2025-11-14
Good morning, Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit commanded me to write about merciful souls, like Jane Goodall and King David. These are souls interested in gaining knowledge and showing mercy. My husband, Peter, who passed away back in 2021, demonstrated the same kindness, mercy, and forgiveness that others whom we should want to emulate from the Scriptures had. These qualities made it possible for us to have a very happy and companionable marriage for 44 years. They made him a much-beloved leader in his career as a chemical engineer and allowed us to share our friends and faith throughout our entire marriage. The Holy Spirit leads me to write this week about hinderances to mercy and forgiveness, so that we can better understand the importance of these two things to a successful relationship.
Personal sin is a hinderance that we must understand and acknowledge. There are many kinds of sins that can be committed in a marriage, for example. King David allowed his lust for the already-married Bathsheba [2 SAM 11: 1-5]. In that same chapter [vs 14-17] after Bathsheba told David she was pregnant, David arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle. This heaped sin upon sin. All the while, God, Who is omniscient [HE 4: 13] instructed the prophet, Nathan, to go to King David to inform him of the consequences of his sins. One might ask how could a person who is given the name, David, which means “Beloved of God,” in Hebrew, and was considered “A man after God’s own heart” [1 SAM 13: 14; AC 13: 22] commit such atrocious sins? The answer is that any human can because he inherits the original sin [GN 3: 1-6] and adds any personal sin to it.
God loves us so much that His solution to this predicament was to sacrifice the life of His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a once-for-all sin sacrifice (propitiation) that grants eternal forgiveness for all who believe in Him [JN 3: 16]. That forgiveness is offered to all mankind, but only some make the decision to believe in the Lord. Getting back to King David’s story, we find that God gives Nathan the remarkable quality to successfully find a way to make David aware of his sins to the extent that this king takes responsibility for his actions, confesses them, and stops the sinful behavior. David and Bathsheba’s first child together doesn’t survive –their punishment-but David’s ethics return to following God’s [2 SAM 13: 1-20]. God’s actions after that didn’t release David from many trials, but once again, He was allowing evil for righteous reasons [GN 50: 20]. Considering the seriousness of David’s sin, we must understand that God’s forgiveness is huge in David’s life, particularly because He gave David faith that overcame fright [PS 63: 1-11].
When we examine our own lives, we should ask, “Am I refusing to forgive someone who has wronged me?” That kind of refusal is another hinderance to mercy and forgiveness. It is never constructive to hold a grudge. I’ve have seen the consequences of this in my own family and know that it causes a fracture in the relationship that can’t be healed if it goes on too long. It is destructive not only to the person against whom the grudge is held but also to the grudge-holder. Sin is distance between God and the sinner. The only One Who can grant eternal life is God. The more distance between the sinner and God, the less chance that the sinner can be restored to a good relationship with the Lord. LK 12: 10, “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” It is the Holy Spirit with Whom we need to cherish our relationship, as He is the precious mind of God Himself. Without the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t know what mercy or forgiveness are. That’s food for thought.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You to consider the thoughts and experiences shared here; we ask that You help us to openly and honestly examine our lives to determine if we practice mercy and forgiveness. Not only that, but we need to consider any hinderances to these things or other gifts of the Holy Spirit that we might be wasting. You have told us, “Be holy because I am holy” [LV 11: 44; 1 PET 1: 16]. Our great need is to be more like You, so we must study the Scriptures, take ethical and just actions to avoid sin-filled lives. Pleasing You matters more than we realize at times. We beseech You to guide us and help us to live lives that conform to Your teaching, knowing that You know how genuine our hearts are and how to bring us home to You for an eternal life of bliss and fellowship with You. You deserve our praise and thanksgiving for hearing our prayers and answering them. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am in awe of the generosity of the Holy Spirit in giving me what He wants me to write. It has happened again, as there are more things He wants me to write on hinderances to mercy and forgiveness. These things will be the subject of next week’s devotion. A favorite Scripture of mine and my husband’s reveals the Lord’s heart. MICAH 6: 8, “He has show you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Praise and thanksgiving be to Him.
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved.
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