Mercy, who needs it? Self-proclaimed good people who believe in their merit are unaware of their need for mercy. I know that I desperately need it. Lord, have mercy!

Mental health? Giving and receiving mercy is vital to our inner peace. I’ve got mercy on my mind today! When you can’t save yourself, you need a Savior to save your sanity.

Rights? Everything that we’ve been given by God is better than we deserve. No amount of human effort ever gives us rights to even the simplest gift from God. Rely on God’s mercy and grace, not on your perceived merit — your self-justified claim to a right to chase your own desires. Calling something a right won’t make it right!

“Blessed are the merciful . . .” Really? Yes! Showing mercy to people who have wronged you is a powerful blessing for you. It flushes the bitterness out of your heart and makes room for God’s mercy to heal and restore you. Can somebody say, “Amen!”?

Forgiven? When you have mercy on people, you open up to the free-flowing faucet of forgiveness and then you’re able to inwardly and continually bathe in and soak up amazing life-giving grace. You can’t find any place like the place where you receive and begin to walk in the sin-stopping power of God’s grace! And that can be right here, right now. Mercy!

Merit? Those who receive mercy haven’t earned a right to wear a merit badge. Mercy can never be deserved. Unless we feel guilty, are being judged or condemned by someone, or are being convicted of our sin by the living God, we seldom sense a need for mercy. But nobody gets inner freedom without it!

God’s kingdom? The kingdom of God isn’t a meritocracy. It’s the gracious combination of just judgment and great mercy — truthful accountability and loving forgiveness. We’ve gotta have King Jesus!