God's Mercy

Teenagers Are People Too!
by Joyce Meyer

(Page 5 of 5)

When we deal with ordinary people, they usually are not very merciful. It seems we get into trouble each time we make a mistake. If we don't do exactly as they expect us to, they become angry, reject us and even punish us if they can.

God is just the opposite. It is His nature to be merciful. He enjoys giving people mercy, being good to those who least deserve it and giving people a second chance in life.

I don't think there are many things in life that hurt us emotionally as much as rejection. We all greatly desire acceptance. In order for people to accept us, they must know how to flow in mercy Sad to say, very few people know how to do this.

The Bible tells us that God's mercy is new every day. (Lamentations 3:22,23.) That is really good news. I imagine you are like me and everyone else; you need mercy every day. We all make mistakes daily. People frequently reject us for our mistakes, but God does not. He helps us overcome them and improve. He teaches and trains us to do better because He loves us so much, but there is no pressure to be perfect.

You must believe by faith that God loves and accepts you and that He will never reject you as long as you believe in Him. (John 3:18.) This is the only way to enjoy unconditional love in the world we live in; we must receive it from God.

Too often we look to people to give us what only God can give. I did this for many years of my life, and it always ended in heartache. I was always disappointed with people.

People all have inherent (built-in) weaknesses; therefore, they can never be perfect.

We are all flawed; that is why we must have God's help continually in our lives. When we expect people to give us what only God can give us, we are doomed to disappointment. God wants us to look to Him, not to others. When we don't, He shows us the weakness in the people we are overly dependent upon. And He does it for our ultimate good.

There are times in life when God allows us to be hurt in order to help us. He is not the author of these times, but He will make them work to our advantage. Part of our personal and spiritual growth takes place in these times. God uses the hurts from our past to make us a better person in the future. It is the same principle that a good parent uses with a child they love.

I did not spank or correct my children because I enjoyed it. I did it to help them learn and understand the things that were good for them and the things that were not.

I am sure there have been many times in your life when friends have disappointed you. Perhaps you are still bitter about it. The bitterness will poison your life, and it will not change the people who let you down. Only God can change people, and only if they will allow Him to do so.

There is no point in ruining your life over someone else's bad choices. I strongly encourage you to stop looking to people for approval and acceptance and instead, look to God. Remember, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, God accepts you just as you are. He will work with you all the days of your life to continually bring you into the fullness of what you can be with His help.

Give Away What You Want to Receive

A good way to start receiving what you want from others is to start giving it first. It is the biblical principle of “seedtime and harvest” on which God's kingdom operates. To be successful and reap the benefits of Christianity, we must understand this principle.

God has a good life planned for you, but just like everyone else, you will have to learn how to operate in His ways. For example:

God loves us first-He gives us love, and then we love Him in return.

He wants us to love Him, but He gives first.

If we want to receive acceptance and unconditional love from others, we must begin giving to others what we want them to give to us.

Give mercy to others, and you will begin to reap mercy in relationships. Mercy is better than judgment:

Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.

For just as you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

Matthew 7:1,2

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7 KJV

We usually want everyone to give to us and, in fact, we get angry when they don't.

God's ways are the exact opposite of man's ways. The good news is, God's ways work, and man's don't.

Do things God's way, and you will have a great life. You will learn His ways as you spend personal time with Him, talking to Him as you would a good friend and reading His Word on a regular basis. Also, find someone who is really blessed and happy, and watch how that person lives. Don't follow miserable people. If you do, you will end up just like them. Choose your friends carefully-they have an effect on you. Form a habit of being good and kind to others, and you will be a happy person.

We spend too much time worrying about how others treat us. We should be concerned about how we are treating them. Remember-first give away what you want to receive. Any farmer knows that he will never reap harvest without first sowing seed.

Begin today to be as radical about giving to others as you want them to be in giving to you!

If you want unconditional love, mercy and respect, begin giving it to others.

Don't fall into the trap of self-pity, being resentful toward those who don't meet your needs. Look to God to meet your needs and ask Him to use you to help someone else.

Copyright © 2002 by Joyce Meyer

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.