Category Archives: Mercy

Bible, Favoritism, Grace, Love, Mercy, Scripture, Sin

NO FAVORITES

ROMANS 2:11

“For there is no partiality with God.”

I have two children and five (soon to be six) grandchildren. My wife and I promise we do not have any favorites. We love each and every one of them. Now, some may be a little harder to love at times but aren’t we all? There have been times when one or more of them felt we were playing favorites, but they could not see our hearts. Loving them all has been such a joy for us.

God doesn’t play favorites either. Paul says it very curtly, “For there is no partiality with God.” You can’t get much clearer than that. The Greek word for “partiality” is a doozy. It’s

Prosópolémpsia. Told you! It means favortism, respect of persons (Strong’s). In the New Testament, it occurs here, in Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25 and also in James 2:1, which we will look at. Paul’s point is our God is fair and impartial in His judgment of mankind.

APPLICATION

This idea of God’s impartiality was not limited to the New Testament. In Deuteronomy 10:17 we read, “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.” Proverbs 24:23 says, “These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.” All through Scripture this attribute of God’s character and His direction to us is clear. We are all equal in His eyes.

James 2:1-9 gives a great example of this teaching. In James 2:1 we see, “My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” Then in verse 9 James uses the verb form of this word. “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.” Wow! That’s harsh!

Today practice God’s impartiality towards others. Just love them as He would. That does not mean you condone any sinful behavior, but it does mean to look past the sin and see the sinner who is in need of grace and mercy.

Father God, thank You for not seeing me as unworthy and of no value to You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Forgiveness, Grace, Judgment, Mercy, Payment, Repayment, Repentance, Scripture, Works

REPAYMENT PLAN

ROMANS 2:6

“who WILL REPAY EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:” 

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Payback is H..LL.” Right? I don’t want to sound crude, but some people take this seriously. If you hurt them, they will hurt you back. If you damage them in any way, they will make you pay. Gang wars are based on this. That’s why these fights never end. Our flesh thinks we have the right to retaliate. Paul addresses today the only One who has the right to repay someone for their actions.

In verse 6, Paul references a couple of verses, according to most scholars. His words here are not the literal words of these verses but more the idea behind them. God is holy and will not allow mankind to escape judgment. Albert Barnes says this, “It is not true that God will treat people according to their external conduct: but the whole language of the Bible implies that he will judge people according to the whole of their conduct, including their thoughts, and principles, and motives; that is, as they deserve.”

APPLICATION

One of the verses in Paul’s thoughts is Psalm 62:12 which says, “And faithfulness is Yours, Lord, for You reward a person according to his work.” The first “work” is our decision to follow Jesus. Did we give Him our all? I was reading an article this morning about the Discipleship Gospel. It said (and I agree) it is, “about both salvation and discipleship. All who respond to salvation are freely saved and, at the same time, called to discipleship by faith, no exceptions, no excuses (Mark 8:34–38; 1 Cor. 15:1–8). It is about kingdom life then and there (when we die), but also here and now (in this life). It is about surrendering to the risen and saving King to have our sins forgiven and our lives changed, so that we learn to die to ourselves and live for him (Galatians 2:20).” (What is the Discipleship Gospel? by Bobby Harrington and Curt Erskine)

Another possible verse on Paul’s mind in verse 6 is Proverbs 24:12. “If you say, ‘See, we did not know this,’ does He who weighs the hearts not consider it? And does He who watches over your soul not know it? And will He not repay a person according to his work?”

Jesus makes mention of this repayment in Matthew 16:27. “‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.’” What is your response? I want to be repaid by God for my deeds – my good deeds, my allegiance to Him, my acts of kindness and mercy, my obedience to Him. Surrender your self-will for His will today. Then you can rest in the repayment plan issued by God Himself.

Father God, I know I will be judged by You for my works. Let every action I take reflect Your glory.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Excuses, Forgiveness, Judgment, Mercy, Scripture

NO EXCUSE

ROMANS 2:1

“Therefore you have no excuse, you foolish person, every one of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” 

That’s the bottom line – we have no excuse. After the past several verses of chapter 1, Paul simply says, “Therefore you have no excuse.” Have you ever had to admit that? I sure have. I’m 64 years old and have been married almost 40 years. There have many things I have done in those years for which I had no excuse. I have learned to just admit when I’m wrong (well, at least most of the time, lol). I don’t need to rationalize my decision.

