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If you want mercy, show mercy!
'BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL.' LUKE 6:36
The award-winning writer Ernest Hemingway tells the story of a father and his teenage son who lived in Spain. Their relationship fell apart and the son ran away from home. After a few years the father began the long journey looking for his boy, and after a long time, he put an ad in the Madrid newspaper as a last resort. His son's name was Paco (a very common name in Spain). It just read, 'Dear Paco, meet me in front of the Madrid newspaper office tomorrow at noon. All is forgiven. I love you.'
The next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office there were 800 Pacos all looking for forgiveness! Whom do you need to forgive today? Forgive them! You can't have a sorted relationship with God if you have a load of un-sorted issues with other people. Yes, people will hurt us, especially those we're close to. Letting go of hurt (especially when you've been wronged) is really hard to do but not impossible.
We tend to want revenge or at least for everyone to know what really happened but when you won't forgive someone the truth it's you that hurts. For one thing, you weren't created to carry the stress that goes with bearing a grudge! Indeed there's a mountain of medical evidence to say that holding onto resentment can actually destroy your health. If you think you'll ever need mercy, show it. Jesus said, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy' (Matthew 5:7 NIV). Is God speaking to you about this? If so, deal with it today. Don't put it off any longer!
written by Bob Gass
'BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL.' LUKE 6:36
The award-winning writer Ernest Hemingway tells the story of a father and his teenage son who lived in Spain. Their relationship fell apart and the son ran away from home. After a few years the father began the long journey looking for his boy, and after a long time, he put an ad in the Madrid newspaper as a last resort. His son's name was Paco (a very common name in Spain). It just read, 'Dear Paco, meet me in front of the Madrid newspaper office tomorrow at noon. All is forgiven. I love you.'
The next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office there were 800 Pacos all looking for forgiveness! Whom do you need to forgive today? Forgive them! You can't have a sorted relationship with God if you have a load of un-sorted issues with other people. Yes, people will hurt us, especially those we're close to. Letting go of hurt (especially when you've been wronged) is really hard to do but not impossible.
We tend to want revenge or at least for everyone to know what really happened but when you won't forgive someone the truth it's you that hurts. For one thing, you weren't created to carry the stress that goes with bearing a grudge! Indeed there's a mountain of medical evidence to say that holding onto resentment can actually destroy your health. If you think you'll ever need mercy, show it. Jesus said, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy' (Matthew 5:7 NIV). Is God speaking to you about this? If so, deal with it today. Don't put it off any longer!
written by Bob Gass
