"Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy."
Matthew 5:7
Mercy... I remember playing a game as a child where one would clasp hands with another, oppositionally interdigitated in position, and see who had the stronger forearm and wrist. The idea was to make the other person ask (or beg) for "mercy," at which point the contest would cease. I won as many as I lost, and as children we probably all thought it was fun, or at least funny. But we were children.
I also recall a character from a TV show, one I cannot remember the name of, who would exclaim, "have mercy" whenever he saw an attractive person. I would imagine this is a small jest towards the person or the fates, asking that the temptation be removed from the moment... but I don't write sit-coms, and that is more than likely not at all what the intention was. It was probably more equal to that of a construction worker whistling at a woman, as though she were a pet. Not the greatest display of "mercy."
And then there was this Guy... perhaps you've heard of Him... His name is Jesus Christ. And He happened upon a woman of ill repute, one who was caught in acts that were worthy of stoning (according to the law at the time, as it was misinterpreted and misrepresented by the religious elite who were more concerned with status than with the things of God), and He stood in front of the woman and dared anyone who was free of all sin to throw the first stone. He also had a crowd follow Him all over the countryside, and stopped to feed them all (5,000 men plus women and children) with five loaves of bread and two fish, even though His disciples wanted to send the crowd away. Further, He told a Gentile woman at His feet that her understanding and faith had saved her, as she humbled herself before Him. And then He did something else that you may have heard of... He died for you, me, and every other person on earth. He bore the punishment, the weight of all of our sin, and made us clean by His perfect sacrifice. THAT is mercy.
A friend tells me that grace is getting what you do not deserve, and mercy is not getting what you do deserve. I agree fully with that statement, and I am humbled every time I think about it. So I would ask you today to think for just a moment... just one moment... about who it is in your life that needs mercy. Further, I would ask that you expand that from only the people you know closely, and think about who in the world needs mercy. I'm afraid you will find, as I did, that everyone needs mercy, and that we should be showing it both early and often, with no reservation. Do you know why? Because that's how Jesus showed it to you.
I know, I know, "some people are beyond that and don't deserve it and they've just done too many wrong things." Incorrect, Christian sibling... because as violators of the Ten Commandments, which we all are guilty of in every single aspect, we are all "beyond that and don't deserve it," but Christ showed it to us anyway. In His mercy, He breathed grace upon grace over all who have called upon Him as Savior. And we should, following His teachings and His example, do the exact same thing.
And, yes, it is a scary thought to be that openly merciful with another human being. But did you catch what happens to those who step out in faith and show it? They give mercy, and will receive mercy. And I would venture to guess that this mercy they will receive is not mercy from men, but from the Father, and that is worth all the risk and then some more! So go forward today, not back, and show mercy freely to all you encounter... because at one point when you cried out and needed it, Someone with every reason not to show it to you made the choice to have mercy on you anyway.
God bless you all!!!
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