The Mercy and Compassion of God

UV 4213/10000 The Mercy of The Lord Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness and passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He ( constantly) delights in mercy and lovingkindness. Micah 7 v 18 Some are of the view that the God of the Old Covenant or testament is quite different in character from the One revealed in the New. But the uni-verse puts such doubt to rest. The Lord is merciful, quick to forgive, compassionate, loving and kind. He does not remain angry forever but releases His love and mercy upon His children when they repent and seek His mercy. He is unique in compassion. We, too, as believers are to emulate this character of God by not being revengeful, resentful, bitter, vindictive. We need to be free from grudges against those who have wronged us in the past and release them from the spiritual and moral debt to us. The Lord allows sun and rain to fall equally on the righteous or God-fearing and the wicked who do not know or acknowledge Him. Likewise, in our dealings with others, we should not judge or have a bias against those who have erred against us in any way. Such forgiveness does not come easily and we need the help of the Holy Spirit to develop such a forgiving attitude and nature. Jesus asks us to go the extra mile and to bless the aggressors, those who try to harm us. Since God is compassionate and forgiving, when we have such an attitude and act accordingly, it pleases Him and He will bless us abundantly. In contrast, if we take revenge on others, we are not allowing the Lord to play His role and hence, He will not act on our behalf. I have found this happening in my professional and personal space over the last many decades. The Lord acted against those who acted unjustly or even spoke unjustly about me while I did not lift a finger to avenge myself. Many Hamans who tried to harm me fell on their own weight and into the very ditch they dug for others. Even when they fall, we should not take secret or open pleasure in misfortune overtaking them. When they reach out to us for any assistance, we should not hold it against them and render whatever is within our capacity to help them.