The literal Greek for that first phrase is “Therefore inexcusable you are.” Ouch! The Greek word for “inexcusable” is anapológētos which has that same negative prefix alpha which we saw in 1:31. The second part of the word comes from apologeomai which means to defend or excuse. One source I looked at said it “frequently describes the hopelessness of trying to defend a case in court, while lacking an adequate defense.”

APPLICATION

But you have to read the rest of the verse to see what Paul is talking about. He is telling these Roman believers they had no right to judge those people he had just been writing about. In fact, he says, “for you who judge practice the same things.” Isn’t that still the case today? Usually, people who bark the loudest are the most guilty. Take the beam out of your own eye first, we are told.

Who will do the judging? God will. We will all stand before a holy God one day. Unbelievers will face a harsh judgment and be separated eternally from God. Believers will be judged on their works here on earth. But we will all face God. We have no excuse. We won’t be able to point our fingers at our spouses or employers or the government. No one is going to be held accountable for our sins but we ourselves.

When you see a brother or sister struggling in sin, pray for them. If you are able to help restore them, do that without entangling yourself. Remember, except for the grace of God, there you go also. None of us have arrived. We are all on this journey together. We have no excuse for our own sins. Repent today and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.

O Lord, forgive me for being judgmental of others and pointing fingers at their sin when I have sin in my own life which need to be confessed.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Love, Mercy, Scripture, Understanding, Untrustworthy

THE POWER OF THE NEGATIVE

ROMANS 1:31

“without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful;”

Negative comments and behaviors can be very hurtful. Have you ever experienced that? I sure have. I will never forget some of the ones I have received in my life. Unfortunately, some of those were delivered by “Christians” who thought they had the right to put me in my place. There is never an excuse for that. We, as believers, cannot be part of that. I hope you agree.

In today’s verse, we have four words that could be good but are turned into a negative by one little prefix. It’s the Greek letter alpha. Just one letter turns these words into the negative. Paul was led by the Spirit to use these four words with this little negative prefix. I truly believe God wants us to see how easy it is to move a good thing to a bad thing. Let’s look at these four words.

APPLICATION

The first word is asýnetos which “describes a person failing to structure information in a meaningful way, and therefore unable to reach necessary conclusions. This person is illogical because unwilling to use good reason.” The good part of this word means to have understanding. Don’t we all want that?

Next is asunthetos which is the negative of a convenant keeper. What is that? A covenant breaker. This person cannot be trusted to keep a covenant with you. They are relationship destroyers. They only care about themselves. No covenants for them. No sir! They are in charge.

The third word Paul uses is astorgos. Now, look closely at this word. It takes a good word storge and makes it ugly. Storge is the Greek word that is normally used to describe familial love. It’s the love a parent has for a child. In that culture, children were often sacrificed to pagan gods. We can see all through Rome the intentional termination of children if they were deformed or even unwanted. This is a horrible word only used here and 2 Timothy 3:3.

The last word we see in today’s verse is aneleemon which goes against the very character of God. It’s the negative of merciful. These people were merciless. They didn’t care about others’ hurts or condition. As long as they came out on top, that’s all that mattered.

Do you see how one little letter, the letter alpha, can turn good into bad. Now, let me ask you something. Have you taken something good and made it bad. It can happen so easily. Let’s follow the Lord in all our decisions and behaviors. Don’t let those little negatives ruin your testimony or the life of someone else.

O Father, let me focus on the good, not the bad. Help me keep those little negatives out of my mind and spirit.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Compassion, Holy Spirit, Mercy, Scripture

LORD, HAVE MERCY

PHILIPPIANS 2:27

“For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.”

We have probably all at some point in our life begged God for mercy. Maybe it was over a sick child or relative. It could have been over a situation in which you saw no way of escape. You may have even asked this in a prayer about an act or deed that is threatening the innocent life of a newborn. We know God does hear and grant mercy. He is a merciful God.

Paul had undoubtedly prayed for God’s mercy on behalf of Epaphroditus when he became ill. This wasn’t just seasonal allergies or a head cold. No! Paul says, “he was sick to the point of death.” We don’t know how he became ill or exactly what he was suffering from, but we do know it was serious. If Epaphroditus had died, it would have not only grieved the Philippian church but Paul himself. God’s mercy extended to everyone.

