FAY ROWE

I love to hear about God's mercy, never tire of it, in fact, because God's mercy and grace is my hope of everything good. How we love to hear about how mercy triumphs over judgement, and how grace is undeserved favour!

Recently, however, I've been thinking that if I am to really and truly let Jesus live through me then, somehow, I have to give mercy and grace to people who sin against me, and do it freely and on purpose, just like he does!

I'd love it if it came as naturally from me as it does from him, but if it doesn't, then I have to do it on purpose. As I heard someone tell me decades ago, if I build a box God will fill it. In other words, if I act lovingly God will give me the feelings of love, and if I act in mercy God will fill my heart with it.

Today I thought for some time about the words of Jesus in John 20:22-24 (King James Version) "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

As I thought about those words, I wondered: Would I be be more forthcoming with mercy and grace to those who have hurt me if I thought Jesus would withhold them as long as I did? What if that person's eternal salvation depended on my forgiving him or her? Would I be willing to hold onto unforgiveness toward someone and merrily go on my way to Heaven, knowing it was only through God's mercy and grace offered through the blood of Jesus that I'm getting there?

And, oh my, what if it is really true that I receive what I give?

And, really, what does a life of unforgiveness look like? Does it resemble Jesus at all? Is it a life worth living? Or is unforgiveness a chain we wear around our own legs, slowing us down, wearing us down, taking the fun out of everything?

What I've said here is no doubt doctrinally shaky. Thank God!!

But it sure gives me pause for thought.