Come on, people of God! All praise to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For it is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead! I earnestly pray that He will give you all more and more mercy, peace, and love!
Listen up for a moment, friends: people who conceal their sins will NOT prosper. BUT, if they confess them and turn from them, they WILL receive mercy. For example, God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst of sinners. This shows others who know me that they too can believe in Him and receive eternal life! If He can save me, He can save anybody…
Heavenly Father, please listen to my prayer for mercy on us as I cry out to You for help, as I lift my hands toward Your holy sanctuary!
Friends, we need to be consciously
aware at all times that there will be NO mercy for those who have not shown
mercy to others. But graciously, if we have been merciful to others, God will
be merciful to us when He judges us.
You know, people of integrity and wisdom should give great honour to those who
endure under suffering. For instance, you may have all heard about Job, who was
a man of great endurance in this way. We can see in that story how the Lord was
very kind to him at the end, for we have to realise that in spite of what we
all actually deserve, the Lord is still full of tenderness and great mercy.
Jesus said that God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Yes, He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who truly fear Him. So don’t ever let mercy and truth be forsaken, but instead bind them like a godly yoke around your neck, and inscribe them upon the tables of your hearts. Part of understanding the full gospel is that God has imprisoned everyone in their disobedience, so that He could have mercy on everyone! For God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that we have been saved!)
Since God chose us to be the holy people He loves, we must clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Let me encourage you all to make every effort to rescue others, by snatching them from the flames of judgement, using the gifts that the Lord has personally given you to great effect. Always show mercy to others, but do so with GREAT caution, HATING the sins that contaminate their lives.
Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering too, for the person that tries to hide their sins shall never prosper in the end… but those who confess and truly forsake them SHALL receive mercy in the end. For it is by mercy and truth that iniquity is purged, and it’s by the fear of the Lord that people depart from evil.