STRENGTH AND MERCY

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Forgiving others might just be the hardest act to accomplish for most human beings. We struggle to understand what it really means to forgive others in a way that falls in line with the teaching of Christian scripture. And what parts of biblical forgiveness we do understand, we still have a hard time applying toward those who have really done us wrong. In today’s devotion, we take a small step toward understanding the value of forgiveness. 

As we have been working through the teaching on prayer as found in Luke 11:1-4, we have come across the following, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”

It would seem that we have such a hard time forgiving others that Jesus Christ made sure we understood the vital importance of this act of mercy. Jesus tied our call to forgive to the gift of forgiveness from God in this prayer. 

I cannot speak for the Lord but I imagine that Jesus was presenting his point in the following way:

•   If I know that I am a sinner (my sin has offended the Lord)…
•   Then I know that I am dependent on God’s gift of mercy…
•   So I will call on the Lord and ask for mercy and forgiveness. 
•   If I am willing to admit my need for mercy from God…
•   Then I must recognize that I must give mercy to others…
•   Therefore, I must give mercy if I am willing to ask for mercy. 

It would seem that the Lord wants his children to do more than receive mercy and forgiveness, the Lord desires that we be people who give a tiny portion of the mercy and grace that have been extended to us through the work of Jesus Christ. 

While we might accept this calling to forgive and show mercy from God intellectually, it can often be a very challenging action for us to take. 

We often associate forgiveness with ideas that are simply not what the Lord expects of us. 

Some of those expectations can be summarized as:

•   Forgiveness means their actions are no longer painful to me. 
•   Forgiveness requires me to reconnect relationally with those who have hurt me. 
•   Forgiveness erases the responsibility that others bear for their actions. 

Often we incorrectly associate our call to forgive with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. What I mean is that we assume that our choice to let go of our own hatred, bitterness, anger, and enmity toward others somehow means that we are doing away with their sin and acts of evil, far from it. We do not have that ability. 

Strength

When followers of Christ listen to the call to show mercy and forgive, we need to hear that we are being called to show magnanimity toward those who need our mercy. The weak do not show mercy on the strong, no, the strong give mercy to the needy.  

To allow the mercy of Jesus Christ to move through us and be extended to another is to act from a place of strength in the Lord. When the King of Kings calls you to be his messenger of mercy, your actions are done from a position of strength. 

Listen to the teaching of the Holy Spirit as given through the Apostle Paul in the following passage:

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

(Colossians 3:12-14 NIV11)

Listen to the power behind these words:

•   As God’s chosen people – A powerful position gifted to us by Christ. 
•   Clothe yourselves – It is not your strength but Christ’s at work in you. 
•   Bear with – As the stronger person, show compassion on the weak. 
•   Forgive – Model the magnanimity of Jesus Christ as you choose not to hold their sins against them. 
•   Love over all – When you allow the Lord to work through you as you show mercy and give forgiveness, YOU WIN! 

Last Thoughts

Remember this, most of the people that you need to forgive (for your own sake) do not think about you and may not even be alive anymore. 

•   What good does it do you to hold onto bitterness, anger, and rage? 
•   Maybe it is time to take the win and forgive?

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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