Seeing Mercy

Greetings Friend.

Much time has passed since I last wrote you. I know you have challenges, but I trust your heart is well. Be encouraged. Life is more than the things which pass.

The World continues its activities in seeking out followers. The Flesh and its ways are equally as busy. The Enemy of souls never rests. Yet, even with these ever-present foes, I am convinced that each day provides us opportunity to understand the presence of these influences in our lives and the lives of others, and that "seeing" their presence and influences we may act accordingly.

This discernment lends itself to knowing our hearts and must continue. Through this understanding and discernment, we realize our separateness to God and can further position ourselves in spirit from all that is unclean. We can thereby see sufficiently to pray for others to be awakened to God and His redemptive works through His Son and for His mercy to be applied to their lives. The World, the Flesh, and the Enemy of souls do not desire such movement by you friend, nor can they ever desire it. They do not foster mercy. You, if you be of Christ, you alone in this world can live this desire and foster mercy. It is your heart. Do you know yourself this way? Is this at all descriptive of your Christian day?

What of the admonition to "freely give what we've been freely given"? What meaning does it have when considering the gift of illumination, which we as believers have received, as we move through the moments comprising our days and our relationships? Do the things God has shown you matter in your relations? After having been awakened to your separateness to God in Christ and from all that is worldly, how does your life transact? That which is of the World, the Flesh and the Enemy of souls strives to keep you in darkness (as if un-illumined) and transact your relations as if from darkness. May God grant you insight regarding this. Treasure the gift of illumination to the things of God and live from it.

Reader, it is, unfortunately, much more natural for us, even if we have some familiarity with our separateness in Christ, to see and respond from what is fleshly and in relation to what is of the world rather than what is of God and eternal. Consider Jesus' statement denoting a difference between mercy and sacrifice in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7, for example. I pondered this recently and had the following thoughts. They are presented without concern as to their being right or wrong. They are simply a record of where my mind went.

- Jesus Himself seems to be the primary interpretative focal point to understanding the use of this statement in the context each is given.

- Jesus was more moved to render mercy than requiring others to sacrifice.

- He knew He was God's sacrifice, thereby rendering Him free to extend mercy to those needing it and eliminating the view (demand) requiring others live lives of "supposed" merit or sacrifice, including what I call the imposed burden of merit.

- As followers of Christ, we are freed from any life driven by "supposed" merit and the imposed burden of merit, thus we are free, as was Christ, to live from mercy and to extend mercy to those in need.

- Doing such removes from others the requirement of meeting any demands we in the flesh would impose on them.

- This results in their experiencing what is of God in us, thus their experiencing God in the world, all a contrast to their experiencing only the World, the Flesh, and the Enemy of souls.

- The "imposed burden of merit" is what I call the transference and perpetuation of a merit-based, flesh driven, life dynamic that exists and gets passed along if we ourselves don't live from an illumined sense of God's mercy.

- If we impose the burden of merit on others in our relations, we prevent others from knowing and possibly living by mercy, thus reinforcing an ungodly basis for relationships and keeping what is of God from people's lives.

- Mercy is freely given. Sacrifice is demanded.

Reader, if you have been freed from all merit-based sacrifice requirement by God’s mercy, meaning you know mercy, do you require others to live sacrificial lives to you, or do you free them of that because you operate from extended mercy toward them?

Experientially knowing mercy begets mercy. Not knowing mercy, or having only an intellectual comprehension of mercy, leaves sacrifice operative, thereby it begets the demand of sacrifice. One is God's way. Jesus knew both in ways we never will, and he elected mercy. He sacrificed Himself to give others mercy. Contextually, Jesus offered this desiring mercy over sacrifice in contrast to the Pharisees. How do you read you soul at this point? Where is your heart?

May God grant you understanding friend. Know your separateness. Freely give what you freely received. Give mercy and abandon requiring sacrifice. Live a life of separateness to God and permit others to experience Him through your life. Ponder and pray regarding the condition of your heart.

While I continue to consider Matthew 13 and the idea of separateness, the thoughts stated in this letter seemed good to share with you. May you daily be built up not just in the knowledge which pertains to your faith but the life itself. Trials will persist. But knowing one’s heart and the promotion of mercy need also persist.

God's best.

Carl