In Chapter 10 (“Mercy Me”) of Let It Go, T. D. Jakes states that while a “trickle-down” economic theory may be a flawed system, the theory is quite appropriate when applied to God’s mercy. Just as the mercy God extends to us is”new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23), our demonstration of mercy is an extension of God’s love and mercy to others.
However, when we incubate unforgiveness, Bishop Jakes tells us that basically we are insisting on setting our standards higher than God’s. A prime Biblical example is the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18: 21-35), whose massive debt was forgiven by his master. In return, however, the unmerciful servant had no compassion on someone who owed him much less.
Bishop Jakes concludes with the following strongly-worded statement that decisively underscores the importance of daily living out/witnessing God’s mercy and love toward others, whether or not they respond in kind: “When you and I consider how much God still forgives us . . . how can we then find within ourselves the audacity to condemn others? Often pronouncing judgment without the slightest reflection on our own past and his kindness toward us, we flagrantly disregard God’s gift to us as if we suffered from spiritual amnesia.”
James 2: 13- “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
