When God Shows Mercy to Somebody You Didn’t Vote For

Well, how-do, friend, come on around over here by the smokehouse out behind our ol’ front porch and git yourself plum settled into that ol’ ladder back chair there before the sweet iced tea loses its manners as the ice melts. There’s a lil’ ol’  Muscovy duck waddlin’ across the yard lookin’ plum offended by creation, and an ol’ pesky mud dauber is buildin’ its nest on the porch ceilin’ right there  like it drew up the blueprints itself. Both remind me that sometimes we can get mighty particular about how we think things ought to be handled around here.

Ol’ Jonah certainly did. After Nineveh repented, Jonah complained to God in Jonah 4:2–3. He sho’-nuff’ knew God was “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.”

And that there was precisely Jonah’s problem. He wanted all kinds of mercy for Jonah and some real serious judgment for Nineveh.

Mercy is downright wonderful until God starts handin’ it out to somebody we think oughta get tough consequences instead.

But Philippians 2:4 tells us, “not to be looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Verse 5 goes even deeper: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus didn’t come asking, “What’s best for Me?” He came asking, “Whom can I save?”

Here’s a fresh supporting Scripture for this devotional. 1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.” That’ll sho’-nuff’ knock the starch out of selfish religion.

God sometimes loves people we’ve already done mentally crossed off the list. He forgives enemies. He restores failures. He welcomes repentant sinners that make respectable folks uncomfortable.

And if His mercy irritates us, the problem may not be His mercy. It may be our own selfish heart.

Father, forgive me when I want grace for myself but judgment for others. Give me the mind of Christ. Teach me to rejoice when sinners repent, to seek the good of others, and to love beyond my preferences. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, let that git to settlin’ in and straighten there there porch cushion before you git to headin’ right on back into your day, friend. A lil’ ol’ snappin’ beetle can flip itself over quicker than some of us can plum change an opinion, but God can downright turn a whole human heart around. Don’t sit under your lil’ ol’ shade tree sulkin’ because mercy reached somebody unexpected. Rejoice when grace finds another sinner. After all, friend, that’s how it found us, too.

With joy,

Gwen