How sweet is His mercy

"You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things". R21

After reading "First to Throw a Stone" from the book Restore Your Relationships, I realized that that facet of perfection that I had as a Pharisee or hypocrite is what contributes to others not getting closer to God, because being sinners We feel unworthy and incapable of being “perfect” or of becoming like the one we see and believe is “perfect” although we often realize that they are not perfect and further distance themselves from God because they believe that HE can not do nothing for His own children.

It is when we look at the beam in our eye and try (in the flesh first) to obey that we realize how difficult it is for us to stay pure WITHOUT God's constant help. I believe that gives us the compassion and mercy to look at our loved ones in sin. However, many times we fall back into this bad pattern of behavior.

I confess that it is easier for me to have mercy when someone who has failed has done it for the first time and regrets it than when it is a repetitive behavior. That's when I tend to judge the person most harshly. But again and again, my Beloved reminds me to forgive up to 70 times 7 the same sin. So in that, I understand the magnitude of His love and forgiveness for my sins as well as my need for Him to forgive those who hurt me.

It impresses me that HE, who is Holy Holy Holy, who is not a single drop or thought of evil in HIM saying “Neither do I condemn you” and we who are sinners dare to throw stones at our brothers, there is pride here too, because we don't are more than HIM to judge and condemn our neighbors.

We often let our minds get caught up in what our husband, son, or daughter are doing (and that's all we talk about with others), staring at the straw in someone else's eye when we should be dealing with our straw daily, looking at our Beloved Lord so that He would give us the grace to obey Him since we cannot even obey on our own since all the glory is His. We are His work and it is He who makes it possible for us to be obedient.

When we forgive we stop remembering the sin, we stop telling it... I remember I had in my mind a list of each of the offenses that had been done to me with every detail and I often went over it in my meditations remembering the details: looks, gestures, words, and every time I remembered it hurt me, then in obedience, I began to take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, and I chose to change my meditation by concentrating on my Beloved, His promises and works in faith. With this, my heart began to purify itself and that list was erased until I no longer remember almost anything about those offenses. Nowadays I try not to look at or meditate on bad things, I better look the other way and keep my heart clean. I choose not to search or inspect my husband or others so that I have nothing to forgive. Although of course, we are human, and sometimes things happen not because we look for them but because they come to us, so my Beloved always reminds me that I need to forgive every day 70 times 7.

I am far from having it all along, but fortunately, my Husband continues to remind me of His principles throughout the lessons. He continues to transform me more and more into His image, which is why I praise and thank Him so much.