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 their 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 maybe facing 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 we are, what we are, how much or how little we own, how popular or unpopular we are, or how intelligent or in lack of knowledge we are. Grace and mercy are not dependent on how capable we are but is deeply 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 especially as it concerns 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 and we are not entitled to them by our own merit, but it is to our benefit that God freely gives them to us.

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We sometimes take giving in to sins 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, take the pleasure route, because they see God as a "free pass" or "Get Out of Jail Free Card". They 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 are tempted by because they know that grace and mercy are available to them.

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However, we must all realize that God knows our hearts. He knows when we are truly trying to stay on the right path and have a moment when we fall astray versus those who aren't trying, have no desire to change, but simply confess as a safeguard, to make sure that they're covered. There are people who repent and truly try to change and there are those who repent and in the midst of repenting already are 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. Therefore, since 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, the power to turn around whatever situation that we are in, our same God also knows when we are genuine and when we are pretending to want to be changed, pretending to want to be delivered, 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.

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There are many of us who repent routinely as none of us are without sin. Throughout our day, our weeks, our months, and so on we may sin without realizing it. Therefore, there are many of us who in our alone time with God or our prayer time ask God to forgive us if we have done anything to fall short whether known or unbeknownst to us. 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 that know they don't. However, whether living upright, super saint, or straight-out sinner, none of us are deserving of grace and mercy, and it was not our ability to be or appear holy that brought it about, but it is because of God and God alone that we receive it.

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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, for our life transformation. Now, while many of us do work hard to get ourselves together overcoming unsurmountable pressure, sins, temptations, and odds and while we have all had to sacrifice some blood, some sweat, and some tears, it is still through God's grace that we were able to do so. Even when we overcome the challenges, overcome the sins of our past, overcome our transgressions, we cannot lose sight of God's grace that allowed us to do so. We cannot look down or belittle others who we find on their wrong path. We cannot condemn them, making ourselves holier than thou. You must ask God for discernment if He does lead you to witness to or encourage them to take a better route, and pray that the same mercy that God so offered you is also given to them to help them to overcome. Stop being judgmental as if you skateboarded your way to salvation pretending like you did not fall off at one point or another and even if you didn't 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 once was 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 as he knew that it was grace that fostered it. He acknowledged that yes, he worked abundantly hard to get to where he was at, to be transformed in the way that he was, however, 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 God had called him to be. Paul did not care to place himself above anyone who had come before or would come after him. He just simply wanted the power of God to be manifested and recognized through him. While there is nothing wrong with taking pride in how hard you have 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 gave us access to God. 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 His presence. We don't have to worry if our burnt offering or sacrifice is good enough or worthy enough because Jesus was the one and only, the 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. (v. 1-4, NIV)

 

This passage provides insight into the term mercy in the context of being defined as God not giving us what we 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. He asks God to cleanse him of 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. He 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 showed mercy on David. He promised to make David's offspring great even though many may think that his sin did not make him a candidate for such a blessing. However, God saw fit to show mercy and bless him in spite of his wrongdoing. In 2 Samuel 7:12-15, we find that God makes a promise to David which states:

                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 of those who repent not from their hearts but as a safeguard, those who repent thinking that they outsmarted God. Those who repent without an apologetic heart but do so thinking that it will save them from consequence 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 things as a consequence of our behaviors and actions. We see that David 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 He would not stop loving Solomon when he fell short but He would however, 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, 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, believing that He has a plan, a purpose, and a reason 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 a privilege. Because of God's sacrifice of Jesus, we all have access to His grace. Even when we fall short, 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 grace that we can ask God for His mercy to be bestowed upon us. However, mercy is still His 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. He chose Saul to be the one that would help to proclaim his name. Saul (who is later referred to as Paul), did not request to be an apostle, but

Jesus chose him.

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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. However, David's love for God caused him to seek God's face for the sins that he had committed.

 

Even more interesting is that we see while God had mercy on Saul who became the Apostle Paul, there is another Saul in the bible who we know as King Saul who had a different experience. King Saul disobeyed God's instructions. However, when King Saul fell short, he did not receive the same type of mercy that Paul the Apostle received. King Saul had the throne taken from him. However, God had a plan, and it was through His plan that David arose. We do know that God dealt with and changed the hearts of both Sauls prior to them stepping into what God had called them to do.

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The Apostle Paul's (Saul'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. We can make many assumptions as to why their outcomes occurred as we see some clear differentiations in their character, their lifestyle, and the act that led to their consequence, but one thing we know for sure is that God knew their hearts, and He 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 we know as The Sermon on the Mount. 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." God shows grace and mercy toward 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 does give us a chance to 'get right' with Him and do what we need to do to humble ourselves, submit to His will, and to try to 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 'get right' with Him. He will not deny salvation to anyone. He will not ignore our attempt to wholeheartedly commit ourselves to Him. Even if and when God may withhold mercy as it may concern the consequence 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 and help them out of the situation that they are in only to renege on what they promised once God gets them out of the situation that they were facing. There are times that before God can 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).​ We see that the children of Israel have once again found themselves having sinned against God regardless of all the other times that God forgave and delivered them. Because of Solomon's prayer, God promises to hear the prayers of Israel, to forgive them, and heal their land, IF they will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways.

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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 acknowledge God for who He was and who He had always been to them. They 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 know 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 Him. We have to be willing to do what God's wants of us just as we want Him to do what we ask 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 may be required, God is still compassionate enough to overlook our flaws and give us mercy in spite of what we do. We must honor God for the mercy that He provides us in spite of who or what we are. Most importantly, 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 we 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 can freely 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 to 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 that 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, and it is not to say that any of us are wrong when we find ourselves on the side of the one that has to show grace and mercy, and we show 'tough love' instead. We are not perfect, and we struggle to get there, but these points are being highlighted to emphasize and remind all of 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, struggling to show grace or mercy to someone else, go to God and ask Him to lead and guide you on how to proceed. Act upon what He is directing you to do. If He tells you that maybe its time to let this person go, not allow them to be a part of your life, not to interact with them, not to have a relationship with them, not to help them out of their rut this time around, then you do as He directs but if God tells you to forgive, to show grace, to show mercy, then you do as He directs.

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We must go to God with all the issues of our lives because in all truth 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, significant other, co-worker, team member, acquaintance or stranger. God must be the center of all that we do with all whom we interact with.

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We will all have moments in which while God may lead us to forgive because that is a command and while He will require that we keep loving because that is a command, we may sometimes have to forgive, love, but not become enablers to bad behaviors. 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 all can work together. When we handle things based on our natural understanding and our flesh, we might even find that these things might seem to work in opposition of one another. We must allow God to guide us.

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Parents love their children but might have moments when 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 or 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 with different people involved. Grace and mercy won't look the same for all of us, nor will we have the same outcome when we are given it 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 than your sibling and they could have been 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, and 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 and 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 He 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 at times and while our ability to give it or not give it may 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. He 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. 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 as there are some things that appear 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, the flesh that controls you and allow God to rest within and guide you. While grace is not based on our own merit, we still must do what is required of us to receive it as it concerns the grace of salvation. This is obtained through the confession of our sins and acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

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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. 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, if you are living according to His standards, to see if you are 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 could abide by the criteria and requirements of 'man' to receive the benefits of what the world has to offer, then we most definitely must commit to abide by the commands of God to maintain the benefit of salvation through grace. We must sacrifice to keep the benefits of the grace and mercy of salvation because God and Jesus most definitely sacrificed so that we could have them.