When Extending Mercy Is Hard to Do
BY LE ANN TREES | What is the difference between mercy and grace, and how can we find grace to extend mercy to those who have wronged us?
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
While it can be easy to meld the act of mercy with the act of grace, grace doesn’t always include mercy. We might not deserve an amazing blessing, such as a wonderful spouse or an extraordinary job opportunity, but God gives them to us anyway. Yet, when it comes to our state before God outside of Christ, we need the grace that includes God’s mercy. Similarly, it is often the case that we need to extend grace that encompasses mercy to other people in our lives, and hope they do the same for us…