Faith That Shows Up | Daily Devotional 1612

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1612. Today's episode is called Choose Mercy.

Hey there, we're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Good morning, everybody, and happy Tuesday.

Stephanie Mwina here. Very glad to be diving into the book of James. And I am reading from James 2.13, which says, Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful, mercy triumphs over judgment. Thank you, Jesus. I love this. This is the key theme for today. Again, I am reading from my notes verbatim because I am very close to having a baby soon. So I need my notes to help me stay on track. So if it sounds like I'm reading, it's because I am. But let's dive into it. The key theme is people who have received mercy should become people who give mercy. Amen. Let's do this. You know, you and I, we're such special people. I love us because we love mercy when we're the ones who need it. But we're not always as excited about mercy when someone else needs it from us. When we mess up, we want people to understand our intentions. But when someone else messes up, we judge their actions. When we're having a bad day, we want grace. But when someone is rude to us on their bad day, we want justice. That's me all the time. And then James gives us this incredible statement mercy triumphs over judgment. You know, I'm 40 weeks pregnant, like I said, and I have been having weekly doctor's appointments. I'm very hormonal, I'm very tired, I'm in pain, I'm ready to have this baby. And at this stage of the pregnancy, the doctors can sometimes look like your number one enemies and the nurses. Because when you are so ready to have this baby, they're the ones that are saying, just wait, be patient, take care of your body. I know you're in pain, but you got to wait for the labor to come in naturally. And it can really, really upset you, especially when you're so hormonal and tired. Well, there was this one particular day a couple of weeks ago that I really wanted an ultrasound. And they were telling me, Well, you have to wait for the ultrasound because we are fully booked today with our ultrasounds. And I get so upset. How could they put me to push me to the side? How could these nurses not care for me? I'm so close to having this baby. Well, I go to my doctor's appointment on a Friday morning, and sure enough, who was the person that was had my slot for the ultrasound? Out comes walking one of my best friends who had to get the ultrasound before me because she had to check her C-section scar. And the person in the lobby next to me had to get the ultrasound to check for ovarian cancer. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. These doctors love me, these doctors care for me, but there is a lot that they are handling on a daily basis. There's a lot of other people in this office that they have to care for. And if they're having a bad day, it doesn't mean that it's because they stub their toe on the way out of the house. It's because they are dealing with some serious issues. And it's very normal for me to immediately go into a doctor's office or whatever it is with a wall up, ready to defend myself. But that's not what Christians do. And you know, I do want to give a shout out to anybody that is working in the medical field, nurses, uh, PAs, medical assistants, doctors, if you're listening, we really applaud you. And I know a lot of us can come in defensive, but we we have to extend mercy to those that we cannot know the full story of. We don't know what your day looks like. And if you are having those stressful days, we pray for you. We cover you in peace, we cover you in the Holy Spirit so that you can navigate those hard days in the office with joy and bring peace to others. Because this day at the hospital showed me if I want mercy from others, I gotta give mercy. If I want my doctor to be kind to me, I gotta be kind to him. If I want these nurses to be loving to me, I have to be loving to them. And wherever I go, because I am a Christian, I have to lead with mercy. And mercy does not mean pretending wrong is right, and it doesn't mean having no boundaries. Mercy means remembering how much mercy you've received from God before deciding how you're going to treat someone else. Think about how patient God has been with you. How many times have you made the same mistake? How many times have you had a bad day? How many times have you known better and still done the wrong thing? How many times has God forgiven you when you remember the mercy that you have received? It becomes much harder to walk around believing everyone else deserves your judgment. So the next time somebody irritates you, disappoints you, or says something wrong, pause before responding. Ask yourself, what would mercy look like in this situation? Maybe mercy means not sending the angry text. Maybe it's giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's just simply forgiving when they don't apologize either. Maybe it's correcting someone gently instead of humiliating them. We live in a world that is very quick to judge. Followers of Jesus, you and I, should be remarkably quick to show mercy. Let's pray. God, we thank you for the immeasurable mercy that's new every morning that you have given to us. Help me remember how patient and gracious you've been with me. Help me remember how many times you have forgiven me when I'm tempted to judge somebody else. Lord, give me wisdom. Lord, give me compassion and a heart that looks like yours. And if there is anybody today that I still struggle to forgive, if there's anybody today that I still struggle to extend grace to, I pray that your Holy Spirit will finally allow my heart to let it go, to forgive, to extend the mercy. Because Lord, I just want to be a reflection of you. And in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. So there you have it, your five minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you've found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.