The mercy seat

Exodus 25:17-21

The mercy seat

17“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. 

When people do things to us it's hard to show mercy. We want mercy shown to us but its hard to give it especially when we are hurting.

That's where I am at. I am feeling very alone right now and upset.  When I extend myself and open myself up I risk getting hurt. When I get hurt I think...I don't want to do it anymore. 

When I meet new people and we become friends and then they walk away because of whatever reason I get hurt. I think... I don't want to do this again. I will keep to myself. 

Today in church I felt like the Pastor was speaking to me. The one part of his sermon he was talking about the mercy seat and judgment. He was talking about what we say to ourselves when we dont want to show mercy. "I don't want to release them because they will do it again. What if they get away with it?" They may. That is hard for me. I am a people pleaser by nature. I want people to like me. I dont like to start trouble and dont like when someone says something about me or my family that I know is not true. I feel a need to prove that it isnt true.

I guess what I need to realize is that people will always think what they want. I can't change that. Telling them that what they heard isnt true is not going to make them believe it. So when people wrong me, talk about me, call me names, think they know me because so n so said this about me, I need to extend mercy. God will deal with them just as He will deal with me about my sins. So I need to let Him deal with it because His ways are better than my ways.

Over the last week while things were happening to my family I was so upset. Daily headaches, crying most of the day, not wanting to leave the house. I was angry and tired and weary and weak. I didnt really understand grace. What I was thinking was someone can hurt me and then God forgives them because of grace? People can abuse me and God's grace covers that? Does no one get a shift kick in their rear? ;) But then today I heard grace isnt a get outta jail free card. And it was starting to become a bit clearer. God cares when people hurt me and He deals with them in His way.

Matthew 7:1-2

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Declaring truth is not judging. We are to speak the truth in love. In Acts it says we are to command men to repent. 

Judging means to sit on the throne as judge and pass sentence. 

We are talking about people's motives. I can apply the word to their actions. Your motives never justify you.

God desires mercy over judgement. The place of the mercy seat is low. The judgement seat is high n lofty.You can't see clearly on the judgement seat. If we are going to see God's people the way He does we have to do so on the mercy seat.That means when people hurt me even if they never get found out here God knows and that needs to be enough for me. 

Mercy is delaying judgement. When you judge you're blind, you're unable to help and you are gonna get judged.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

So today I feel is the first day to healing from this incident. Today I am choosing to show those people mercy. To wish them well and let God deal with them as He sees fit not as I do. I walk away. I move on. And I always remember to show mercy and still speak truth.

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

Be blessed