Mercy

"I desire MERCY, not sacrifice." Matthew 12:7

It's hard to balance discipline and mercy when people do wrong, because we always want to teach a lesson about consequences of their actions.

If they intentionally disobey rules, or are dishonest, we want to mete out a justifiable punishment. We sometimes fear if we’re too soft, they won't learn the lesson and they'll do it again. But how about God?

“The wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:3) shows death is what we deserve for sinning! And yet the verse continues, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is pure mercy, pure grace, and pure sacrifice for us!

And so when deciding on the consequence, it is always best to temper it with mercy, to bear witness to the truth of God's own love and unbelievable mercy!