What does Jesus say about Mercy

Day 18

What does Jesus say about Mercy?

Text: Matt. 5:7; Exo. 34:6-7; Deu. 7:9; 2; Sam. 22:26; Matt. 9:9-13.

 

INTRODUCTION:

Mercy is an act of kindness toward one another. It fuels compassion and offers forgiveness. There are so many instances that God showed mercy to His people. In Exodus 16:12 God certainly chose to be merciful to the children of Israel when they started complaining. He answered their complaints with food, water, protection, and provision.

 

LIFE LESSONS (3)

1. Love in Action (Ephesians 2:4). It is a living compassion.  Mercy chooses not to be offended, and compassionately sees a hurting heart behind hurtful words.  Mercy is an extension of and expression of love, “an act of kindness, compassion, or favor (Lamentations 3:22-23 and Psalm 86:5).
2. Mercy comes to those that are merciful (Luke 6:32-36; Matthew 5:2-12)- When we are merciful to others, it brings their hearts, and ours, joy. When we submit to His merciful ways, we choose to acknowledge peace. We know that we have no power of our own to do this but through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we are merciful it allows us to experience love, forgiveness, compassion, peace and joy, whether we deserve it or not.
3. God is merciful – Through His mercy, we can appreciate how just and merciful this our God is. He is loving and compassionate. Even when our Lord Jesus was being crucified, He still asked God to show mercy and forgive them. Because He is a merciful God we are bold to draw near to His throne of Grace to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need according to Hebrews 4:16. We are blessed that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning (Psalm 86:15).

 

LIFE APPLICATIONS (3)

 

1. Hunger and thirst for the things of God that we may live like our Lord Jesus Christ. This will help us understand what is means to be merciful. The book of Psalms is filled with expressions of desire for the Lord. Psalm 42:1-2 says, As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
2. Develop act of kindness and love Zechariah 7:9-10 sums up how kindness looks in thinking, speech, and behavior in words we’re wise to heed. Our Lord Jesus is encouraging us to be kind even in those difficult times. God is frequently portrayed as kind even in those times. Rick Warren wrote, in his article, “Seven Characteristics of Mercy” that “learning to be an agent of mercy transforms our relationships.
3. Let us remember that Mercy is a cornerstone characteristic of God (Titus 3:4-7). The word Mercy is so important and significant that it is mentioned 262 times in the King James Version, 157 times in the English Standard Version, 99 times in the New American Standard Bible, 170 times in the Amplified Bible, and 146 in the New English Translation, according to Bible Gateway. 

 

LESSON OF THE DAY: 

Mercy is forgiveness and compassion extended to anyone and everyone, especially when we do not deserve it. We can take an example of the Adulterous woman. The good Lord chooses to extend mercy to us, and He is unchanging. We cannot fail our way out of God’s love. We should follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and always desire in our hearts to forgive.