Hi!

Well, I’m back in the saddle. For those of you who like to know such things, my wife and I had another child recently. Our 4^th child is Abigail. [Our] household is still making adjustments in everyday living so as to accommodate this new person committed to our care. I personally find it amazing to contrast caring for newborn #1 vs. newborn #4. We do feel like old pros at this…

And looking down at our helpless little bundle of joy, a word comes to mind that fits right nicely to this week’s discussion of godly things… that word is Mercy. (Abigail is completely and totally at her parent’s mercy.) 😉

Let us, then, look to the Good Word for the next Beatitude in our study…

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

Recall that we have been thinking about the process of true spiritual transformation that indicates one is on the path to the Eternal Kingdom of the King of Kings, Christ Jesus; Poor in spirit, mournful, meek, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness. And then comes merciful.

So what is mercy? Do you think of pestering your younger sibling, twisting their arm in unnatural ways and applying sustained pressure until you hear them beg for mercy? Or cry “Uncle”? I used to play a game called “Mercy”. It started out where my opponent and I interlocked our fingers and proceeded to twist and gain the leverage, so as to bend backwards the fingers/ hands/ arms of the other. The one who could not endure the pain any longer would cry out mercy!

Or when you think of mercy, do you think of the last time you were pulled over for speeding and received only a warning instead of a ticket? Maybe you think that was grace demonstrated to you… undeserved favor. Or would it be merciful to stop in the middle of the road to help a slow crawling turtle make it to the other side before getting squashed? Is this mercy? Maybe this is compassion instead? Or how about not striking back at someone who struck at you, but instead, letting it go and returning niceness to them? Is that mercy? Perhaps that would be forgiveness.

Think of mercy this way: Mercy is the alleviation of distress.

Letting go of my opponent’s fingers ends the pain, the Police letting us go, saves us money and points on our license, saving the turtle from becoming a pancake spares it from potential death, and forgiving a punch to the face removes a debt of vengeance. Pain, points, death and debt are distressing and mercy brings forth these various virtues to alleviate such distresses. Wow! Mercy really is a rich word.

 So from mercy come all these other wonderful things. Let’s look clear back to Moses and his encounter with Almighty God to see something….

Exodus 34:6
And the Lord passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abounding in goodness and truth…”

Did you notice the first attribute God proclaimed for Himself? Consequently, it is no wonder that the believer who is following the path to Christ-likeness is able to be merciful too by the power of the Holy Spirit within. (Remember who Jesus is?)

Now, if mercy motivates compassion and such, what do you suppose motivates mercy? Oooo this is fun, looking higher and higher in to the heavenlies…

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…

If you guessed love, you are correct! And God is a God of love, full of loving-kindness!

Okay, so the merciful shall obtain mercy. This seems pretty straightforward. But how does mercy from God to the believer play out in every day affairs? Just think back to what mercy is; alleviation of distress. Have you ever experienced God’s mercy demonstrated in answered prayer? When a burden weighs on our mind and God through His Providence renders that burden released/ resolved/ moot, oh how sweet such mercy is indeed! The Apostle Paul experienced God’s tender mercies too…

2^nd Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

 God, the Father of Mercies J I also like to think that God withholds chastisement sometimes…

2^nd Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

It’s a good thing for us the Lord is longsuffering by nature. Who wouldn’t want to receive mercy from God? There are so many things we do wrong, so many things we do that are an offense to our Maker, that we would be fools to block the flow of God’s mercy to us. The Lord’s half-brother has a word for those who might entertain such thoughts…

James 2:13
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mercy is triumphant! And God is so merciful toward us. Let us strive walk in the Spirit, being merciful as well! I know I need to be more merciful and I’m sure I’m not the only one 😉 May love dominate our motivations!

In closing, I leave you with mercy’s motivator and it’s effect!

Proverbs 10:12b
…love covers all sins.

**Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim