Mercy Triumphs Judgment!

There is one area that I believe we as humans all struggle with, and even when we don't always realize that we are struggling with it, we still are. It is mercy versus judgment.  Have you ever met someone for the very first time, and very quickly formed an opinion of them? Maybe it was a good opinion & maybe it wasn't, but nevertheless, in a very short amount of time, you sort of had them "figured out."  Have you ever saw a brother or sister in Christ struggling in their life with strong battles, and came to the conclusion that it was because their life was not right with God? Have you heard someone talk about just how another had wronged them, listened to the situation, and determined that it was so... without... hearing their neighbor? Have you ever saw someone living in the pits of sin even after knowing the "better" way, yet still choosing to throw their life away? How did you act toward them when you saw them; how did you treat them? How did you feel... in the secret place of your heart... towards them?

These are just a few examples that I have used to help you to apply this to your life personally. We all can be so very quick to judge people or situations; it is the natural reaction of our flesh. We as Christians know that we are not supposed to walk in judgment towards others, and even the lost can quickly remind us of that, however, the Word of God does tell us to judge the... fruits... of people to know whether they are truly in Christ or not. I truly believe that this is because deception is so great, and the Lord does not want His people to be drawn away by wolves in sheep's clothing. He does not want us to be ignorant or taken in by something that's false. Not so quick, though, because there is definitely a fine line here. He says to judge the fruits not to walk in judgment towards people.

About a year ago, after praying for God to reveal to me anyone that I had wronged, the Lord began to deal with me concerning a certain someone that I had just washed my hands clean of per say. I was tired of seeing them destroy their life when they knew better. This was not your average "walking the mile" with someone, but it was walking in countless miles of circles with them, and with no change coming from it...at all! I had developed an attitude of judgment towards them, and actually felt justified by it. Most everyone that knew them felt the same way; they had burned a lot of bridges. The Lord began to deal with my heart & how it was callous towards them. He began to speak to me about walking in mercy towards them; just loving them where they were at. Of course, my flesh yelled, "...but that will make them feel even more ok to continue living the way that they live...they might never change if someone doesn't challenge them to!" God reminded me of the scripture in James 2:13 (NAS), "For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."  I heard in my spirit man, "If you are going to err, err on the side of mercy." Well, I did repent to them concerning my wrong attitude & behavior of judgment. I chose that day to let God be the judge of their life & not me.

There is no weapon that the enemy could ever use against us that can prevail against mercy because mercy is an absolute act of unconditional love; the God kind of love. Even as Christians who are sold out to walk in mercy, we can still be pressured & deceived by the devil to fall into the trap of judging, but God is calling us just to love people right where they are at. Never at any point should we stop loving them or caring for their souls. Never at any point should we stop walking in mercy towards them. The Lord has often reminded me over the past year of the scripture in Romans that says, "It is the goodness of God that leads you to repentance." It is not our scorning or judging them, or even the quiet disdain in our hearts towards them that makes them want to change. That will not make them want to serve God at all...Not one bit! However, since there is no law against love, continual love & mercy will chip away the hardening of the hearts. It softens them; you may not be able to see that it's happening, but it is. If the world is such a hard place to live in, with so much hurt, pain, anger, rejection, etc...then if we as the Body of Christ are showing a perpetual goodness, which is love & mercy towards someone who is determined to live in the ways of the world, it will only be a matter of time before they need a place to run to. If they are receiving constant mercy & love from you as a Christian, you are showing them in action that Christ will also receive them, and they will know that they have a hiding place in Him. They will then be much more likely to trust Jesus Christ with their lives. If we operate out of judgment & rejection, how could that ever be appealing to them? It can't! If we do not live the Word concerning mercy to the lost and back-slidden, how can we expect them to desire what we have left to offer them???  I need mercy for myself, and so do you. If you sow it, you will reap it. Mercy triumphs judgment... Mercy always wins!