Blessed be the LORD God…who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth.

— Genesis 24:27

Suppose the president decides to pardon a criminal in prison. Do you suppose that the people in America are going to rise up in righteous indignation and demand that he open the doors of every prison in the country and turn loose several millions of criminals on the populace of America? Of course not.

You see the Bible makes it very clear about God—and what is true for Him is also true for us—every one of us must be just. We must not act unjustly. But when it comes to mercy or grace, God says that nobody has any claim upon that. He says, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Romans 9:15). If it were something that was earned or deserved by everyone, then that wouldn’t be mercy; it would be deserved, and it would be justice.

No one has a claim on mercy. We all have a claim on justice, but it is not true that God must give anyone an opportunity for mercy.

Question to ponder:
How does it make you feel knowing that God has chosen to give you His mercy?