“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7 Christ pours out His mercy over and over again, strengthening us for the race set before us. The strength to overcome is His unstoppable grace. Because of His mercy, we have been given His grace. They are intertwined and woven together working always for our benefit, even when we do not realize they are at work. Think of mercy and grace’s interaction together in comparison to a sailboat. A sailboat cannot sail without the wind. The sailboat is at the mercy of the wind. But without the actual sail being hoisted in the right position and turned at the perfect angle, the sailboat has little strength which is the grace. Mercy and grace always work together. In fact, mercy propels us to seek the grace (strength) to continue. Mercy brings encouragement where there has been devastation. Mercy brings restoration and life. Why would we want to give up on life and God’s love when we continuously see His mercy poured over us. His mercy gives jump start to His incredible grace (strength).