The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Nathan K. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - Mercy
According to the Webster's Dictionary, the word mercy "implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it or that extends help even to the lowliest of most undeserving."
Let's start in Matthew 18, verse 23: "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents (about 220,000,000) was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.' And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii (one denarius is a day's wages); and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?"
When examining this passage, let's put ourselves in the place of the slave that owed the ten-thousand talents. Like him, the debt we owe God is also impossible to repay, but God had mercy on us and sent His son to die for us and pay the debt in full. We must follow the example of Jesus and have mercy on the people around us by alerting them to the debt they owe God and how to find His mercy.
Romans 11:32 says "For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all." This verse stuck out to me just because of what it says, and it's very simple. God has put all men in a state of disobedience to Him so that He may pour out His mercies upon us. If He enclosed some men in sin and removed others only some of us would need His mercy. The rest, being sinless, would not need God.
In 1 Peter 1:3 we read, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Hallelujah! What a glorious verse. The mercy that God has for us is incredible; it is beyond anything that I can begin to hope for or comprehend. He loves this little speck of dust so much that he sent his only Son to die for me.
God wants to have mercy on every human being, and the only thing that gets in the way is us. If we will humbly call upon His Name, then, and only then, can He truly pour out His spirit of mercy upon us.
