Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,
A man was in his car, driving down the street at excessive speed. No one else was on the road, just him; therefore, he decided to go above the speed limit. Then an officer appeared behind him, and the man pulled over. He explained to the officer that no one was on the road and that he was not driving recklessly. The officer explained that although no one was in danger except himself, it did not excuse the fact that the law was broken and therefore a punishment was warranted. The man apologized and asked the officer to forgive his mistake. The officer replied that instead of citing him and having him pay a fine, he would only give him a warning and to slow down.
A woman was seeing a doctor, and the doctor told her that she only had one week left to live. However, there is an antidote that can save her, but it costs $100.000. She says she cannot afford it, and the doctor says it is okay, it is already paid for. If you want to live, then you just have to ask and accept it.
These are examples of mercy and grace. The officer showed mercy to the driver because he broke the law, yet the officer withheld the punishment that the driver deserved. The sick woman received medicine that healed her from a deadly sickness by simply asking for it. God extends his mercy to us when we indeed deserve to be punished because of our sin. He also blesses us with the opportunity of eternal life through His grace.
When Jesus was on the cross, two other men hung on either side of Jesus. Both of them mocked him. However, one of them later repented and asked Jesus to remember him when he entered his kingdom, and Jesus replied that the thief would be with him in paradise (Luke 23:42-43). Jesus extends mercy and grace.
We often do not immediately see the need to extend mercy or grace to others, but later we realize that we should have. It should be part of our daily prayer that we ask God to open our eyes at the moment when mercy or grace should be shown, so that we can become more aware of the moments to be better Christians and to be like Christ. Matthew 6:9-13 gives us instructions on prayer, and it says for us to forgive our trespassers (6:12). We are to show them grace despite the wrong they may have done.
If we humble ourselves, like Jesus humbled himself, then we can see the wrong and forgive the one who wronged us. Forgive as we have been forgiven.
Last week, the little lambs learned about Peter and his great escape from jail, not just once, but twice. This let us talk about the power of prayer, since the people were praying for Peter to be released, and then he was set free by the power of God. This week, we will be talking about the Lord’s prayer and what it means to pray and how we can pray, even when we do not know what to say.
I look forward to worshiping our Lord with you tomorrow through songs of praise and dancing before Him who loves us and forgives us when we fail. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you tomorrow, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and love, and may He guide you, heal you, and comfort you when you need it.
God bless you
Your brother in Christ,
Michael (aka Mr. Michael)
