Ephesians 2:8-9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast.

2 Samuel 24:14:

David said to God, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

Grace….and Mercy. Two terms that we tend to use together often. But what is the difference between them? Do they mean the same thing? Grace and Mercy are both gifts from God to those in the Kingdom. He gives them freely. And His giving of them is not based upon our works. But let’s not get them confused with one another because they operate in different ways in our lives.

Grace is when God grants us something good that we do not deserve. Mercy is when God withholds something bad from us that we do deserve. An example of grace would be God blessing us with a promotion at work even though we slacked and fell short in our current position. You didn’t deserve the promotion but God provided it anyway. An example of mercy would be God keeping you from having a car accident while you were speeding and texting on your phone.

But this idea of grace and mercy should be more than something that God gives to us. We should showcase grace and mercy when we are dealing with people as well. We should not take delight in the misfortune of others even if it’s seemingly deserved. We should always be looking for ways to build people up. To strengthen and empower them. To love them and forgive them. Today, choose to live and operate with the grace and mercy God has freely given you. And as freely as you have received it, freely give it to others as well.

KINGDOM DEFINITIONS