Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
I have been thinking this morning about mercy. If somebody were to look up the word mercy in a Concordance they would find pages and pages of Bible verse after Bible verse. What is mercy and what does the Bible say it? One of the best explanations I have ever heard is comparing mercy to grace. Grace is receiving something (salvation and its benefits) that you absolutely did not deserve. God's unmerited favor given to us. When you consider mercy on the other hand, it is NOT receiving something (death and eternal suffering) when you absolutely deserve it. A good example would be if you committed a crime and deserved to be punished for it and the judge intervened and totally dismissed the charges. The word of God says in Psalm 103:10 says, "he (God) does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." This is the ultimate example of mercy. God in His perfection does not treat us as we deserve to be treated, but instead shows us mercy. As Christians we don't have any problem with GOD showing mercy but we do have a problem SHOWING MERCY OURSELVES. This should not be so.
Mercy comes to us and we have to do is repent to receive it. As we sorrow and confess our sin, God is willing and ready to show us forgiveness and bestow His mercy on our lives. God is always willing to give us forgiveness of our sin but he requires two things of us. We must repent and we must also give forgiveness to others for their sin, which means we must also have mercy. In the New Testament we have the story of the man who owed thousands and thousands of dollares to his master and when the master came to collect, he begged for mercy and the debt was forgiven by the master. No sooner had the man been forgiven the debt, he came across a fellow who owed him a small debt...the man forgiven would not show the same mercy he had received to someone who owed him a much lesser sum. The master had him seized and imprisoned because he would not show mercy and forgiveness.
As we consider mercy, we should understand that as Christians we should be constantly giving mercy in order for God to show US mercy. We reap what we sow, therefore, we must be sowing mercy into the lives of those we come in contact with. People don't need judgement and condemnation. They receive enough of that from the world we live in. Mercy sets us apart from everyone else and allows us to open the door for others to enter into God's salvation.
Many Christians will observe people and say "They don't deserve mercy." That may be true, but when was the last time you got down on your knees and prayed to God, "Lord, please give me exactly what I deserve."? I am not praying that prayer so I believe I will try to show others the same mercy I expect from God...that's what I have been thinking......
No comments:
Post a Comment