A Tight Rope into a Bridge

    James 2:12-13 says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” The Lord is just so flipping good like agh! My squad leader, Kenz, said it perfectly when she said, “I wish I knew a word bigger than thank you”. I wish I knew a word bigger than thank you because thank you is just too small for all the things the Lord does for me each and every day! Well, that was a tangent, and a little thank you to the Lord.

    Today I’m writing about mercy and the freedom under a law that points back to Jesus. Let us start with laying out and defining what the law is and how it points back to Jesus. So, the law is the ten commandments God gave us. The Lord knew we physically could not keep all of them by ourselves so, he sent Jesus. When Jesus died and rose again, he fulled the law. We still have the law, we still follow the commandments, and the law still convicts us when we sin. But because of Jesus’ sacrifice, he covered every sin, every mistake, every failure we could ever commit. Now under the law, we have freedom, we have liberty. So, instead of our sin separating us from God, Jesus abolished our sin. Guiding us closer to God again. Another way to think of this. Instead of the law being a tight rope that only one person can walk down, it turns into, through Christ, a bridge where two can walk down side by side. The law should convict us, pointing us back to the person who is always beside us, Jesus. The law is not to shame us. The law is there to point us back to the one who loves us most, God.

     Ok, how does mercy fit into all of that? According to the trusty dusty internet, the definition of mercy is, “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” God has SO many reasons to punish us or condemn us, but He chooses to show us grace. The Bible talks about how the Lord delights in showing us mercy. There is nothing that we can do to earn it, and we definitely do not deserve it, but he still gives it to us abundantly. This is a joke, right? Why would the Creator of all things delight in showing mercy? That is the question a lot of us ask when we receive this mercy. And the basic answer is He loves you. He chose you to be put into this earth and shower you in gifts. He loves so abundantly, fervently, and recklessly that we cannot even comprehend it. And if we could understand it, that would mean that it has an end, and it does not have an end.

     Now that we have come to the end of this post. I want you to again read the verse at the top and see what the Lord points out to you? When was the last time you truly felt the Lord’s mercy? If you cannot think of a memory or moment, ask Him about it? And lastly, what does the law mean to you? Is it restricting, or is it freeing? If it is restricting, I highly encourage you to ask the Lord to reveal himself in it and that he shows you the truth. Until next time, Esther Collins.