Mercy refused - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Titus 2:11

Mercy refused
In 1830, a legal case in the USA caused quite a stir. The criminal George Wilson, together with an accomplice, brutally robbed a postal clerk and was duly convicted. The judge ordered the death penalty: the robber was to be hanged.

Influential friends of Wilson sought to obtain clemency for him. In fact, the President of the United States pardoned the condemned man. But surprisingly, the prisoner refused the pardon.

No one had expected this. What was to be done now? Chief Justice Marshall ruled that a pardon had to be accepted, otherwise it would have no effect. So George Wilson was hanged. The moment he rejected the pardon, he chose to die.

God offers His saving grace to all people. On the cross of Calvary, His Son Jesus Christ paid with His life for sinners so that God could pardon them. Yet many behave like George Wilson and reject this grace: some out of indifference and others out of pride because they do not want to admit their guilt.

Let us remember: whoever rejects God’s offer of pardon will be eternally lost, but whoever gratefully accepts it by honestly admitting their guilt before God receives complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ. This gives them liberty and joy.

Today’s reading: Genesis 43:16-34 · Psalms 31:1-9