His mercy!!!!!!

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You ever worked with teenagers who are 14-15 years old?  They can be challenging!  If not, picture this:  a group of about 15 teenagers aged 14-15 watching a documentary.  There were music video clips weaved into the story to show how slang is popularized, and even globalized, through music.  A controversial figure emerged and all of a sudden the group of teens found themselves in a debate about celebrities and religion.  For the life of me, I could NOT get the group to finish the film.  I told them to lower their voices...they would not.  I said to put their electronic devices away...they refused.  They continued their debate and used a computer to look up information to back up what they were saying. In the times that I've worked with them, they have been the loudest, rudest group I've seen in a long time!  I could feel my flesh rising as I wanted to give them a piece of my mind in an effort to demand their respect and full attention.  As I sat down to gather myself, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the rebelliousness exhibited by the group is exactly how I act at times...but the Lord's mercy!!!!
When He showed this to me, I was shocked!  He was right!  The Lord tells me to do something...my response: Nah, I don't want to.  His Word clearly gives me guidelines for living...my response:  I sometimes obey (especially when it's convenient); sometimes I'm pretty rebellious.

I was overwhelmed by His mercy.  His "compassion shown to an offender" (paraphrase from dictionary.com).  I remembered when I first looked up the definition of mercy about a year ago while reading the Scriptures.  I inserted the definition into the verse and was blown away.

An example:  Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" nkjv
Translation:  He has shown you, man, what's good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do what's right, to love compassion shown to an offender, and to walk humbly with your God?

Another example: Luke 6:36..."Be merciful, just as your Father in heaven is merciful." niv
Translation:  Be compassionate [have deep sympathy and sorrow and seek to alleviate the suffering] to an offender just as your Father in heaven is like that.

After all, "because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail" Lamentations 3:22 (niv).  If the Lord can have mercy on MEEE (and all of us!) despite what we DO and SAY and even THINK (!!!)...how DARE I not have mercy on the group I was working with?!?!?!  Or any one else who offends, or wrongs, me for that matter?

So what happened with the group?  Yep...I showed mercy.  LOL.  And I prayed for them.

Glory to His beautiful Name.