Jesus was often approached on the basis of mercy by those who did not know him personally. The father of the demon-possessed boy called out the Lord to have mercy on him;[1] two blind men called out to Jesus for mercy as he passed by,[2] and the scriptures call us to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.[3]
We can appeal to God on the basis of mercy. We can come to him for forgiveness to cover our wrongdoing and he will respond. However, it is a much better approach to appeal to him on the basis of our relationship with him. It is similar to a relationship that a child has with a parent. If every interaction required the child to come on the basis of mercy, no true relationship would exist.
To build a relationship requires us to interact on the basis of love. Love under girds mercy, for without love, mercy is unavailable. God is merciful because of his great love for us; we are merciful because of our love for him.
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