bill while a friend received a late fee. Grace and mercy are exercised differently in all of our lives and trying to understand it will only cause more confusion. And if we allow our need to understand it to take control, it can push us further from God making us feel like God is not fair in His decisions.

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Here's something that we must understand about grace and mercy. While our ability to give it may be unjust and have flaws, God is always just in His decision to give it or not to give it. We are subject to human error when we choose but God is not. God does not make mistakes. Whether God rebukes, chastens, punishes, rescues, provides, rewards, or humbles, we know Him to be just in all His ways.

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Many may think that it was unjust for God to allow Jonah to be swallowed by a whale, but if we take the time to think about it, the whale was not punishment as much as it was protection. God allowed the whale to swallow Jonah and protect him, otherwise he might have drowned at sea. Instead of allowing Jonah to drown due to his disobedience the whale that might seem like punishment was indeed a hedge of God's grace and mercy that God surrounded him with although it might not appear as such. Joseph's pit experience in the natural seemed completely unfair but God used him to save his family during the famine. Job's sufferings in the natural were unfair but God used it for His glory.

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With our natural eyes most of the things that we encounter or see others encounter may seem unfair, but when we look at them from a spiritual perspective, we are better able to see God at work. We are better able to see the manifestation and power of God come forth through tumultuous and trying situations.

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Grace and Mercy Can't Be Bought

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The fast-paced, get it instant lifestyle that we now live in, has conditioned many of us to believe that we can access whatever we want with the push of a button, the scan of a QR code, or the tap of a phone. Our fast-paced lifestyles make us feel like we don't have to put in the effort required to get what we want because everything appears instant and easy. However, grace and mercy can't be bought. It is free to us, but it will require more than the push of a button, the scan of a QR code, or the tap of a phone. It is going to require a commitment. It is going to require some effort. It is going to require you to turn from the things that bind you, the temptations that trap you, the desires that overwhelm you, and the flesh that controls you, and allow God to rest within you and guide you. God gives grace and mercy as He chooses. However, while the grace of salvation is not based on our own merit, we still must do what is required of us to maintain it. Salvation is obtained through the confession of our sins and acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior (believing that he was born, crucified, and rose). And then we are required to live our lives accordingly in obedience to God.

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When you get a new job, there is sometimes a grace period before you can obtain your full benefits. At times as it concerns certain types of insurance, there is a grace period before you can use the benefits attached to the insurance. There are many things in life that we sign-up for that require a grace period. And we accept the fact that there is a grace period attached. Yet, we don't want to accept that the grace of salvation, although free to us, has requirements that we must abide by and commit to in order to keep it. We cannot live our lives as we please.

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There are many insurance companies that may require a health evaluation or a physical before they insure you. The grace of salvation is given to you upfront but after receiving it, there is an evaluation that you receive which means that God is watching to see if you are committed, living according to His standards, and following His guidelines because He has insured you with the guarantee of life and wants to make sure that you continue to meet the criteria to remain insured. Although free and given without merit, we must maintain those criteria that keep us within the realm of grace. If we can abide by the criteria and requirements of man to receive the benefits of what the world has to offer, then we must commit to abide by the commands of God to maintain the benefit of salvation through grace. We must commit ourselves to God and sacrifice whatever is needed to keep the benefits of the grace and mercy obtained through salvation because God and Jesus most definitely sacrificed so that we could have them.