Grace bequeaths the undeserved
Mercy spares from what is due
Yet none is a license to err
And none is ticket to laxity;
To court faults, feed infirmities
Excuse evil and pamper slips.
Mercy and grace share one goal:
To steer safely through hidden
And obvious ills, to lead beyond
Crushing flaws and crippling frailties
To make us more and more like Christ.

Food For Thought: Definitions of mercy and grace are sometimes mixed up we are not sure which is which. Mercy is when the arms of judgment is deliberately restrained so we are spared the penalties due our errors. Grace is when we haven’t earned it, don’t qualify, yet we are counted worthy to receive it. Both terms simply describe our relationship with God. Mercy and grace give us access to the Father who is too holy to interact with fallible humanity. Mercy clears the way for us to enter into His very presence, grace is the leg with which we stand before Him, walk with Him and learn to please Him despite our flawed nature. Without both, we cannot approach God. Without both, there’d be no relationship. We can’t call Him Father. We are not qualified to call the mighty and fearful One our God. But for mercy and grace, we will not be here. And without measure, God pours on us all, His mercy and grace so that drenched, we can reach out to others with the overflow that we have enjoyed in the hands of so generous a Father, so faithful a Redeemer.

Scripture: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2: 5.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your mercy, thank You for Your grace, and for all they accomplish in my life, amen.