"The Undeserved Gifts of Grace and Mercy"
- Rita Larson
- Jul 15, 2023
- 3 min read
I was on the riding mower today, mowing the grass when I got too close to the firepit that my husband had built for us. The edge of the mower chute caught the bricks and took out a side of the firepit, knocking down several bricks. With shame that I had messed up the firepit, I pulled up beside him on the mower, shut it off, and looked at him. He looked at me and smiled as I said "Oops, I am sorry." Still smiling, he looks at me and asks "What did you do?" I proceeded to tell him that I clipped the firepit. He looked at it, laughed, and said "No biggie, I'll fix it." As I rode away, I was reminded of God's grace and mercy. God's grace and mercy are two of the most astounding and awe-inspiring truths bestowed upon us by the love of our Heavenly Father.
Grace is often defined as unmerited favor or undeserved blessings from God. Grace is the unconditional and undeserved love and favor that God grants us. The Bible tells us that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Knowing we were sinners, He chose to make the ultimate sacrifice for us and sent His Son to die for us. That's grace! We didn't do anything to deserve it, but God freely gave it to us.
The definition of grace is perhaps best illustrated by the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. In this parable, a wayward son squanders his inheritance on wild living and ends up destitute and starving. But when he returns home, his father runs to him and embraces him with open arms, disregarding his past mistakes and failures. This is a picture of God's grace towards us - we may have made mistakes, wandered far from Him, and wasted our lives, but He still chooses to love us unconditionally and welcome us back into His family with open arms.
God's mercy is also unconditional. Even when we mess up and sin, God doesn't give up on us or turn His back on us. Instead, He offers forgiveness and a new start. Psalm 103:10-12 says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." This is such a beautiful picture of God's mercy! He doesn't hold our sins against us or keep a record of them. He forgives us completely and removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. Mercy is not receiving the punishment or consequences that we deserve for our sins.
The definition of mercy is exemplified by the woman caught in adultery in John 8. When the religious leaders brought her before Jesus, ready to stone her for her sin, He instead showed her mercy and forgiveness. He told her to go and sin no more, demonstrating both His compassion for her as a person and His desire for her to experience true freedom from sin. This is the kind of mercy that God extends to us when we come to Him with a repentant heart - He forgives us our sins and gives us a fresh start.
What's amazing about God's grace and mercy is that they are both completely undeserved. Together, these two attributes of God reveal His character and His heart toward us. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast." We don't earn them through good behavior or moral righteousness; instead, they are freely given to us as gifts from God. This means that no matter what we've done, we can always come back to Him and experience His love and forgiveness. It also means that we can extend grace and mercy to others in our lives, even when they don't deserve it - just as God has done for us. ©Rita Larson 7/15/2023
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