Mercy Me part 5
When something comes from deep within--from the bowels, if I can say it that way--its about the most real thing you can experience. Because the only way for you to know (and believe) that it--love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, kindness... GOD--is in there is for you to experience it. That's what happened on the cross: we were given mercy, grace, forgiveness, kindness... love... when Jesus gave Himself FOR us, and TO us. We, as a human race, experience the greatest expression of love that there is; Jesus laid His life down for us. And then He picked it back up so that we could have it. So that we could experience HIS life, not by trying to live it ourselves, but by letting HIM live His own abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life in us, and through us, and as us. He equipped and empowered us with everything we would ever need. He reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconcilation. He wanted the best for us--because we are His elect, His favorite, the apple of His eye--so He gave the best to us. He gave HIMSELF to us. When we needed it most, God gave us mercy. He didn't kick us when we were down. He reached down and helped us up. When we were dead in our trespasses and sins He quickened us and brought us back to life. So that (and this should make sense but it seems to shock some people) we might live. Jesus came that we might have LIFE. And since living and loving are the same thing... to live is to love and to love is to live... Jesus came that we might have love. That's what all of the fruit of the Spirit are: Aspects of love. That's what the "Love Chapter" is all about: It is a personality profile of Jesus. And, since we are as He is, it is a personality profile... of us. Our true selves. Not who the world says we are, or who the world wants us to be. Not who are past tries to define us as. But who GOD says we are. His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Another word for "mercy" is "pity." And while that, to me, usually comes with something of a negative connotation, that (again) is what happened to us on the cross. God had pity on us. Jesus cried out, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We were dark, and void, and without form. We were trying to do the best we could with what we had, but we were convinced we didn't have anything. All we could do was run around like chickens with our heads cut off, looking for love in all the wrong places. Remember when we talked about how babies cry, not because they're spoiled but because they need something and don't know what else to do. That, to me, was humanity before the cross. We were desperate for something that we knew we needed, but were entirely unable to get for ourselves. We didn't know what we were doing. So we nailed the Savior of the world to an old rugged cross. It was all we could come up. And that's when God had pity on us. He saw how helpless we were, and He decided to help. He showed His love for us by giving His life for us (and to us) when we were yet sinners. When we were at our worst, He gave us His best. He showed us what we were capable. Deep down inside. He showed us mercy. And now, because we've experienced it, we can show it to each other. We can be merciful. We can be love!