APPLICATION

Paul uses the verb form of the word for “mercy,” eleeó, which means “to show mercy as God defines it, i.e. as it accords with His truth (covenant) which expresses ‘God’s covenant-loyalty-mercy’ (i.e. acting only on His terms)” (HELPS Word Studies) No one is able to show true mercy except God. A common definition of mercy is “not getting what you deserve.”

I have visited a lot of people who were in the hospital and needed mercy. When I have prayed for these individuals, I almost always ask for God to show mercy, to do what doctors cannot do, thus signifying it was a divine act. I have, in some cases, seen God do just that. He relieved them of suffering in a way that only He could do. This was, not doubt, what Paul was describing in today’s verse concerning Epaphroditus.

But let’s get real personal for a moment. To whom can you show mercy? I have a friend who was robbed by a passenger in his taxi a few years ago. He had a choice to make. Does he chase this person down and press charges or does he show him mercy? He chose the latter. Showing mercy is not a natural human trait. Only through the power of the Spirit are we able to do that. Will you show mercy today?

O Lord, I know mercy is Your nature and not mine. Help me show mercy as You have shown mercy to me.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Covenant, God's Will, Mercy, Riches, Scripture

RICH IN MERCY

EPHESIANS 2:4

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,” 

I doubt I will ever be independently wealthy in the eyes of the world. I mean, my wife and I live comfortably, but we aren’t going to retire on the French Rivera, lol. Being rich or wealthy means different things to different people. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 give us a warning about money. “9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

In contrast, Paul says in today’s verse that God’s wealth is a good thing. He is “rich in mercy.” God’s wealth will never run out. His riches are limitless. So, if He is rich in mercy, that means His mercy will never run out. Lamentations 3:22 says, “The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail.” They do not fail!

APPLICATION

Does that give us permission to do whatever we want? No way! It does give us permission to do as we should. Love should be a driving motivator. 1 Peter 1:3 shows us the benefit of His mercy. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” It is His great mercy that gives us that new birth.

Hebrews 4:16 gives us another reason to look for His mercy. “Therefore, let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” His mercy is waiting for us to come to Him during those times when we need Him most. Have you needed Him lately?

In similar words as our verse today, Paul says this in Titus 3:5-6. “5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,” His mercy is not given because we deserve it. He just gives it! Do you need some mercy today? Come to the Father.

Lord, have mercy on me today. Show me Your mercy all the day long. 

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Bible, God's Will, Love, Mercy, Restoration, Scripture, Sin, Stains

RESTORE

GALATIANS 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.”

My dad taught me how to restore furniture. It wasn’t a quick, easy or clean process. It required elbow grease, hard work and usually lots of sandpaper, cleaners and rags. And after time and energy is spent over days, weeks or even months, you would have a beautifully restored piece, something worthy of displaying.

Let me use that analogy today to describe the word translated as “restore” in today’s verse. Paul is describing how the mature believers should respond to a fellow believer who has been caught in sin. The Greek word used here is katartizo, which means to be “exactly fit to be in good working order.” Paul is saying that the Galatians need to help those individuals become useful servants again. The body needs all its parts to function correctly. The church cannot afford to lose these precious saints because of their slip into temptation.

APPLICATION

Okay, I want you to list all your slipups right now. Just kidding. I would not want to list mine anywhere. I would probably need two legal size notepads to list all mine. But as Albert Barnes says, “Christians do not commit sin deliberately, and as a part of the plan of life; but they may be surprised by sudden temptation, or urged on by impetuous or headstrong passion, as David and Peter were.” Those are the ones Paul is saying we should restore.

Like in my analogy of furniture restoration, restoring a brother or sister from their slipups can be messy. Sin stains. James says in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” We know the effects of the world on us. If we allow it, it will pull us down and leave its mark.

Instead of burying our wounded in the church, let’s bandage them up and help them gain their spiritual strength. Let’s help them wash away the filth that sin has left on them. When we do that, we not only strengthen them, but we strengthen the body of Christ as well. One warning – as you do this, be careful to guard yourself of being stained by their sins. Be guarded against the devil’s schemes to pull you into the cesspool with them.

Father, help me be that person to lift up the fallen among us and restore them to serving You.

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Bible, Forgiveness, Gifts, Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Scripture, Secrets

HE HAS GRANTED

GALATIANS 3:18

“For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”

Getting something you don’t deserve is nice. It’s especially nice if you receive it in spite of something you may have done. Grace gifts are given that way. Have you ever received a gift like that? I sure have. My wife has forgiven me more times than I can count when I know I didn’t deserve it. She’s that kind of person. How can she do that? It’s only because she knows how much she’s been forgiven.

