TODAY’S DEVOTION (Wednesday 11th June 2025)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 162ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
There is a generation that specializes in frustrating the mercy of God.
I used to be part of that generation. Sometimes I still behave like one. God will warn me of things, but my humanity will do something different, resulting in His mercies not being able to prevent in my life what He sent it to prevent.
But there is a worse generation than this; it is the generation that God calls “vessels of wrath.” This is the generation of those who have no heart or desire to respond positively to God’s mercy in any way. They do not make use of it to turn from wicked ways and do the right things.
They return evil for every good God has done to them, even to the point of becoming lesbians and gay.
They call the killing of unborn babies’ “evacuation” and promote the right of those who desire to do so. If you look at the Church, you see the same generation taking its place from the pulpit to the pew. But God is not willing that any should perish, but that all of us should come to repentance!
When we began this month’s devotional, we did share that God’s Mercy is not just a need but a seed. Those who do not understand that will take His mercy for granted and end up being grinded. They will not make use of His mercies properly but will rather turn it into a fertilizer for sin and wickedness.
That is why you find a young lady who aborts the first Child successfully, going to abort the second and the third without even thinking of repentance.
You find men on the same bloody part doing it over and over. You find people that God has shown mercy getting involved in many other wicked deeds, simply because they experienced no immediate consequence for resisting God and continuing in their wickedness.
YOU FIND SOME OF US IN CHURCH, MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE BECOME CALLOUS AND HARDENED TO GOD’S WORD AND WAYS.
You find us doing that simply because of God’s mercies that are upon our lives: you find us not thinking about His severity. Sadly, so many in church today have lost sense of God’s severity.
A man once said to an evangelist that he will commit so much sin and get God so angry that when he dies and appear before Him for judgment, God will be so angry that in a bid to throw him into hell, he will land in heaven. That is how depraved many have become.
We need to understand that when God show a man mercy, He expects something in return and that thing is not money or an offering. What God expects in return is repentance! We see this all through the scriptures. The most common of the scriptures is the story of the woman caught in Adultery. The Bible says,
“Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:3-11 NKJV
Often when this story is told in Church, the preachers major on the part that says “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” because of our lack of willingness to live a righteous life. We major in the minor because many are living in sin and not ready to be rebuked or corrected.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS STORY SO LONG AS THE MERCY OF GOD IS CONCERNED, IS THE LAST PART.
Jesus looked up and said to the woman, neither do I condemn you “go and sin no more.” That was a seed of Mercy sown into her life to reap a harvest of repentance. If God was not interested in a harvest of repentance He would not have charged her to go and sin no more.
You see grace and truth in action here. Grace told her “Neither do I condemn you.” Grace does not condemn. Grace imparts a man to do truth. That is why I tell people if you say you are under grace but live in sin you are not under grace but under grass.
So, grace said to her “neither do I condemn you.” But Truth said to her, “go and sin no more.” Truth urges sinners to repent and rebuke them when they repeat their sins instead of repenting from them. Truths will tell you not to repeat your folly, and grace will “impart” you not to repeat it.
Truth urges but grace enables. That is why a balanced gospel will be full of grace and truth, not grace alone and not truth alone. Remember Jesus came full of grace and truth.
But, to many Christians today, when Jesus said to that woman caught in adultery “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more” it was a divine approval for wicked conduct. They do not see, the command “go and sin no more.” They only see, “neither do I condemn you.”
Hence when you rebuke them for sins they are secretly or openly involved in, they scream at you saying, “you have no right to condemn me, we are all sinners.”
Under such resistance my response is usually this: “we are not all sinners? If we are still all sinners, then Christ died in vain, and the Holy Ghost is not on earth.” Some of us have been blood washed and enabled by grace to obey the word of truth and righteousness.”
THIS ADULTERATED GRACE MENTALITY IS THE GREATEST KILLER OF MOST CHRISTIANS.
But if we begin to see God’s mercy as a seed, we will have the revelation to return the harvest. Repentance is the first harvest God expects from us as beneficiaries of His mercies. The next is living “a life of forgiveness and mercy” towards others. That is what we want to close this devotional with.
Our devotional text says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” There is this parable of the unforgiving servant that might be of help to us today. The Parable makes it clear that an unforgiving spirit always leads to bondage.
It reveals why many in church today are in bondage and shows us that if God show a man mercy, apart from repentance from sin, He expects that man to extend same mercy to others who needs his mercy as well. The man God may have shown mercy will undo it if he withholds mercy from those who needs it from him the way he needed it from GOD. The Bible says,
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:23-35 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, you will discover that two people ended up in prison. The one that refuses to extend mercy to the other and the one he withheld his mercy from. Jesus said God will do the same to us if we withhold mercy from people who have offended us.
The truth is God has delivered many to spiritual torture because they refused to extend mercy to their fellow men. The Bible says “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.”
Maybe you are wondering as a child of God why your life has been full of torture and your prayers not being answered.
Maybe you are wondering why you are going through this and that despite your prayers, fasting and giving. Maybe you or some prophets have blamed all your problems on some voices and demons crying against you from your village, coming to sleep with you at night, or even some generational curses.
You have pointed accusing fingers at everyone and everything except yourself. Now, start looking inward!
Is there someone you have refused to forgive? It could be your father, your mother, your sister or brother. It could be the man who used and dumped you, or the woman who destroyed your entire life and disappeared? Could it be your uncle or friend? Could it be your boss?
Maybe all your prayers have been that they “die by fire” instead of forgiving them, as GOD has said.
Maybe they knelt down and begged you in genuine repentance asking you to show them mercy, but you refused. Concerning the unforgiving servant, the Bible says, “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
That could be what is really crying against you in the spirit and not what your fathers did. Child of God, that could be why your life has been so torturous – with nothing working – no marriage, no ministry, no business, no company retains you in a job, no education, no good social life, etc. you are just full of pains.
I believe the message of today’s devotional has been passed. May the LORD use these words to improve your walk and talk with Him in Jesus precious name! Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
“Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:14-21 NKJV
