“God’s mercy to us is the motivation for showing mercy to others.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (p. 183). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

And that can be very difficult to do can’t it?

But as Rick says, “Whenever you are hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution? You can’t do both. Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior. And that is very good to see. Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you.”

I don’t know where you are in your life story but some of you needed to see this distinction. Yes you forgive. If you do that quickly you will be absolved of the pain by doing that. But trust is another thing. That takes time and in some cases it will never happen because they cannot be trusted because they haven’t changed.

Jesus said when they were about to crucify Him on the Cross, “Father, forgive them” but trust was another thing. He knew their hearts and knew they would do it again if given the opportunity. But if they changed in their beliefs and their actions then over time He could trust them.

Now Paul is a classic example of this. He set out after Jesus was killed to kill the Christians but his personal encounter with Christ brought about a change in the direction of his life. Initially the Christ followers didn’t trust him but eventually they saw he had change and they saw him as someone they could follow and trust. His new relationship with Christ had changed him. He was a different man.

Yes we must give mercy but trust is another thing. It will take a personal experience with Christ to change them. He is in the resurrection business and He can change them but they must ask Him to do it.

So how are you doing with your mercy giving?

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