“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. – Matthew 5:7
Are you a compassionate, kind, merciful person? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus includes a series of Beatitudes, which some have suggested are actually “be attitudes.” Jesus is telling His listeners the attitudes He desires for them… attitudes that are characteristics of the Kingdom of God into which you have been placed when you believed. As a citizen of that precious Kingdom, Jesus is calling on you to do what only He and the Holy Spirit can make possible in your life.
Pastor and author Dr. Ray Pritchard discusses what it is to be a merciful Christian. It includes these three elements: “1) ‘I see the need’– that’s recognition. 2) ‘I am moved by that need’—that’s motivation. 3) ‘I move to meet the need’—that’s action.” Having mercy is much more than a feeling.
Theologian William Barclay said the Hebrew word for merciful, chesed, is the idea “of the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things through his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.”
A blog from Liquid Church in Ironwood, New Jersey, states this Beatitude on mercy “shows us that there’s a very deep connection between our relationship with others and how merciful God is to us.” Paul wrote that we are to deal with others with “all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Conducting yourself in this way shows mercy to another. He further urges that you do “acts of mercy with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:8). Such cheerfulness is contagious! Paul reminds you to put away anger and bitterness, in Ephesians 4:31-32, and instead be kind and forgiving, reflecting the same type of mercy God has shown to you.
Mercy has come to you as a gift from the heart of God. He now calls you to extend mercy to others, freely and as a cheerful gift. “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” is a well-known prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, sometimes called the Peace Prayer. Although his writing is more than 800 years old, it can well be your prayer today. “Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness joy.” Being merciful is an action. Cultivate it as part of your lifestyle so that others see Jesus in you!
Today’s Verse: Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Romans 12:9-21
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
