Our Mercy

Our Mercy

Read: Matthew 9:9-13

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:13

“We cannot help conforming ourselves to what we love.”

—Francis de Sales

IN WORD As we learn the mind of God, we must conform to it. It is one thing to understand and appreciate God’s revelation of Himself. It is quite another to know that He expects us to become like Him. When we learn of God with this in mind, we are dumbfounded. How can we have such character? How can we even approach such perfection? We have the promise of Christ that He will come to live within us. He will do this conforming work Himself. All He asks of us is our cooperation.

So what may we expect of Him? If He is extravagantly merciful, so must we be. If He prefers the company of those who know their sinfulness over the company of those who don’t, so must we. If He dines with the unlovable, He will put it within us to do likewise.

IN DEED This God showed up on our planet in the form of a merciful Savior. He offers grace without rebuke to those who know they need it. His rebukes are saved for those who won’t acknowledge their need. He is purity that pursues the corrupt; mercy that hounds the needy; grace that demands only belief.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Let us meditate on how well the Savior’s character is becoming a part of our lives. As we are conformed to His image, we should see in ourselves the characteristics that He displayed. We should sit at the table with “tax collectors and sinners” with their need for healing in mind.

Are we like Him? Do we have extravagant mercy? When people describe us, does their description reflect in some small way His winsome call? “I am here for sinners.”