Mercy

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 10th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the New Testament, to 1 Timothy 1:15-16:

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.“

And then he goes on in verse 16 to say:

”…for this reason I obtained mercy,…” 

Saul of Tarsus was the chief of all sinners. Remember, his objective was to kill Christians. He was an enemy of Jesus Christ and Jesus’ people, but God had mercy on him on the road to Damascus. Remember?  

He knocked him off his horse and said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  

“Who are You, Lord?”

 “I am Jesus”. 

Paul himself says, “I am the chief of all sinners.” We need to understand one thing. None of us can earn our way to Heaven, none of us can try and live good lives. We are sinners saved by grace and grace alone. We have to understand that it is by mercy and mercy alone that we have eternal life. Now, I looked up the Oxford Dictionary to define the word, “mercy” and this is what it says. It says, “it is kindness, or forgiveness shown towards someone who is in your power.” 

Now, when you are given mercy, it’s at the expense of someone else. They decide to forgive you and to give you another chance, and to be lenient with you, and not to prosecute you, but to act in charity and sympathy and kindness and tolerance. Now we have to do the same. You know the story of John Newton. I have told you many times. John Newton was a captain of a slave ship. I cannot think of a worse occupation in the world and yet he was forgiven and shown mercy by God, and he wrote that beautiful hymn called Amazing Grace. 

Now his favourite quote was, and I am going to read it to you. He says: “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God, I am what I am. Although my memory is fading,” he says, “I remember two things: First, I am a great sinner, and secondly, Christ is a great Saviour”. 

Now, He saved you and me through mercy alone. Go and show mercy to others!

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye