To truly understand God’s mercy that Jesus spoke of I believe it’s important to read God’s Word, the Bible, for ourselves. Because it’s while reading God’s Word that we begin to uncover the true meaning of God’s message. It’s also during this time we begin to realize that the Good News is not only a message of God’s love but one of mercy, compassion and forgiveness given through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many scriptures found within the Bible about God’s mercy, but, I chose only a few to help me understand God’s divine purpose through His mercy and how it affects Christians who have gone astray. What many call the Backsliding Christian. The first two scriptures read;

Joel 2:12,13 (AMP) – “Even now,” says the LORD, “Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], with fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]; Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.” Now return [in repentance] to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; and He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].

What really stands out to me in these scriptures is the need to genuinely repent. Because when we genuinely repent we do it from a place of sorrow within our heart. When a follower of Christ goes astray and is looking to restore their relationship with God they will be convicted. Convicted over their sin, convicted over their deeds in thoughts and actions, and this conviction is what brings grief, mourning and lots of tears.

But many Christians believe once we stray that’s it, but, it’s not what scripture tells us, even in the parable of the Lost Sheep Jesus tells us;

Matthew 18:12,13 (BSB) – What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

God will give mercy to those who genuinely repent and that’s the key. Don’t think you can just recite a prayer asking to be forgiven, because that’s missing the most important part, YOUR HEART!