I used to live thinking that my future depended on my decisions alone. I had to do right, be right, think right, to make it to the finish line victoriously. I was a know-it-all and everyone knows that no one likes a know-it-all. As time went by, I became aware that success in life didn’t depend on my knowing everything and being right. Success depends on God’s mercy. And His mercy is extended to us all. All we have to do is surrender to His mercy to qualify to receive it.
But I thought I knew it all. But, no one likes a know-it-all.
Like you know everything
When you live thinking you know everything, you give off the air of being a know-it-all. The Romans had this problem. They lived assuming that being a child of God depended on natural lineage. They were sorely mistaken and had to be corrected.
“and only some of Abraham’s descendants are true children of Abraham. But God said to Abraham: ‘The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.’ This means that not all of Abraham’s descendants are God’s true children. Abraham’s true children are those who become God’s children because of the promise God made to Abraham.”
Romans 9:7,8 NCV
God’s mercy knows it all
We’ll often stumble over the same thing that the Romans did.. We assume we are children of God because of what we do, or where we go to church, not because of God’s mercy. This attitude slowly creeps up on us if we neglect to continuously cultivate our relationship with God. As we grow in our relationship with Him daily, we become increasingly aware that we are fully dependent on His mercy. His mercy knows it all.
“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”
Romans 9:16 ESV
Hesitant to show mercy
It’s ironic how those who have supposedly received mercy are often hesitant to show it. Perhaps this is because those who can’t show mercy haven’t fully experienced it themselves. You can only give out what you have inside of you (see Matt. 3:9-11). It’s dangerous to be unmerciful, how can one receive mercy if they aren’t willing to show it? Receiving mercy is a matter of humility. How so? Because when we accept mercy, we are accepting our own inability to attain God’s acceptance on our own.
So you see, not only does no one like a know-it-all, it’s also dangerous to be one.
”For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:13 ESV
I’d never do that
You might think that you’d never be judgmental. This in itself is judgmental thinking – we’re all prone to fall into feeling judgmental and proud. It’s so easy to think or say, “I’d never do that.” When, in fact, given the right set of circumstances, you likely would.
Having lived the life I’ve lived, working among the poor, I have come to realize the only thing that has separated me from those I have served is the circumstances to which I was born. Had I been born in the circumstances those I serve were born, who is to say I would have done better? Since God has shown me mercy, I must do the same.
I don’t know why people do what they do or why they do it. But I do know that showing mercy is always superior to being judgmental. No one likes a know-it-all.
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