Managing Mercy

who will trust you with true riches? Luke 16:11

I want to manage my money so that I don’t spend more than I earn. I want to manage my time in a way where moments aren’t wasted (or overbooked). I want to manage a lot of things. I even want to manage my use of energy and natural resources in a way that helps the environment (though I sometimes forget what goes into recycling and what just gets thrown away, not to mention that I just learned that chicken bones should go in neither, but rather down the sink’s garbage disposal – who would have thought!).

But what about wanting to manage what Jesus calls true riches?

Take mercy for example. Mercy is certainly one of our true riches, isn’t it?

And yet, how often do I think about managing mercy? How many books are written about it? How many seminars teach it? Do any of you iPhone users have an app for that?

What in the world is mercy?

I suppose it is anything from simply helping someone who doesn’t deserve it to actually letting your enemy, who just offended you, off the hook.

How often do you let your enemy off the hook? How often do we let our FRIENDS off the hook?
How often do you help the undeserving? How often do we help those who DO deserve?

Even if we were to stop and think about and intentionally manage our mercy, how generous would we be with it? (I wonder if we aren’t sometimes more merciful when we DON’T intentionally manage it.)

And why don’t we give out mercy more often? And why don’t we give out mercy EVERY TIME an opportunity occurs?

Every time I’m offended – mercy.
Every time someone doesn’t deserve help, but could use it – mercy.
Every day. Every person. Mercy for you and for you and for you.

What? Am I afraid that I’ll run out of it? As though it is like money where I only have so much I can spend before I run out?
Am I fearful that I don’t have the time for it? As though I don’t have room in my schedule for forgiveness today because I have to take my kids to soccer practice?
Do I think that it might not be good for the environment? As though too much mercy will bring about greater global warming (which by the way, it might!)?

Jesus said, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36

I am thankful beyond words that our Lord has not noticed all of the good reasons to neglect or intentionally withhold His mercy from us – but rather that His mercies are new each morning (noon and night) and that He so graciously showers them upon me and all – not because we are His friends or because we deserve it, but rather because that is the type of Manager He is.

My prayer is that He might help me manage my mercy in the same way.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, your mercy never fails me. Help me to give out mercy to others in the same way that you have allowed me to receive mercy from you. In your name. Amen.