Objects Of Mercy

Know Jesus and you will know peace. Right standing with God is found through right relationship with the Savior.

“Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war...First seek the counsel of the LORD.” So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” Go,” they answered...Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet...but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah. Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace...The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor...at sunset he died.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-34“

If you have ever watched the movie or heard the story of the Titanic then you know that Ahab is not alone in his unwillingness to listen to sound advice. How does an unsinkable ship sink? By ignoring truth and allowing the wrong voices to fill your hears with unsound advice. Ahab was surrounded by yes men. People who agreed with him and told him what he wanted to hear. Against his own wishes, he met with a prophet who gave him the truth and exactly the warning he needed. But he did not listen so he walked into the battle that cost him his life.

How does this relate to you? Do you surround yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear or who tell you what you need to hear? Are you someone who is open to the truth tellers in your life? Are you a truth teller for others? Are you willing to have a hard conversation in relationship if it is what is best or do you avoid confrontation at all costs? Do you surround yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear or who tell you what you need to hear? In relationships, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord by sharing truth in love is what we are called to do.

"You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭85‬: 2-13

Do you ever play the what if game? Would Ahab's life have been different if he had listened? What do you think would have happened? The scriptures are full of people who have sinned. We all do. The Bible is the story of a God who loves us so much that He gives us the truth of how to turn to Him and find what we need. Do you know what you find when you turn to God and embrace truth? You find mercy. You find forgiveness. You find salvation. You find healing.

The next step after forgiveness is something God very much cares about. We are made right by the blood of Jesus that we would then walk rightly with Him. Righteousness matters. Doing what is right in God's eyes, the God of Spirit and Truth, is the way forward. Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He did not say I am an option, a possibility, and an add on. There is one right way to right standing and right relationship with God and it is through Jesus.

The psalmist warns each of us not to turn to folly. He says God is near those who fear, honor, and revere Him. There is something that happens when the love of God meets a faithful heart. The psalmist says that righteousness and peace kiss. Picture a parent kissing a child. It is the purest of love. God wants this with us, but it is hard to kiss someone who is not present. There is an action step by faith where we need to listen and turn to the embrace. Folly tells us to keep going our own way. Truth tells us God wants what is best for us because He is always loving and faithful.

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper. Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-27‭

Solomon said the righteous are as bold as a lion. Are you ready to bold or do you prefer to be out of the limelight? Jesus is called the lion of Judah. The boldness of the righteous reflects Jesus in how they approach each day. Solomon said those who seek the Lord know what is right. Our default setting should always be based on what Jesus would do. As we follow Jesus, we do not bow to a culture that does not align with God. We do not fear what may or may not happen. We do not listen to the lies of the enemy. The boldness we have does not mean we have to start battles with people who do not think or act like us. Our boldness is to believe in the power of God and proclaim what He has done in our lives.

Solomon said those who confess, who tell the truth, find mercy. Solomon said it is better to speak the truth to others than to deceive or flatter them. If you have a friend who is struggling with an addiction or actively harming themselves, Solomon says that the loving thing to do is to correct them. Whether they listen or not is not up to you, but you do bear the burden of giving them the choice to respond to truth. This should always be done out of relationship. Truth without relationship comes across as judgment. But truth in relationship leads to healing and transformation.

What kind of friend will you be? Will you be the person who others see actively seeking Jesus and sharing what you are learning? Will you be the one who loves enough to hold another person accountable to stopping before they walk off a cliff? The least loving thing you can do in relationship is to be silent when someone you love is acting like Ahab and heading towards their own death. Tone matters, timing matters, and intention matters in how you deliver truth. Remember the model of Jesus. Grace first then truth. Meet people where they are, but do not leave them there. Who do you know that needs to hear a truth today?

“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone...I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land...I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭21‬ ‭

God's plan has been and will continue to be redemption. His process is not always what we prefer. We tend to be stubborn by nature, but we do not have to live by our nature when we live by the Spirit. Look at this story for a moment. God speaking through Ezekiel is speaking to people who were actively rebelling, scattered, and living in sin. Do you see what He did not do? He did not ignore their actions, fail to hold them accountable, or pretend like everything was okay. He called them out and scattered them so they experienced the consequences of their choices. Our world would be a lot better off if as friends, parents, colleagues, or a community we held each other accountable in loving ways.

God gives them truth. You are in a bad place because you made bad choices. But truth does not stop there because God is never done with us. If you have breath in your lungs, then God can bring you back home to right relationship with Him. He says I will give them a new heart. I will bring them back. Truth told said if they would listen and obey they will experience the blessings of relationship with the Creator of all blessings.

The crazy thing is not everyone listens. Not everyone will be saved. Some will choose to perish like Ahab and be stubborn because they prefer to have a heart of stone. Before we start a campaign of calling people out by pointing fingers, let us always remember that Jesus tells us to take out the plank before we call out someone's splinter. Is there anywhere in your life, in your relationships, or in your heart where you have been stubborn? Anything you need to let the truth of Jesus soften?

“In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy...who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory...the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬-33

Jesus is the voice of truth. He is the stumbling block that we all must pass over in order to find right relationship with God. Who is Jesus to you? Is He Lord? Is He Savior? Is He simply teacher or the genie we call upon when we need help? He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John said that He is faithful and just to bring healing to all who confess and call on Him. Truth matters because truth leads to mercy and mercy leads to right relationship.

Paul said we are objects of mercy. If someone had asked who you are, calling yourself an object of mercy might not have been your first descriptor. But it is true. You are an object of mercy dearly love by the most merciful man to have ever walked the planet. Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word who became flesh. He is the One who came from Heaven to bring Heaven to Earth. He is the embodiment of love and faithfulness to the point of death on the cross. Righteousness and peace met at the resurrection as was evidenced by the empty tomb. All people know have full access to eternity through Him.

Ahab may not have lived during Jesus' time, but he had the truth right in front of him. He chose to listen to what he wanted to hear. We have the same choice every day. We can harden our hearts, surround ourselves with voices with people who tell us what we want to hear, and keep doing what we want or we can listen to Jesus. No one ever said truth is easy to hear, but truth is the only way to healing. The truth of the words of Jesus will challenge you, correct you, and call you to repentance. But always remember His heart is to bring you back not call you out so you feel bad. His correction is to bring you closer and so should ours be. As we share truth it should always be to elevate others not put them down. Truth should lead people to mercy, mercy should lead to Jesus, and Jesus will always lead those who follow to peace.

Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. Your choice. Soften your heart and listen when He speaks. Then be willing to both share and receive truth in love. Do not listen to everyone who says they are telling you truth. Listen to the people who have earned the right to speak truth into your life. You do not have to ever fear truth for perfect love, which involves holy truth, casts out fear. For Christians, Truth has a name, and His name is Jesus. Follow Him, trust Him, and let Him lead you into right relationship with God.