Mercy-properly to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, to be compassionate
compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.
Grace- have compassion (pity on), have (obtain, receive, shew) mercy (on).
(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
Essentially, mercy is not getting what we deserve (condemnation and an eternity in hell), and grace is God giving us what we don't deserve (blessings, peace love, etc.).
Do we prefer one of these attributes of God over the other? Why?
We may be scared to come to God because we know what we deserve. We may not like to dwell on all the things we've been forgiven for, but that shouldn't be the case. We can have JOY in knowing we are forgiven.
"I'd rather focus on the ice cream I did get rather than the time-out I didn't.”
We need to remember that mercy is the 'servant' to grace's glory, and we need it. Peter tells his audience at the beginning of his first letter that it is “according to [God's] great mercy” that he “has caused us to been born again.”
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-we-prefer-grace-to-mercy
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Peter focuses here on the resurrection. Those three words—from the dead—are where we find mercy. We deserved that death. On the cross God withheld from us the punishment we deserved. Jesus bore our iniquities. That is mercy.
The resurrection was glorious. Grace is glorious. But all of that is held up by the mercy that led God to transfer our sin to the Son. There is no grace apart from mercy.
Can we give both mercy and grace to those around us?
If we look at this biblically, we can give mercy, (Mat_5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.)
Luke 6:36- Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Zech 7:9- Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
but grace is free and unmerited favor with God, and that is something I don't think we truly understand, or are able to give this to others. Only God can give grace.
Psa_84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
What should we do, knowing God's mercy and grace are ours to receive?
A) We need to receive it through salvation.
Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith
Tit_2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
B) Hold on because God's grace can get us through any situation or trial that we're going through.
2Co_12:9 And he [Jesus] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
That's when his power is able to shine in our lives.
C) We should use the knowledge that we have mercy and grace to do things for God, not use it to do whatever we want.
Rom_6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
That's taking everything Christ did for us for granted. He didn't give us freedom so we could live how we want, but so we could live for him!
1Co_15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
His mercy and grace make us into the people we need to be!
Are we squandering it, or using our lives for him?
"I refuse to entertain myself with the things that Jesus let himself be crucified to save me from."
1Co 10:31 ...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.