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Loveless Justice & Messy Mercy: Avoiding Extremes






"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly & to love mercy & to walk humbly with your God", Micah 6:8


I love God's word. Applying it has changed my life, as well as many others' I've witnessed. Many things are clear cut. God is always good. God loved the world - all of it - so much, He gave His only, perfect & beloved Son to die for our sins. There is one way to be saved from hell; salvation through Christ. We are to love God with all we are, as well as other people. Yet, how do we actually do this? How can we make sure we are doing things His way? How do we determine what is truly just in a situation & what real mercy looks like? I believe the first step is to decide to walk humbly with Him. Humility shows us we don't always have the perfect answer, but He does, so we need Him to show us. "Act justly and love mercy". Both matter. Both count. Without wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we will either apply loveless justice or messy mercy.


"It is good to grasp the one & not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes" Ecc 7:18.


Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being obsessed with the law, while not caring about those it was written for. In Luke 11, He sharply rebukes them for their hypocrisy. Their love of religion was heartless, because it was outward & for appearances only; loveless in nature. 1Corinthians 13 tells us we can go through extreme acts of seeming sacrifice, yet without love, we are nothing. Matthew 17, Jesus tells us He came to fulfill the law, yet brought it to a whole new standard. Now, the physical act of murder was equal to anger & adultery went deeper, from the the physical act, to a lustful heart. The high calling to love well, is clear. Applying scripture for discernment in situations takes a willingness to see a fellow human being as most precious & valuable to God. We can judge fruits, words & even behavior, but we do not have the right, nor the ability to judge a heart. It is quite easy & normal to get angry when God's laws are broken. We are supposed to hate evil & speak the truth. However, if we forget the whole purpose of the law - to display love to a holy God - our justice will be shallow & void of the compassion Christ so clearly displayed. We are told to love one another deeply, not superficially. True justice always points to the only rightful Judge.

He is the reason we obey. He alone is worthy.


No human being ever displayed more mercy than Jesus. His selfless sacrifice defined mercy itself. The beatitudes tell us the merciful get blessed with more mercy. Over & over, we see the kindness of mercy as a crucial characteristic for the believer. What is real mercy like? Does it mean never saying no? Is it non-confrontational? How do we tell the difference between brave, bold, Christlike mercy & messy mercy - behavior that seems kind, but is really self-serving or fearful?

Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you. Go & sin no more", John 8.

In His mercy, He addressed her sin issue. We are called to be watchmen, warning others of coming judgment. Is it merciful not to tell someone about repentance? Were the five virgins (Matt . 25) being unkind when they would not share their oil? Jesus called them wise. If we limit fellowship with those choosing darkness (2Cor 6:14) are we being mean or obedient? True mercy is more than acts of service. It always points to the One most merciful, always to the sacrificial love that dies to self; caring more about an individual soul's permanent fate, than our need to be seen as a nice person.


"For the law was given through Moses; grace & truth came through Jesus Christ", John 1:17.


When we need to judge a situation for direction, our motive must be to please the Father. Asking the Holy Spirit for grace & fervent love for others, will shift us to using righteous justice. If we are struggling with Godly boundaries & not clear on what actual kindness is, praying for the fear of the Lord will make our mercy mighty. We have the mind of Christ (1Cor 2:16). We only need to activate & practice it. We can think, speak, reason & choose like Him now. We can learn balance.


Holy Spirit, teach us to love others in a healthy, holy, life-giving way. Your way. May we honor your law and be merciful, like Jesus, who loved us first.





All rights reserved Veronica Jimenez Sound Mind Awareness ©2015






 
 
 

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So, if the son sets you free,You will be free indeed,john 8:36

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