“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7
October 23, 2024
When you hear an ambulance siren do you think of mercy being on its way? The irony is that the virtue of mercy has to be rescued from its misuse. Mercy is not the road to heaven. The believer in Jesus Christ has already received mercy from God (Eph. 1:3-6). Mercy is not giving people what they want but what they need. Mercy is not merely feeling sorry for people. Mercy is giving compassionate attention to the hurting. Our supreme example is Jesus. He gave sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27), expressed it in granting forgiveness to sinners, and making sacrifices for those who were suffering (Lk. 10:25-37). The reward for being a mercy giver is to receive mercy from God at the judgment seat of Christ. We who have been shown mercy by Christ ought to be giving it to others. I am merciful when I tell those in need of Christ’s forgiveness how they can receive it. I am merciful when I do not let personal risk and pain keep me from helping those who are hurting. I am merciful when I seek to protect the unborn from being dismembered and discarded.
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By God’s grace we can become more merciful by watching merciful people and by developing mercy-awareness when suffering people cross my path.