Mercy (Otherwise known as "Uncle") - This is a popular game of strength, skill, endurance and pain tolerance.
Have you ever played this game? I still remember this game going around when I was in the Youth Group. To the guys...it was a way to show the ladies how tough they were. I'm sure to the ladies...well they probably thought we were stupid. But nonetheless, the rules of the game were: two players grasp each other's hands (with interlocked fingers) and then aim to twist the opponents hands or bend their fingers in such a way that would cause them to yell, "Uncle!!!." Once this happened, the winner was decided. The whole idea was to get someone to cry out for mercy.
David in Psalm 116:1 gives us one reason that we ought to love the Lord. There are numerous reasons, but look at this one:
I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.
The idea here is that the Lord heard David's cry for mercy.
In David's deepest darkest time, as he cried out to the Lord, the Lord had mercy on Him. David's love for the Lord grew as he realized how merciful his God was.
Has your love grown for your God as you see His mercy?
The Lord does not have to listen to us every time we call unto Him...but in His mercy He chooses to listen every single time.
Mercy - This is God withholding from us what we deserve.
Teens, to be frank with you this morning, we deserve death. Plain and simple. Because of our sinful state and the holiness of our God we have no business being in a relationship with Him. But God, who is rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4) withheld the punishment of your sins as you placed your faith in Him. WOW!! This thought ought to drive you to your knees and thank Him and love Him all the more.
As you continue to live your forgiven life in Christ, you will still fall, you will still displease the Lord and you will still replace Him in the throne room of your heart. But as you fall, and as you run to the Lord and cry out to Him for mercy, He continues to extend to you what you do not deserve...His forgiveness and His love.
Teenager - How much do you love your God? Does His mercy cause you to love Him more? It did David. If nothing else...think this week about the times that God has given you mercy!