King Jesus in the Queen City

Today Pastor Clay preached Matthew 5:7 which says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” The first four beatitudes are focused inward on our heart conditions, but this fifth beatitude requires someone else to be involved. Mercy is most like compassion, and mercy is part of the character of God and Jesus. By definition, mercy means to have sympathy for the misery of another. Because of the Father’s mercy, He made a way for us to have eternal life. We are the beneficiaries of God’s mercy through Jesus Christ.

Too often, as the Christian leaders in our culture, we show judgement over mercy. In James 2:8-13, it is very clear that if you choose to live by the law, you have to be perfect in following the law. If you make one mistake, you are held accountable to all of the law. The judgement of God is passed to us if we do not show mercy to others. Thankfully, in God’s view, mercy trumps judgement…every time. Many times we, as Christians, are more concerned with being right than being merciful. We must be merciful to the nearest, to our neighbors, and to the nations.

Passages on mercy:

Hebrews 2; 1 Peter 1; Titus 3; Hosea 6; Micah 6; Luke 10; Matthew 9

Questions to discuss as a family today

1. Are you merciful? How?

2. In what cases are you judgmental? Why?

3. What can you do to show more mercy?

Prayer

Praise God for His mercy. Thank Him that He is a perfect balance of mercy and judgement, and confess where judgement takes over your mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind so that you are able to be more merciful. Commit to look for ways to show mercy this week to the nearest, your neighbors, and the nations.