David Jeremiah (February 18, 2025) Daily Devotional: Illustrating Mercy.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
Recommended Reading: Matthew 5:43-48 - Love Your Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
The book of Proverbs is filled with comparisons using like or as (a simile). For example, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28, NIV). A lack of self-control is compared to a city with broken-down walls. Instead of saying, “Practice self-control,” the image of the city illustrates the danger of the lack of self-control.
The apostle Paul used a simile to illustrate how we are to forgive and show mercy toward others: We are to forgive others “even as” God has forgiven us through Christ. God’s forgiveness of us is an example of His mercy. We were deserving of judgment for our sins, but God withheld our judgment and judged Christ instead by His death on the Cross. That is what mercy does—it withholds judgment, punishment, or retaliation even when it is deserved. To show mercy is also to forgive. And we are to forgive others the way God has forgiven us in Christ.
The next time someone hurts or offends you, consider the mercy God has shown you and extend that same mercy and forgiveness.
No one is redeemed except through unmerited mercy. Augustine
