"In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness."
Isaiah 16:5 (NKJV)
Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3 (NKJV)
"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)
Our tendency is to exalt either mercy or truth at the expense of the other. Without mercy, truth loses its credibility. Without truth, mercy lacks genuine or lasting comfort. And the greater the depth of truth, the greater the appreciation for mercy.
The "sinful woman" was despised for her sin and knew its weight. Some sins—pride, lust, and greed for example—don't carry the same stigma that her sin did, and may not even feel like a burden. The truth is that we have all sinned much.
The sinner who believes he has sinned little does not require less mercy than the sinner who knows he has sinned much. Sin brings death, and death is absolute, not a matter of degrees. Every sinner has been forgiven much, has received great mercy, and ought to love much.
Until sin's weight is truthfully faced, mercy will seem light, gratitude will be thin, and love will be little.
Holy One, I have sinned much and offended You deeply, requiring a sacrifice with high cost. You have shown me great mercy, and my debt of gratitude is too enormous to ever love You enough. I gladly bow my face at Your pierced feet to kiss them and pour out upon them whatever I have.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy
Amen.
ReplyDeletehi,
ReplyDelete....been here reading/thinking/chewing about this post. i think that "unforgiveness" was/is/and will continue to be the biggest detriment to my sojourn. thank you for leaving this post on your blog. i've already bookmarked it and will re-read it later today.
Bud
Bud, in the past I've found forgiveness came easily to me. The Lord has allowed me some fiery testing in this area lately. It is hard to forgive offenses, especially deep hurts or repeat offenses. But it is still for our benefit that we forgive.
ReplyDeleteYou may find this post of interest:
Forgiveness.
In the midst of my present testing I wrote this:
Strange Language.
I pray that more than my words, the Lord's Spirit will speak to your heart, and empower you.
thank you for those links. they are bookmarked also. will read them today after i get household chores out of the way.i don't beat around the bush but am a "tell it like it is person." i just lost out on the last 15 years of my life because of unforgivess towards God and the church. thank you for responding back to this older post. so in order not to be a nuisance here, i won't mind if if you don't respond to my comments that i leave behind. gonna go over your blog a bit. ....love it for the fact that you post scripture too with your writings too.
ReplyDeleteBud, you're certainly not a nuisance. And may you always find here passion for Scripture.
ReplyDeletehi Anne:)
ReplyDeleteit's His amazing grace how these posts stick out in my mind. i've sorely missed the back forty lately.
"our tendency is to exalt either mercy or truth at the expense of the other." that stuck out yesterday and today like a sore thumb.
(so i will chew on it some more....and you can ignore this comment)...if you like
Bud ~
ReplyDeleteIt's cool when you comment on old posts. I enjoy an excuse to look at them again myself. : )
(and I never ignore your comments)
ReplyDelete