Hi guys!
I can't believe it's last cell this coming friday again...
This sem really flew by...
Hope you guys had fun. =)

Today's devotion is on the topic of Mercy.
Mercy is removing the speck out of someone's else's eye.
Mercy is not pretending that there is no speck in that person's eye.
Mercy is the alternative to judgement, not ignorance.
It is not ignoring the fault of others.
It is forgiveness.

How many of us have heard the story of the servant, whose debt was cancelled, but yet could not forgive his fellow servant when the debt which was owned to him could not be repaid?
How many times, when we were shown mercy by others for our mistakes, stupidity, for things that may have been out of our control, but were our fault?
How many times, when we were shown mercy, yet we did not show it to the next person?

In the story, the master turned that particular servant to jailers in anger.
The master must have felt his mercy got rejected, when his servant chose not to show mercy to his fellow servant, after he was just shown mercy.

Many times, we don't show mercy to others, even though we were just shown mercy.
However, we should always remember...
God first showed us mercy, before we can show it to others.
He forgave our sins, and even sent His son to died for our sins.

How can we claim to be followers of Christ, when we don't do as He did?
When we choose not to show mercy to our fellow brothers?
No one is outside the circle of mercy.

Ok...
All of us know that we have to show mercy... but when?
As the title suggests,
Say Now to Mercy.
We have to show mercy NOW!

God knows how when we do not show mercy, and keep that bitterness in our heart, we are vulnerable to Satan's attack.
Satan uses that bitterness, that refusal to forgive someone to keep us from the transforming forgiveness of God.
Forgiving someone doesn't mean that we have to trust that person now.
Trust takes time to rebuild, but mercy can be shown now.

In Matthew 5, right in the middle of all the Beatitudes, is verse 7.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

When we show mercy to others, we will also receive mercy.
When we choose to forgive, we will also be forgiven.

Even in the Lord's prayer, we pray,
"Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us."
Since God has forgiven our sins already, we have to forgive others who have done wrong against us.

A point to note that sometimes when we show mercy, we are afraid that our mercy will be rejected.
If now, you go... huh?... It's normal....
When the first time I read that the mercy will be rejected, I also went huh?
You mean mercy can also be rejected one? how?

Mercy is rejected when the person you chose to forgive doesn't show mercy in his life.
Mercy is rejected when the person you chose to forgive heards the words of forgiveness, but never allowed those words to reach his heart.
Mercy is rejected when the person you chose to forgive choose to ignore what you have done.

What do we do?
Well... Continue to show mercy!
When God sees this, He will bless you.
and always remember that...
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

How do we show mercy?
The book says to be kind, humble, gentle, patient, get along with the people, and to forgive.
Another way, which I find it quite useful to remember, is to remember the characteristic of the people who have shown us mercy.
Remember how our parents always forgave us, even though we have done wrong?
That's the kind of mercy that we should aim towards.
Because, who are we to be selective in our mercy, in our forgiveness, when we ourselves were forgiven when we were all sinners?

To sum it all off, show mercy now!!!
Dear friends...
Deep in our hearts, I'm sure that there is someone whom we find hard to forgive.
Obviously, God doesn't expect us to be an idiot, and just simply forgive and forget, and allow that person to commit against you again.
What is of an higher value, would be that we forgive, and remember.
Yes. Forgive and remember.
If we can only forgive, then the world would be a better place. =)

To end, I shall leave you with this verse which I got off a podcast.
It's from Micah 6: 8, and really suits today's theme.

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.