Friday's Five - Mercy

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great favors and great privileges and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God!”
― Charles H. Spurgeon

“The most frightful of all spectacles is the strength of the civilization without its mercy.”
― Winston Churchill

“My past life is abundantly full of God’s mercy, and, above all sin, stands the forgiving love of the Crucified.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“We get the odd notion that God is showing mercy because Jesus died. No. Jesus died because God is showing mercy.”
― A.W. Tozer

Mercy

Mercy is a fragrant aroma

Like

A kissed cheek comforts the lonely heart

A secret smile perfumes a hidden glance

A given flower refreshes a cluster of cares

A cherished touch heals a furrow of grief

A word glimpsed smiles with sweet glory

A morning garland sings freedom’s promise

Mercy is abiding

Mercy is spiritual delight

Mercy is unfailing

Mercy is grace’s attire.

Simple Things - Mercy

All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope." – Sir Winston Churchill.

Mercy

“We don’t need justice – we need mercy,” in the words of Andrew Wommack.

God is rich in mercy; one of the strands that weaves itself through the Bible is the mercy of God and how He deals with mankind. From His loving reaction to the first sin, His mercy shown to Cain, His mercy shown to Sodom and Gomorrah, mercy towards Nineveh, and so on.

Mercy is sometimes frowned upon in our justice driven world; we all want to see those that commit crimes get the punishment they deserve. We understand fairness and expect a fair outcome to the trial and tribulations that we face. God’s heart towards us is not one of fairness it is one of mercy. God does not treat us as our failures deserve and He cares for us in our brokenness.

When the world and our friends judge us for our failings and our faults, God does not leave us or forsake us, he gently reminds us of who we are in Christ and gives us the ability and strength to make amends to those we have hurt.

And in exactly the same way that God pours out his mercy to us, is the way we should show mercy and grace to those that offend and hurt us and those that don’t agree with us.

God is rich in mercy, we have that same mercy living and working inside of us, we need to let that life and mercy flow out of us to everyone we met and disagree with. Mercy is not an option it is an overflow of a renewed heart.

Mercy and Grace

This excellent post is from Sparrow Girl at the wonderful blog Under the Waterfall of Grace.

Mercy is when we don't get the punishment we deserve..Grace is when we get the glorious wonders that Jesus deserves!

Mercy is when God sees us and loves us in our misery and lifts us out of it..Grace is when He sets us up as rich royal children in His own household!

Mercy means we are pitied in our poverty...Grace means we are made rich in Christ!

Mercy is when we don't get cursed by the law...Grace is when we get blessed with the blessing of Abraham and his seed, Jesus!

Mercy is when we are forgiven..Grace is when we are given the very righteousness of Christ!

Mercy is when God made us to die to the law...Grace is when God made us alive in Christ!

Mercy is when we are not forgotten in our pain..Grace is when we are healed of the pain and wounds!

Mercy is when we are cared for in our brokenness...Grace is when we are made complete and whole!

Mercy is when we don't get hell...Grace is when we get heaven!

Mercy is when God doesn't treat us as our failures deserve...Grace is when God treats us the same as He treats Jesus!

Mercy is God fending off the curse...Grace is God piling on the blessing!

Mercy is when God pities us in our sinfulness...Grace is when God loves us just as much as He loves His own dear Son!

Mercy means He won't reject us even when we mess up...Grace means He accepts us as He accepts Jesus!

Mercy means He won't leave us when we're down...Grace means He'll hold us up and lead us in triumph and keep us to the end!

I'm still learning about the facets of mercy and grace...how wonderful is God, who shows us both!

By Sparrow Girl