Mercy Me part 3
Receiving and releasing. Receiving BY releasing. Its so vitally important. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. When we needed mercy the most Jesus cried out to His Father and said, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When we couldn't do anything for ourselves, Jesus did it all. Gave it all. Everything He had and everything He is. He gave His life FOR us, and He gave His life TO us. Because He loved us and He wanted us to have it. He gave us mercy, and didn't hold our wrongs against us. He gave us grace and equipped and empowered us to live HIS life of love by living it Himself in us, and through us, and as us. Mercy--not getting what you deserve. Grace--getting what you don't deserve. God wanted us to have it all so He gave it all to us. And we receive this glorious gift of God--eternal life, knowing the Father in the context of being His beloved Son--by releasing it. We don't just live IN the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Love), we ARE the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Love). Because the Kingdom is the realm where the King rules and reigns. Jesus rules and reigns in us. He is the King of kings. He is our true identity; Jesus, God in the flesh, love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Bursting at the seams to get out. Too big, and too powerful, and too good to keep in. Not too good to be true, but so good that it MUST be true. That's why Jesus referred to Himself as the Truth. He is the Truth about God--He told Phillip, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father"--and He is the truth about US. He is the truth about love. And one giant component of love is mercy. And not just mercy but the bowels of mercy. The mercy that comes from deep inside because in our darkest hour, when we needed it most, it was extended to us. My point is... we can give it, because we have it. Let me say what i'm trying to say with a memory verse, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). Its not something we have to do by ourselves, or for ourselves. God reconciled us to Himself, and gave us the ministry of reconcilation. Which simply means to be a good and faithful witness. To let people know what happened to us. To let people know that it has happened to them too. We don't have to reconcile people to God. Again, He already did that. We just have to let people know what He did. We don't have to finish the work. It is finished. We simply need to let poeple know what the finished work is, and what it means that it is finished. God loves us, so we ought to love each other. That's as simple as I can make it. And that, by the way, is the New Commandment for the New Man: Love one another as Jesus has loved you. Forgive others as you have been forgiven. Extend mercy as it was extended to you. Recieve it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. Let the love of God (that has already filled you up) fill you to overflowing and come out all on its (HIS) own. Naturally. Because love is our new (TRUE) nature. Its not just what we do. Its who we are!