There is nowhere mercy cannot reach. No matter how far or deep any individual has gone in sin, in the occult, or in evil, mercy is never inaccessible. The mercy of God never discriminates. The landscape of the mercy of God is immeasurable.
Ephesians 3:14-19: “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”.
The scripture above is instructive and shows us how infinitesimally merciful God can be. There is a depth to the mercy of God. No one can dig to the depth of it, or see the end of it. The mercy of the Lord is always available. If you are deeply in sin, all you require is to turn back to the right course, and God will forgive you. If anyone be in Christ, all things are new, and it is as if you never committed any sins before (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But what is mercy?
Mercy is the unlimited love of God. God shows compassion toward us. He does not pity us. Pity flows from arrogance, which is not in God’s character. Compassion is from a good heart, from someone who genuinely wants to help. This is where God’s mercy originates. His mercy finds us even in that position of sin. The death of Christ is a demonstration of the power of God’s mercy. Mercy is the ‘compassionate’, a kindly forbearance that is shown by an entity that is in a position of authority to apportion punishment over a vulnerable one. Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Rather than punish us for our horrible sins or ways, He sends Jesus out of kindness and love to redeem us.
What is the character of mercy?
Mercy is given without expectation to return the favor. Mercy is freely given. If mercy is offered because you have an expectation, then that is a transaction. God does not work that way. His mercy (kindness) and grace are without repentance. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29).
Mercy rescues from hopelessness- it can restore hope and bring you back to life. Mercy found one of the two condemned criminals crucified along with Jesus. “But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:40-43). Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.”
The power in the word of Jesus is mercy. In John 5:8, we understand that Jesus showed mercy to the man at the Pool of Bethesda, changing his story of reproach of many years to everlasting joy. “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked”.
Where the power of mercy is at work, protocols can be broken. The mercy of God can make ordinary, those rigid human routines, rigid procedures, and protocols, and can even leverage the protocols to favor you.
Indeed, the mercy of God is the most powerful force on earth. It can change anything (1 Peter 1:3). The resurrection of Jesus is a force of mercy that changed everything about humanity and creation.
Mercy will rescue you and move you forward in life. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).
The mercy of God brings divine health to the sick and helpless. The story of the healing in Bethesda demonstrates how the mercy of God brings help to the helpless.
Now, how can you lay hold on God’s mercy?
Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”. The primary way to obtain mercy is for you to be merciful. Your mercy should be extended everywhere- mercy should not have boundaries social or geographical location. Your mercy should be beyond your immediate family, church, or neighborhood. You must show mercy everywhere and to whoever requires it in order to obtain mercy.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Jesus has not mentioned any specific social, ethnic, or racial group here, nor has he mentioned any demographics. But He says, “men” (all human beings).
Again, we are instructed to be a blessing to the needy around us. Psalm 41:1: “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him”. In Proverbs 14:21, the message is clearer: “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor”.
Friends, the message is clear. Only those who offer mercy shall obtain mercy. Moreover, to enjoy the overflow of God’s mercy, we have to be born again. This is because it is only when we are in Christ that all things become new, and all our sins are forgiven by the mercy of God. The grace to be merciful shall rest upon you in Jesus’ precious name!
- Pastor Sam Adelusimo is the Resident Pastor, RCCG Chapel of Praise, Northwest Arkansas, United States of America
