November 28, 2016

Merciful: November 28, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2016.
MERCIFUL
DEFINITION:

Compassionate; lenient; forgiving.
SCRIPTURE:

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7.


KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

This beatitude does not mean if you show mercy to someone that they in turn will show mercy to you. This is not the purpose of this beatitude. Some people may show mercy in return for mercy you give to them but not many. In some cases, people have been persecuted in return for showing mercy. The bottom line is that we can have no assurance we will receive mercy from those who do not know our merciful Savior, but what we can be assured of is God’s mercy.

Jesus showed mercy throughout His earthly ministry. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, made the dumb speak and the deaf to hear. He made the blind able to see and the lame able to walk. He raised the dead and fed the multitudes. He never failed to show mercy but did He receive mercy in return?  No, the Roman army, the religious leaders, and many of their followers joined efforts to put Him to death on the cross. They showed religious hatred for God’s Son, not mercy.

We are to show mercy to others when they need mercy. We need to show mercy even when we know that the recipient may never show mercy in return. We are to show mercy in the name of our merciful Christ, who Himself will reward us not only in this life but in heaven.

Those who never show compassion or mercy have never acknowledged how great the mercy is that God has shown for them. Those who have not responded to God’s great gift of mercy will not receive mercy on judgment day. The acts of loving kindness that is done for others gives evidence of having received God’s mercy. Those who have received mercy must consider what it means to be merciful.

During World War 11 a church in Strasburg, Germany, was totally destroyed. But a statue of Christ standing by the altar was almost unharmed. Only the hands were missing. When the church was rebuilt a sculptor offered to replace and reconstruct the hands but the congregation decided to leave the statue as is.

It was felt by the congregation that seeing no hands on Christ it would remind them that here in this world we are the hands of Christ showing mercy to those who were in need. They felt that if they did not feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, entertain the stranger, visit the prisoner, and clothed the naked, who will?

Merciful means to have a forgiving spirit and a compassionate heart. It is a deliberate effort, an act of the will, to understand a person and to meet his or her need by forgiving and showing mercy.

The person who is merciful has a tender heart, a heart that cares for all who have need, both seen or unseen. The merciful do not hold back any kind of help, no matter the cost because they have the love of God dwelling in them. The person that is merciful also knows that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

You will be blessed by God when you care for others in their time of need. God expects us to care for others and at the moment that we do care for someone else you will find yourself being cared for by our Lord.

Jesus gave us an excellent illustration of mercy in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10: 30-36. A lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” To answer the lawyer’s question Jesus told of a man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was robbed, wounded, and left half dead by thieves. A priest came by and saw the man but did not stop to help. He showed no mercy.

A Levite also came along, stopped to look, but continued on his journey. He showed no mercy. Not only did the priest and the Levite show no mercy, they walked by on the far side of the road to avoid the man.

But a Samaritan saw him, had compassion on him, and helped him without expecting anything in return. Jesus asked the lawyer, “So which of these three do you think was the neighbor to him who fell among thieves?” When the lawyer answered, “He who showed mercy on him” Jesus said to the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.”

When we consider how great is God’s mercy He has shown for us, how can we not be merciful to others? Grace is when God GIVES us what we do not DESERVE. Mercy is when God does not give us what we do DESERVE. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23. We deserve death but He gives us eternal life.
LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 29:1.

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.
PRAYER:

Give me a merciful heart with compassion for those who are in need that I pass by today. Help my family to be a merciful family that cares for one another and the world that we live in.

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