The Beatitudes – Mercy
The Beatitudes – Mercy
In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Mercy is the ability to be touched by another person’s misery, feel what those who are in it are going through, and then responding according to God’s truth. It is not passive pity but a genuine compassion and an unselfish motivation to render assistance.
That is what God did for us. He was touched by our misery in sin and reacted according to His truth. He could have simply judged us and let that be the end of it, but He was merciful to us and sent His Son to die in our place.
Mercy is a divine attribute of God’s character. Ephesians tells us that He is “rich in mercy” and it was because of His mercy that He made us “alive together with Christ” even though we were “dead in our transgressions”.
We often think of misery in terms of someone’s financial situation. But misery, pain, and distress aren’t exclusive to someone’s economic situation. It goes much farther and deeper than that.
Being merciful means loving those who need love, even when they have wronged us or treated us unfairly. Mercy is seeing a waitress who is overwhelmed and not complaining about the food. It means sitting with a lonely widow just to give him or her company. It means not pointing out the flaws and faults in others or taking vengeance.
We often think of mercy as coming from a place of weakness, but mercy is actually power. By showing mercy, you have the power to change someone’s life. We may think of it as a temporary solution, but it can have a profound, long-lasting effect on someone’s life.
Being merciful doesn’t mean that other people will necessarily extend mercy toward you. The blessing doesn’t come from other people, it comes from God. Showing mercy is a reflection of Christ. When you extend mercy, it is God himself who rains down mercy upon you. He takes care of you. He freely forgives you and takes care of your every need. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed in Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Sometimes it is easier to show mercy to a total stranger than it is to a spouse, family member, or even a co-worker. Being merciful is not something that we can store up and use when we feel like it. To paraphrase Shakespeare, it must be freely given to one and to all like “the gently falling rain”. Who can you show mercy to today?
These are your Words for Wednesday.
Please be in prayer for our Virtual Egg Hunt on Sunday, March 17. We need volunteers who can be there that day at 3:30 to help set up and engage parents as they come by to pick up their prizes. If you can help with this, please let me know. I hope to see you all this Sunday morning at Ballentine Elementary School at 10:45. Have a great rest of your week!
In Christ,
Kevin
In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Mercy is the ability to be touched by another person’s misery, feel what those who are in it are going through, and then responding according to God’s truth. It is not passive pity but a genuine compassion and an unselfish motivation to render assistance.
That is what God did for us. He was touched by our misery in sin and reacted according to His truth. He could have simply judged us and let that be the end of it, but He was merciful to us and sent His Son to die in our place.
Mercy is a divine attribute of God’s character. Ephesians tells us that He is “rich in mercy” and it was because of His mercy that He made us “alive together with Christ” even though we were “dead in our transgressions”.
We often think of misery in terms of someone’s financial situation. But misery, pain, and distress aren’t exclusive to someone’s economic situation. It goes much farther and deeper than that.
Being merciful means loving those who need love, even when they have wronged us or treated us unfairly. Mercy is seeing a waitress who is overwhelmed and not complaining about the food. It means sitting with a lonely widow just to give him or her company. It means not pointing out the flaws and faults in others or taking vengeance.
We often think of mercy as coming from a place of weakness, but mercy is actually power. By showing mercy, you have the power to change someone’s life. We may think of it as a temporary solution, but it can have a profound, long-lasting effect on someone’s life.
Being merciful doesn’t mean that other people will necessarily extend mercy toward you. The blessing doesn’t come from other people, it comes from God. Showing mercy is a reflection of Christ. When you extend mercy, it is God himself who rains down mercy upon you. He takes care of you. He freely forgives you and takes care of your every need. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed in Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Sometimes it is easier to show mercy to a total stranger than it is to a spouse, family member, or even a co-worker. Being merciful is not something that we can store up and use when we feel like it. To paraphrase Shakespeare, it must be freely given to one and to all like “the gently falling rain”. Who can you show mercy to today?
These are your Words for Wednesday.
Please be in prayer for our Virtual Egg Hunt on Sunday, March 17. We need volunteers who can be there that day at 3:30 to help set up and engage parents as they come by to pick up their prizes. If you can help with this, please let me know. I hope to see you all this Sunday morning at Ballentine Elementary School at 10:45. Have a great rest of your week!
In Christ,
Kevin
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