Show Others The Same Mercy We Have been Shown
 

Meditation
Luke 9:51-62

Readings

"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" (Luke 9:54)

We all know people who can rile us up and make us want to lash out in retaliation. But we all know that the best response is to try our best to forgive and move on—just as Jesus did. Whether we have suffered a small offense or a more serious insult, it is vital that we remember the One who is truly good. That’s the best way to help heal the pain and neutralize any desire for revenge. God loves us, and he is committed to making all of us good.

God loves each of us, both those who hurt people and those who get hurt. It may be hard to accept this when we are the ones hurting, but no one ever said that mercy and forgiveness were easy. Just remember what it cost Jesus to win our forgiveness, and you’ll get a sense of how difficult it can be—and how highly God values it.

The next time someone offends you in any way, remember that you too have been forgiven a great debt—and by Someone who is himself the Lord our Justice. None of us deserves mercy, yet we have been granted it freely and with no strings attached. In awe of the astounding love he has for us, we realize we are not worthy of it. He lavishes it not only on us, but also on those who want to harm us.

This is not to say that we should automatically respond to mistreatment with a vague wave of the hand, as if it doesn’t matter. We will get hurt, and we will have to deal with our own pain. But we will save a lot of energy if we turn to our Father and let his mercy fill us and empower us to forgive just as freely as we have been forgiven.

“Lord, in your mercy you have given me something I do not deserve. Teach me to show the same mercy to those who have hurt me.”

1 Kings 19:16,19-21; Psalm 16:1-2,5,7-11; Galatians 5:1,13-18
--Online Christian Devotion