Be Merciful

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:37 [NIV]

Be merciful! God will not ask you to give to others what He has not first given you. As you have obtained mercy, God expects you to also give mercy. To whom much is given, much is expected. Jesus says that loving Him translates to obeying His commands. God’s command to you and I today is be merciful. Mercy is not getting what you deserve; being merciful is not giving people what they deserve. For all the wrong that we have done in the past, with Jesus in the equation we all have been given a second chance that we did not deserve. We have also been given a future hope that we did not merit [grace]. Let your immediate reaction to hurt from your fellow man be mercy. Forgiveness is being merciful. One way of being like God, obeying His command, and being merciful all in one is forgiving people. God’s Word for you and I today is deal with everyone who has hurt you in the past, everyone who is currently hurting you, and those who will hurt you in the future the same way you want God to deal with you. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” Matt.5:7 [KJV]. Do you want God to be merciful to you? Then you must also be merciful to others. It is like a seed and harvest principle. Sew mercy and reap mercy. Jesus even puts this heavenly command into the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” Matt.6:12 [NIV]. In other words, be merciful unto me even as I have been merciful to others. You have the assurance that when you obey this command, “if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” Matt.6:14 [NIV].

When people ask for your forgiveness, give it to them freely. In fact I would say take it a step further even before they ask for your forgiveness, forgive them. God says I am merciful and gracious, full of loving-kindness and abounding in love. God wants you to take these attributes of His and share them with the people around you. Even as God is remembered for mercy, people must also remember you for mercy. Let men see how merciful you are and seek the God which you represent.

Prayer: Spirit of God, please deepen my appreciation and expression of God’s mercy so that it will become my first nature, in Jesus Name.