Mercy Is So Important
Jude 1:20-23 “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
This is a great verse because it tells us to build ourselves up in the most holy faith. It tells us to pray in the Holy Spirit and to keep ourselves in the love of God and wait for His mercy to lead us to eternal life. However, it doesn’t just stop there. It doesn’t stop with God telling us to take care of ourselves. It goes on to talk about how we should have mercy on those who waver in their faith. It tells us to snatch others out of the fire. This is a pretty vivid image. I think it paints an accurate picture of how important it is that we save others as well.
I think mercy is something that we need a whole lot more of in the world today. Mercy and Grace seem to go hand in hand, and this world seems to be in short supply of both of them. This world, or at least this country, the United States of America, seems to be so divided. If someone doesn’t believe the same way that we do, we tend to want nothing to do with them. Or, we want to argue with them and tell them all the reasons why their opinions are wrong. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think things can change without us talking about our differences. However, these need to be respectful, calm conversations where both sides are listening to the other with the goal of understanding where each side is coming from.
These are not the conversations that I have seen happening in our country for a long time now. I did see a conversation like this last summer at my nephew’s wedding. My brother-in-law and my husband had a respectful conversation about their thoughts on a bunch of different issues going on right now. They couldn’t have been further apart on some issues, but they both listened respectfully and actually learned that they agreed on some things. I think they also cleared up some misunderstandings about some issues. It was nice to see and a welcome change to the conversations I am used to hearing.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we believe. We think that we are right and that must mean that the other person is wrong. Something I have been learning a lot about over the last few years is that two opposing things can be true at the same time. You can love your parents, and you can also feel like you hate them for some moments. You can be super happy that you got a promotion and also sad that you are leaving your old job, or the friends at your old job. In most circumstances, neither side is 100% correct. There are pros and cons to both sides. There are facts that are misunderstood or taken out of context on both sides. Also, our emotions always enter into the arguments, and for good or bad, this makes us less objective.
Our feelings for the people we are talking to or arguing with can get caught up in our feelings for what they are saying. We can start to think that they are bad people just because we don’t like the things that they are saying. The day that this reading was given at the prayer group, the following word or prophecy was also given. “What I hear the Lord saying to me is that whether you believe it, whether you like them, whether you understand them, God tells us to love them. Love them in their misunderstandings, love them, pray for them, don't be like them.” I think this is important for us all to hear. God is not asking us to just pray for those that we love or those that we agree with. He is asking us to pray for everyone. He is asking us to even pray for those that we don’t agree with and those we don’t like. He is asking us to pray for those whom we don’t understand.
I think in this verse God is explaining to us that everyone is at a different place in their journey. He is saying to have mercy on everyone, but in very different ways. He is saying to pray for everyone and to love everyone, but also he is warning us not to get so close that we become like those who do not follow God’s ways. He says to “snatch them out of the fire,” but he also says “on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.” To me, this means that some people we can save, with God’s help, and others we need to have mercy, and pray for them, but we need to be careful that we do not become like them. I love how the word that was given this day was about how we needed to love everyone. This is something that is so hard to do sometimes.
Actually, all of this is hard to do most of the time. It is hard to love someone who is saying and doing things that you don’t agree with. Possible things that are hurting you or your loved ones. It is hard to have mercy for people whom you feel are wrong in so many ways. It is hard to have mercy for those who don’t seem to have any mercy themselves. It is hard to pray for people who have caused you harm. It’s hard to pray for people who seem so different, who seem like they don’t care about anyone or anything. God understands that this is hard. I believe this is why he started the verse with, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God.”
Have you ever been on an airplane before? Before you take off, the flight attendant goes over all of the safety precautions. One of the first things that they tell you is that if the cabin air pressure drops you oxygen masks will drop down from the ceiling. They warn you to put your mask on before you help someone else. Why is this so important? This is important because if you help others first, by the time you get around to helping yourself, you may not have the energy. I believe this is similar to what God is telling us. He is telling us to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves. He is telling us to build ourselves up in our faith, to pray, and keep in the love of God. This will fortify our faith and strengthen us so that we can go out and snatch others from the fire.
If we are not keeping our faith strong, we may have great intentions to go out and to help others, and yet we find ourselves being pulled down instead. God tells us to love others and to pray for them, but not to become like them. This is a hard task. It is difficult not to give in and become like others in the world today. Especially if you are surrounded by sin in the world. However, if you are strong in your faith, if you are praying and staying in God’s love, you will have all the strength you need to resist these temptations. The next time you are in a situation with someone that you don’t agree with or that you feel is not a great person, remember that God is calling you to have mercy on them. Instead of arguing with them, say a quick prayer for them. The next time you pass by someone and you don’t understand them or what they are doing, instead of judging them, say a quick prayer for them. We are all going through something. We have no idea what someone else is going through, what experiences led them to where they are. We need less judgment in this world and more understanding and love.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. We ask that you help us to have more mercy and grace for others. We ask that you help us to judge less and seek to understand more. Lord, we ask that you strengthen our faith and understanding. We ask that you help us to stay in your love, so that we may be strong enough to offer love and mercy to others. Lord, we ask that you help us to remember in the moment that we are your ambassadors of love and mercy. The only experience that some people will have with you, Lord, is through us; help it to be a positive experience. Help your love and mercy to shine through us! Father, we are so grateful for all you do for us. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
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