When I think about mercy, I think about the parable that Jesus told of the unforgiving debtor.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:23-35
Mercy is so rare in our culture that when it happens, it’s libel to makes the 5 o’clock headlines. The truth is, we all need mercy, because we all fall short. May our prayer today remind us of the mercy that has been given to us through Jesus, and motivate us to show it to others.
Father,
You are the maker of mercy, and You’ve poured it out over all of mankind. We’ve taken freely of this gift from You. Help us to give to others what You paid such a high price to give to us. I thank you that Your mercies are new each day.
In Jesus Name
Don’t miss tomorrows post – the last one of 31 Days of Praying Gods Word
One more! You are almost finished your challenge….looking forward to tomorrow’s post! So blessed to have been on this journey with you and looking forward to what God will put before you after this! Thank you!