When You Mess Up, God Gives Mercy - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - April 7, 2022
When You Mess Up, God Gives Mercy
By Rick Warren
“Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
Jesus’ ministry was all about mercy. In fact, there wasn’t a person he didn’t show mercy to.
The definition of mercy is “undeserved forgiveness and unearned kindness.” When somebody forgives you and you don’t deserve it, that’s mercy. When somebody shows you a kindness you haven’t earned, that’s mercy. And the Bible says that God wants to show you mercy.
The truth is, you need mercy every single second of your life. The air you breathe and the water you drink are mercies from God. You wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the mercy of God. God made you because he wanted to love you and show you his mercy.
There are many reasons you need God’s mercy in your life, starting with this one:
You need God’s mercy when you’ve messed up.
We all do. None of us is perfect! We don’t measure up to our own standards, much less to God’s standards. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (NLT). In other words, nobody gets it right all the time.
The Bible also says, “We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2 NIV).
Have you ever stumbled with your words, attitude, actions, or emotions? Maybe you have shown the wrong emotional response in a relationship and ended up hurting someone. When you keep stumbling over your sins and mistakes, how does God respond to you? With mercy.
“Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT).
God wants you to go to him with your habits, hurts, and hang-ups—and to go with confidence! He’s not going to scold you or condemn you. He’s going to respond with mercy.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
