Blessed are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

There are a few facts that we must remember about Christianity…

1. 1. To be a Christian in the fullest sense of the word is to possess Christ like Characteristics!

1. 2. Our actions ultimately determine whether or not we are truly Christian or not.

1. 3. We are not meant to control our Christianity however our Christianity is meant to control us.

One of the characteristics of the Christian is Mercy!  Mercy is vital in our walk with Christ! Jesus is very clear in order to receive mercy we must show mercy …

We live in a world where it’s so easy to become calloused and indifferent it is easy to become careless, cold, detached and distant!  In this age many have the Rambo Spirit and it’s easy to fall into that trap. But what we need is a little more tenderness and as Christians we need to show mercy.

Lam 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

What are some practical steps we can take to develop a little more tenderness?

#1. Merciful People have God’s Perspective of People!

Perspective is very important in being a merciful person – the perspective we need concerning people is God’s perspective. How does God view PEOPLE? Many times we are too busy for people to be important!  We are caught up with our goals, our projects. In the hustle of busy lives it is easy to see people as either road blocks or stepping stones.

It’s easy to evaluate them in terms of whether they fit into our plans or not.
It is exceedingly difficult to see people as individually important and valuable to God.
It’s easier to categorize them by whatever stereotypes are convenient for us.

Some are winners, other are losers! Some are ordinary and some are extraordinary!

But the truth is that GOD Loves every one of them … even those we may think are looser are important to God.  We need to have God’s perspective of People!

Paul states in Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
God loves the prisoner and the homosexual just as much as He loves the medical student and the theological student! There are no losers or failures in God’s eyes! All people are special in the eyes of God.

So is the person who has offended you or hurt you or made you angry! Each person despite who they are or what they have done is a special person to God. Our prayer daily ought to be “Lord, let me see people through your eyes.” Seeing as God sees can be a giant step toward a merciful, tender-hearted and forgiving attitude.  There are many examples in the Scripture concerning this ….

Illustration – Read John 8:1-11- This woman needed mercy but she found those around her wanted to destroy her except for the merciful Savior Jesus Christ!
Jesus had the same perspective of people that His Father had He saw people through the eyes of mercy and tenderness, regardless of background, failure or sin!  He saw people deserving of Mercy!

This is the same kind of perspective that we need to have in this hour.
Join me next month for more practical ways to develop mercy in your life.

Be Merciful!

Blessings
Pastor Bess