Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Ever see others gain mercy and feel like crying out, “Why not me?” Or perhaps you see others that you deem worthy of mercy yet still suffer. I often think about things like this. I really do not understand. If I were God I’d show mercy to all. If I were God.

See how ridiculous that sounds? I would substitute my judgments for God’s. That isn’t just ridiculous, its rebellious. We might not think of it in those terms but that is exactly what it is, rebellion. It is a difficult thing to be given a heart for others and then watch them suffer. What can we do?

Pray? Intercede? Or does it take something more that I am not prepared to do? Jesus was willing to die. What am I prepared to do?

Maybe that is it. Maybe we are being prepared. What needs to change in me in order to be ready to show mercy? I for one have always looked for the easy out, heaven forbid that I should actually do something. It is so much easier to sit and criticize than to stand up and actually do something. But what?

Luke 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

Do I have that kind of relationship with our Lord to actually ask or have you taken Him for granted? Is my relationship with my Lord only capable of crying “Have mercy on me!” Or will I earnestly plead, “Send me Lord, I will go.”

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

I am a fight fan. I admire the skilled fighter. I see something in the boxing arena which I can translate into Christian living. That thing is called the pose. Not that staged photo op during pre-fight press conferences, or the victory pose after the decision has been made, the pose that can happen during the heat of battle. This occurs when a fighter delivers a solid blow and admires his art rather than getting back on defense immediately. It will often be seen and you will receive a solid blow in return for the pose.

Can we all agree that Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross? Now, we who are in Christ, enjoy the fruits of that victory as we battle a defeated foe. Satan isn’t dead, he is an archangel, an eternal being.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

We claim victory in Jesus but that old enemy the devil is still in the ring and we battle this enemy with all the skills and talents we have gained in Christ. Satan’s jab has lost its sting. We are no longer afraid of it. We block, we duck, we throw combinations and every now and then land a solid blow. That feels good doesn’t it. We get to smack the devil around a bit.

If you stop and pose and do not get right back on defense, you are going to get hit with a good shot. That old devil is tenacious and crafty. He laid down for the count at the Cross but now we are in a new fight and we cannot relax for one second. Smack him with the Right Cross and he will go down. But he is going to get back up. He isn’t dead. And how do I know?

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Sin in us is evidence that Satan is still punching.