For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 ESV

Mercy triumphs over judgment. What a beautiful thought!

What is mercy?

The dictionary defines it as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

What is judgment?

It is defined as the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.

Someone can see all the evidence and come to a ‘sensible’ conclusion, but instead of giving us what we deserve as payment, we are shown mercy.

Have you ever done something that you know you deserve a punishment, but instead you’ve been shown great mercy?

There are quite a few times in my life that I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was not given the penalties I deserved, by both man and God, but especially by God.

Not Getting What We Deserve

As I recently rewatched the movie Black Panther, nearing the end of the last fight scene, even though the villain was deserving of death for all the crimes he had committed, Black Panther offered him a chance at mercy. He offered to try to help him live. If you watched the movie, you realize just how magnanimous that effort alone was and it was based on grace and mercy, instead of wanting to give the villain what he truly deserved: death.

I believe it’s the same with us. We are deserving of death because of our sins, but God in His infinite grace and mercy, chose to send His son to die a horrible death, so that we may live. 

What an amazing God we serve. And for this, we say ‘mercy triumphs over judgment’!

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. A love that goes beyond anything that we could ever comprehend. Thank you for not giving us what we deserve. Thank you for the mercy that you extend to us time and again. Help us to never take this grace for granted.