Be Still And Know

James 2:13 Mercy lies right at the heart of God’s dealings with us. Because we have sinned against God we have no right to expect anything other than condemnation. That’s what justice would demand. But God has decided that justice should be set to one side and that we should be shown mercy instead. There is nothing we could ever do to deserve this. It is simply a gift. Having received that gift, we are then under an obligation to pass it on to others. That is not a matter of choice. Jesus could not have been clearer on this point. He said: “If you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). It has only happened to me on one occasion, but I once spoke with someone who told me that there was someone in their church whom he could never forgive.
He told me what the person had done and assured me, in very strong terms, that nothing would ever persuade him to forgive. I knew my duty. I reminded him of the words of Jesus: if he really meant what he said, God could not fo