May 15, 2026

Daily Devotional:

“Mercy Cycle”

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

This is the "logic of grace." Paul is arguing that Christians do not forgive based on whether the other person deserves it. Instead, they forgive because they have already received a massive, undeserved "payout" of forgiveness from God. It wasn’t a shallow, sentimental feeling; it was a gut-level, visceral reaction to the pain of others. Paul isn't just asking usto be "polite." He is calling for a radical reshaping of our internal architecture.

We often live with "armored" hearts. When someone cuts us off in traffic, neglects a deadline, or speaks a sharp word, our natural instinct is to thicken the walls. We justify our bitterness by calling it "standing ourground." But Paul offers a different blueprint:

Kindness is grace in action, it is the decision to treat someone better than they deserve. Compassion is the "feeling" part and the willingness to let someone else's struggle resonate within your own soul. Forgiveness is the "release" part.

The weight of this verse rests on that final phrase: "Just as in Christ God forgave you." Our capacity to forgive others is not fueled by our own willpower or by the "worthiness" of the person who hurt us. It is fueled by the realization of the massive debt we’ve already had cleared. We don't forgive to be "good people"; we forgive because we are "forgiven people.

Is there a specific person whose name makes your chest tighten or your jaw clench? That "tightness" is the opposite of the "tenderheartedness" Paul describes. Before reacting to a "horizontal" conflict (between you and someone else), look "vertically." Remind yourself of a specific time God showed you mercy. Let that mercy spill over into your currentsituation. Kindness doesn't always need a grand stage. Today, look for one opportunity to offer a "soft" response where a "hard" one is expected.

Ephesians 4:32 means that mercy is a cycle. Because God was "tenderhearted" enough to forgive us through the sacrifice of Christ, we are called to breakthe cycle of human resentment by treating others with that same unearned grace. Forgiveness isn't an occasional act; it's a permanent attitude born from the gratitude of being saved.