Mercy Me part 1
I just kind of like the phrase, "bowels of mercy." We're going to look at what it means, from our key verse for this kind of ultra Rant series about Colossians 3:12, but before we get into that I just want to give my off the top impression. To me, the bowels of mercy are like the deep deep. Deep calleth out to deep, right? And what's inside is what comes out. Every time. The tricky part about what's deep inside is that it is sometimes buried under a lot of other... stuff. And sometimes it takes a lot for what's REALLY inside to get out past what the world TELLS you is inside. That's why what you believe is so important--either the world's report, or the report of the Lord. Either what the world is screaming at you, or what you hear from the still, small voice of God. So. Let's quote Colossians 3:12, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering." And let's define "bowels of mercies." "Bowels" is number 4698 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "the spleen; an intestine (plural); figuratively pity or sympathy: - bowels, inward affection, tender mercy." And "mercies" is number 3628 and it means, "pity: - mercy." Which isn't super helpful. So I went to my trusty dictionary.com and found that mercy is defined as, "compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence." Have pity on me. Have mercy on me. I've wronged you, and there's nothing I can do about it... but please forgive me. Right? Let me say it another way: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). And one more way, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." (Luke 23:34). When we had nothing to offer God--when we were dead in our trespasses and sins--He gave us everything. He loved us. He gave us everything He had and everything He is. Guys, He didn't just give His life FOR us, He gave His life TO us. He showed us the mercy we desperately needed, but were powerless to get. We couldn't earn it. At most we could just keep digging our graves. Trying to earn our bread by the sweat of our brows. Running around the hampster wheel of a man-centered, performance based religion and not getting anywhere. I'm telling you, it was (WE WERE) dark and void and without form. And yet, the Spirit of God hovered over the deep. Even when we didn't know it, He was right there. Guarding and protecting us. Picking us up when we stumbled and fell. And then, at the appointed time, He spoke. He said, "Let there be light." He gave us His only begotten Son. He inserted love into the situation. From the very deep... from His bowels, or His innermost being... He gave us mercy. He didn't keep a record of wrongs and make sure we paid for every last thing we did. He wiped the slate clean. He gave us a new life. HIS life. So that we might live His life by letting Him live it in us, and through us, and as us. So that we might know the love of Christ, and love each other with that same love. So that we might know mercy, and be merciful to each other!