Mercy and grace. Grace and mercy. These are two terms that are often used interchangeably. They go hand in hand, but there is a difference.
Marcy is not getting what you deserve.
Grace, is getting something you don’t deserve.
Imagine if you are racing down the street, breaking the speed limit, when suddenly you see blue and red lights flashing behind you. That’s something you deserve in this situation.
You deserve to get a ticket and a fine. You broke the law, and there’s a penalty for that crime.
After a brief conversation, the officer lets you go with a warning. That is mercy. You deserved a speeding ticket, but you are not getting what you deserve.
Now, imagine that you have a project due at work, and as hard os you have tried, you haven’t been able to complete it. Without it, you have no chance of getting a bonus that you have been working towards.
At the last minute a co-worker jumps in and saves the day, helping you with the last remaining things you need,
That would be grace. No matter how hard you worked, you didn’t deserve the bonus -you fell short. But someone else came along and provided what you needed.
There’s a reason I bring up this distinction. It’s because all around us are people who desperately need both of these blessings, and they are both freely given by Jesus through His death and resurrection.
The Bible tells us very clearly who we are and what we deserve. We are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Because of that, we deserve death, eternal separation from the perfect Father (Romans 6:23). No matter what we do in our own power and effort, we can not change that fact.
This is where Jesus comes in with His mercy and His grace.
Because we are sinners, we deserve death. However, as we call on the name of Jesus and make Him our Lord and Savior, we do jot get the death we justly deserve. We receive mercy.
As sinners we don’t deserve to come into God’s presence and be called His children. We don’t deserve His blessings and the Holy Spirit. But through our faith in Jesus, we receive grace.
Many have found that promise and have hope because of this. Yet, all around us are people who are struggling through this world, trying their best to do more good than bad thinking that is their path to eternity.
They will never truly experience grace and mercy, then though they want it badly.
If you look around you I promise you will see someone who will break your heart, someone who is on a path to destruction. Ask yourself what would have if I spoke to them about the blessings of mercy and grace? Even if they don’t want to hear a word of what your saying, you have planted a seed that will grow.
From Pity to Praise 