2 Corinthians 1:3 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.

The amount of mercy God shows you has way more to do with you than Him. I want to help position you to receive all the mercy God has available for you. So, let’s first get a good definition of God’s mercy. Mercy is a disposition to dispense forgiveness or to show great compassion; it is the dispensing of leniency or the compassionate treatment of someone that does not deserve such treatment. Mercy is what is withheld, which we deserve; what we deserve, we do not get. 

The Bible has much to say about the mercy of God. In 2 Corinthians 1:3, He is called the Father of mercies. In Psalm 86:5, the Word says He is plenteous in mercy. Psalm 145:8 says He is full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. Lamentations 3:23 says His mercies are new every morning. Finally, Hebrews 4:16 says His throne is a place where you can find grace and obtain mercy. We serve a God of mercy!

As you and I study the Word of God concerning mercy, one thing stands out to me. We can limit the amount of mercy we get from God. It has more to do with how I treat others than how merciful God is. It is true that God is longsuffering, but He is not forever suffering. James 2:13, Amplified Classic, tells us how we limit the amount of mercy we can receive. It says, “For to him who has shown no mercy the judgment [will be] merciless, but mercy [full of glad confidence] exults victoriously over judgment.” The New Living Translation says it this way, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.” The Bible also says in Matthew 5:7 that blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. So, we clearly see, the amount of mercy you dole out to others is the amount you can receive from God. If you are not merciful to others, God cannot be merciful to you. It is the law of sowing and reaping working again; you cannot override this law. Matthew 7:1-2, Amplified Classic, says, “Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.” 

One thing Pastor Rhonda and I have always tried to do is show mercy. If you lean on being merciful to people, you put yourself in position to receive the mercy of God. If you don’t know it yet, you need the mercy of God. Be merciful with people and God will be merciful with you. Be hard on people and God will be hard on you.