Overflowing Mercy

Then summoning him, his lord said to him, “You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have mercy on your fellow slave, even as I have mercy on you?”
Matthew 18:32-33


Observation:
The message of the Lord in this parable is clear. We should overflow mercy in all our dealings because the mercy poured out over us has been abundant. When Jesus spoke this parable he used amazing contrasting elements. The master forgave a debt equivalent to 10 million dollars in silver. The slave couldn’t forgive his peers’ debt of one day’s wages. He had mercy valued in 10 million and he couldn’t give mercy worth few cents. The heart of God cannot tolerate lack of mercy in our part, especially when priceless mercy has been given to us. Our lives should overflow with the abundant mercy God had on us. We must be willing to forgive the offenses, the mistakes, the improprieties, and the sin of others. The parable is also clear in suggesting that if we do not overflow in mercy, the mercy given to us will be remove and then we will be forced to pay our debt.

Application:
We get out with the best deal when it comes to extending mercy. The sinful nature and the reality of our existence demands all the mercy for us but is unwilling to give a little mercy to others. But the Lord is pointing out that the amount of mercy we give away reflects the amount of mercy we want for ourselves. We will be in situations where we will have the opportunity to overflow with mercy. We cannot miss those opportunities because our own condition is at risk. By default we must be forgiving and compassionate towards others. The same attitude we use to judge others will be used towards us.
Today the Lord reminds me that the debt I had with him was huge and that everything was taken cared at Calvary. I need to pass out the same mercy and compassion, especially to those who have wrong me. I cannot demand payment and humiliate those who owe me. I must forgive, be patient, and avoid condescending conversations and attitudes. The Lord has been very merciful towards me. I should be merciful to others the same way.


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please forgive me for the times when I didn’t overflow with mercy towards my offenders. Please do not remove your mercy and compassion away from me. I will be completely ruined if I loss your mercy and forced to pay my debt. You have been more than generous when it comes to love and grace over me. I recognize that I’m a sinner in recovery, and I wish I could have a stronger loyalty and determination to follow your ways. Please help me to treat others the same way. Let me bring correction to those who I lead motivated in your overwhelming mercy. AMEN!