"-Freely you have received, freely give." The little nugget at the end of the verse (context, Jesus giving instruction to the disciples to use the authority He gave them freely, willingly, and impartially.)
Note made: Some things that I have been freely given that I can give out freely:
-Forgiveness
-Love
-Mercy
The list goes on...
The three things I find hardest to give without partiality I myself have been given freely.
The next time I question on what basis to grant forgiveness or love or mercy, I really hope I remember this verse. The basis should be none because freely I have received, so freely I should give.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8
Help me out here. I found myself judging a woman on the bus, just this morning (in my thoughts). immediately, I thought, "why am I judging her?, who am I to judge her?" I should be showing her mercy, not judgement. I know that it is more difficult to show mercy, than to judge someone.
ReplyDeleteNow, I was stuck - how could I give her mercy, from my thoughts? How may I be merciful to her?
First let me say, I've found myself in situations like that many times. I also want to remind you I am no expert in advice/instruction giving so I would say don't take my thoughts as your absolute conclusion but do take the issue to the Lord in prayer. If you are asking for my thoughts about how to stop judging/thinking down on the woman on the bus, I do believe the best source of instruction is the Word of God itself so what comes to mind is a scene from the book of John chapter 8:1-11 where an adulterous woman is caught sinning and brought before Jesus to see what He would do. Specifically verse 7- "When they kept on questioning him [Jesus], he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”"
ReplyDeleteMercy towards a stranger/person/enemy/friend can come from realizing that Christ had to shed His blood for the other person the same way He bled and died for you and I. It's one way to stay humble and the one thing the Pharisees failed and would fail to see as long as they held on to their religious rituals and sense of piety or "holier than thou" attitude especially when it came to the woman caught sinning. Giving another person mercy from your thoughts could be as simple as stopping a condescending/judgmental/impure/evil thought against another human created in the image of God and is also someone who God loves just as much as He loves you. Instead, maybe take those seconds to pray for strength against the temptation and prayer that God would work in her life or that God would give you another opportunity to interact with her and plant a seed.