Show Mercy.Every person has been hurt. We’ve all had people who took advantage of us, who didn’t keep their word…

Gospel Corner

25/03/25

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:15, NIV

Show Mercy
Every person has been hurt. We’ve all had people who took advantage of us, who didn’t keep their word, who were unkind and rude. You can’t live without wrongs being done to you. The question is, how do you respond?

Don’t take the easy way out and let your emotions rule you and try to pay them back. There’s no satisfaction in being vindictive and trying to get revenge. You may be happy for a day, but the bitterness will come back. As long as you use your power to be vindictive and prove your point, you’ll get stuck. We all make mistakes and need mercy. If you want to see real lasting joy, be kind to people when there’s no reason. If you want to lie down at night in peace, show mercy when you have the advantage. If you want real fulfillment, real contentment deep down in your spirit, lift someone up when they pushed you down. The way to pass the test is by being good to those that have done you wrong. You’re showing God He can trust you.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for showing me Your mercy, Your kindness, and Your goodness over and over when I didn’t begin to deserve it. Help me to have a heart that is free from being vindictive. Help me to forgive and to do good to those who have done wrong. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

If you struggle, as many believers do, with whether you deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious, you are asking the wrong question.

The question you should be asking is, does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Because you are in Christ, having a blessed future is not contingent on how much you strive to be perfect or how hard you work at changing yourself. It is contingent on the person of Jesus.

The Bible proclaims, “as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Then so do you!

This is what being in Christ Jesus means. It means that today, God assesses you and sees you based on the perfection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness. In fact, the Bible explains that because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, we are now the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

“Righteousness” is a legal term. It means to have right standing before God. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines righteousness as “that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.” In other words, your right standing before God is based upon Jesus’ right standing before God.

Today, you are as righteous as Jesus because your righteousness is from Him. He purchased it for you at the cross.

When you received Him as your Lord and Savior, He took away all your unrighteousness once and for all and gave you His gift of righteousness. This righteousness is something that you can never obtain or achieve through your right doing; it can only be received by your right believing in Jesus.

And do you know what happens when you receive this gift of righteousness? The Bible declares that “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).

Hey, when you reign, your addictions don’t. When you reign, sicknesses don’t. When you reign, fear, depression, and every obstacle that is obstructing you from living your life to the fullest will be torn down and flushed out!