In today’s verse, Paul makes a statement that needs to be looked at. He says, “God has granted.” That Greek word for “has granted” is “used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness. It is used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness.” (HELPS Word Studies)

APPLICATION

Why did I use such a long quote above? I wanted you to see the full definition of this word. We have been granted our righteousness through Jesus in the same way. It is given to us not based on anything we have done. In fact, we don’t deserve it. We deserve hell. But God saw fit to send His one and only Son to die for us. John 3:16 tells us that.

In 2 Corinthians 9:8 Paul says this, “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” Don’t you like that? His grace overflows to us. How about Ephesians 4:7? “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The gift of grace has nothing to do with us and all to do with Him.

Here’s a practical application of this verse. Will you extend grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it? Perhaps they have offended you – give grace. Maybe they have lied about you – give grace. They may have tried to intentionally hurt you – give grace. That is exactly what God does for us. Shouldn’t we imitate Him? I didn’t say it would be easy, but it would be the “grace filled” thing to do.

Father God, give me the grace I need to extend grace to others.  

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Abuse, Affection, Bible, Blessing, Comfort, Commands, Deceit, Family, Friends, Goodness, Mercy, Scripture

DOING GOOD TO OTHERS

ZECHARIAH 7:10

“‘and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’”

When I read this verse today, I thought Who would hurt a widow or orphan? Who would mistreat a stranger or a poor person? However, I am very aware of the evil in this world. The intentions of man are not normally in tune with God’s principles. It’s a dog eat dog world, and some people will take anything from anyone at any time just to get ahead.

The Lord, through Zechariah, continues his instructions to the people. In verse 10 He expands His commands to include how to treat the widow, orphan, stranger and poor. The Hebrew word for “oppress” can be translated as deceive, defraud or violate. In other words, He is saying do not treat these people badly. All through Scripture we read how God cares for these individuals.

APPLICATION

I spent over thirty years caring for the “orphans.” My years in the child welfare field had me involved in residential care, foster care and adoptions. Nothing stirs the heart strings of people like sharing stories about these children. Is there a children’s home near you where you can volunteer? They always need volunteers. You will be blessed.

James 1:27 is one of my favorite verses. “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Our good treatment of these individuals is pleasing to our heavenly Father because they are near to His heart.

Look around you. There are tons of opportunities for you to minister to this population. Widows and widowers need friends they can talk to. Orphans need loving families. The strangers and the poor need a hand up. Just ask the Lord how He could use you. You might just be surprised at His answer.

Open my eyes to people around me who need some love and compassion.

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Bible, Compassion, Love, Mercy, Scripture

REMEMBER MERCY

HABAKKUK 3:2

“LORD, I have heard the report about You, and I was afraid. LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known. In anger remember mercy.”

Mercy! Do we really understand it? Do we show it to others? There’s a mercy rule in some sports that says if a team gets so far ahead in points, the clock doesn’t stop. This lets the game continue but not drag out. My daughter played against a team in Florida that consistently caused that rule to come into play. They were so good that they regularly beat teams by 50 or more points.

Habakkuk is begging God for mercy. As he begins his prayer to God, following God’s words to him in chapter 2, he is asking the Lord to show mercy to His rebellious children. Even in the midst of His anger towards them for their disobedience, remember to show them mercy. The word translated as “mercy” is racham, which is also translated as love or compassion.

APPLICATION

Okay, be truthful. How good are you at showing love and compassion to someone who has hurt you? If you are like me, that’s hard. It’s easy to do that to someone who loves and respects you, but it’s very difficult towards someone who has done you wrong.

Just as the Lord was merciful to those who hurt Him, we must show mercy, love and compassion. Jesus told us in Luke 6 to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who abuse us and to turn the other cheek. (Luke 6:27-29) Wow! How is that even possible? How can I do that? Only through Christ.

I have learned through the years that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). It’s not me doing it. It’s Him. I can love that person who has hurt me again and again. Why? Because Christ loves them. I can show mercy to that person who has shown me no mercy. How? Through His strength. You can too if you will just get out of the way. Show some mercy today.

Lord, let Your mercy flow through me as I encounter people daily who have no regard for my feelings. I choose to love them because of Your love for them.

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