Matthew 18:33 (NLT)
“Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”
What is our immediate reaction when someone does something to hurt us? If we’re honest about it, sometimes that ol’ vengeance nature raises to the surface and we want to get them back, big time. We want them to feel what they made us feel, or at least, we want them to know they picked the wrong one to mess with. But as believers, we cannot respond to everything the way the world does or even the way we used to. We are all imperfect people, and that’s a fact. But we can’t expect everyone to think, respond, or behave the way we would. We come from different backgrounds and upbringings, and those things can greatly affect how we treat people, handle conflict, and make decisions. This does not excuse wrong behavior, but it should remind us that every one of us needs grace.
God gives us a blueprint in His Word for how we are to live and how we are to treat others, including those who have wronged us. Ephesians 4:2 (NLT) says, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” That can be difficult when we are the one who has been hurt. Yet God asks us to make room for the weaknesses and imperfections of other people because He continually makes room for ours. Every day we fall short in some way. We make mistakes, respond incorrectly, and sometimes choose our own way instead of obeying God. Still, He continues to deal with us in mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” What a blessing it is to know that when we fail, we can come before God and find mercy. But we also have to remember that the mercy we gladly receive is the same kind of mercy God calls us to extend to others. We can’t continually ask God to be patient with us while refusing to be patient with anyone else. We can’t want Him to forgive our failures while holding tightly to every failure someone else has committed against us.
Jesus made this clear in Matthew 18 when He told the story of a servant who had been forgiven an enormous debt but then refused to show mercy to someone who owed him much less. That is why Jesus asked, “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” Mercy does not mean pretending that someone did not hurt you. It does not mean allowing people to continually mistreat you or refusing to establish necessary boundaries. Mercy means we refuse to let another person’s wrongdoing turn our hearts toward bitterness, revenge, or unforgiveness. We remember how God has dealt with us, and we allow His mercy toward us to influence how we deal with others.
Philippians 2:3 (NLT) says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” Humility helps us remember that we are not above anyone. We all need forgiveness. We all need patience. We all need God to give us another opportunity after we have gotten something wrong. The next time someone disappoints you, hurts you, or fails to meet your expectations, remember the mercy God has shown you. Ask Him to help you respond in a way that honors Him. We may not always feel like giving mercy, but when we remember how much mercy we have received, it becomes much harder to justify withholding it from someone else. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Remember the Mercy God Has Given You”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
