A certain woman whose vanity exceeded her looks had her picture taken by a local photographer. As she went to view the prints which had not been touched up to cover her flaws, she was noticeably disturbed. "These pictures do not do me justice," she complained to the photographer. "Lady," he responded, "it isn’t justice you need; it’s mercy!" The fact is that we are all in need of mercy and, like the woman in the photographer’s studio, we think that we are in better condition than we really are.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." The Bible mentions the word mercy over 370 times. The great, awesome God who created us is a God of mercy. "Rich in mercy" is the phrase which Paul used (see Ephesians 2:4), and this attribute of our great God contrasts with those of pagan gods whose wrath had to be satisfied, often with human blood. Anthropologists are quick to tell you that the quality of mercy is never an attribute of pagan deities.
The Romans spoke of four great virtues: wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. But mercy was never included in the qualities that governed their lives. On the contrary, the very image of a Roman legion was that of inflicting cruel punishment or justice. Whenever the Roman emperor gave the "thumbs up" sign to spare the life of the vanquished in the arena, it was a very generous act of mercy.
I hardly expect mercy to be an attribute of a person still rebellious toward God; but the children of God should be like their Father.
Do you tend to rejoice more in justice than mercy? None of us could hope for more than mercy when it comes to what we deserve at the hand of the Almighty. Therefore, we, in turn, must strive to reflect a merciful attitude with our children, business colleagues, friends and associates.
Here’s the way Paul puts it: "Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of His deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others..." (Colossians 3:12, The Living Bible).
A final thought: While God’s mercy has been shown from generation to generation, there is an end to it. Remember at the flood, God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man." Likewise, you will not find the word mercy in the book of Revelation, not even once. Instead, you do find a generous outpouring of God’s wrath and justice. But today the door is still open. As Paul puts it, "But anyone who asks for mercy from the Lord shall have it and shall be saved" (Acts 2:21, The Living Bible). If we were wise we will not only ask for mercy, we will practice it as well.
Resource Reading: Matthew 7:13-23