The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Erin M. during the 2007-2008 League.
You’re 10 years old. Your parents are outside; you know you’re not supposed to play baseball in the house, but the little league World Series is on TV and there is nothing more exciting than practicing your pitch while watching it! You think you are just going through the motions, but then, you realize that you wound up too hard and your pitch just broke the new vase your mom just bought! OH NO! What are you going to do? Too late, she just came back inside and you have to face the consequences.
The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines Mercy as, “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power.” According to that definition, we know that we serve a God of mercy. Our Lord bases almost everything on mercy.
Exodus 33:18-19 says, “Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” The Lord had compassion on Moses multiple times only proving its value to Him even more!
Neh. 9:30-31 says that, “For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” God Himself gives out mercy. Our Heavenly Father deals in mercy every day! Without His grace and mercy we would cease to exist. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. NOT HIS! That is how much mercy He has! He was willing to sacrifice His own Son for you, and for me. It’s His mercy that saves us; He must have mercy before He can forgive us.
Prov. 3:3-4 says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” “Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,” that is God has said to do. Do not forget mercy! Write it on your forehead if you have to but do NOT forget the incredible gift that has been given to you. Jesus Christ gave His blood to save you. That is the best example of mercy. He did not do it because it was fun, or to sell eternal forgiveness to you for a profit. NEVER! He sacrificed Himself because that is the value mercy holds to the Lord. We need to put forth our best effort in remembering the amazing gift of mercy that our Lord has given us. We need to remember that we are no special case. You need just as much mercy as the next person. We are all equal in God’s sight, and no matter what, in the end, it all comes down to this: we are nothing without God. Without Him, we would live eternity in eternal damnation. Because Jesus Christ was willing to show us mercy, we need to be willing and ready to show mercy in return. Remember how you just broke your mom’s new vase? Well she just came inside, and she saw everything. You run other there, give her a big hug and say, “I’m so sorry mommy! I didn’t mean to break your lamp! It was an accident! Will you forgive me pleeeeaaassseee!?!” What do you think? It takes mercy to forgive. Will she remember the gift she has been given? Only you can decide.
