Mercy

James 2:13 NLT
(13) There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.

Why do we ask God for mercy when we make mistakes but have none when someone has failed us? If God’s kindness is to grow and be known throughout the world don’t we, the Body of Christ, have to be like Him? God has given us the power to determine our own outcome… by loving others we are also loved but by condemning others we are also condemned. Our weapon against the enemy of God is our God-given ability to love the unlovable, because He first loved us. Satan expects us to be selfish but it is God’s mercy and kindness that sets us apart from the world. If we are God’s children then we must live according to how our Heavenly Father instructs us, if the wisdom of God is with you then you must also be obedient to His leading.

James 2:18 NLT

(18) Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."

Both faith and good deeds are required if we are to prove that we know God and have a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. For to know of Him is not the only thing that is required by salvation, even the demons know of Him. Do you remember the time when two men who were possessed by many demons and Jesus cast the demons into the herd of pigs? Before Jesus had said a word they screamed out in fear of what Jesus was about to do, that indicates that they knew who Jesus was but obviously that did not save them (read Matthew chapter 8)! But if we love Him we will be compelled to be like Him, we will mimic who He is, as the Holy Spirit leads us. We know from Galatians 5:22-24 what Jesus looks like. In the same way actions alone will not save us either. We can tell the truth and have not the spirit of God within us, even telling others what must be done to be saved but remain in the dark.

Acts 16:16-18 NLT
(16) One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.
(17) She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved."
(18) This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And instantly it left her.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT
(1) If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
(2) If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.
(3) If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

Ultimately this question remains… have you sold all out for Jesus? Would you abandon your greatest possessions to follow Him? You see to carry your cross the way our savior did you must abandon everything, to hold onto something prior to meeting Him means that you are bound to the old life still and cannot go where He will lead you. 

Mark 10:17-21 NLT
(17) As Jesus was starting out on His way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
(18) "Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good.
(19) But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.'"
(20) "Teacher," the man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young."
(21) Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," He told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

There will be times when faith will require something of you and if you are straddling the fence you’ll end up exposing more than you want to for all to see! Jesus said that if you didn’t love Him completely, like no other, you could not be His disciple. 

Luke 14:26 NLT
(26) "If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.

As we come to know Him better through prayer, study of His Word, and obedience He leads us to deeper waters. Not so that we might drown but so that we might crest the horizon of our own understanding. Making the choice to be His is a decision that we make once but growing to be more like Him requires decisions made multiple times throughout the day, for the rest of our lives! And that is why there are seasons in our lives sometimes we chase hard after Him disregarding all else and other times the decision to obey is more difficult which leads us back to needing His mercy but that mercy isn’t just for us, when we are in need but for all and receiving it prepares us to give it away, if we love Him. This is what is meant when Jesus said that healing is the children’s bread, it is mercy that leads to restoration. In Matthew 15:22-28 we see Jesus helping a Gentile woman understand what it means to be merciful but instead of telling her He helped her come to the conclusion on her own. She could have walked away, her need unsatisfied and her feelings hurt but Jesus knows just what each of us can handle and you can be sure that lesson stayed with her the rest of her life.