Lord Have Mercy

-

 

Lord Have Mercy

Scripture: Matthew 5:7 (ESV)

          7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Devotion:

          Today we deal with the topic of mercy. As the beatitude above suggests there is a reciprocal relationship between showing mercy and receiving mercy. In many places the scriptures set mercy in this context for example we have this in Psalm 18:25

      25       With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

      with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; (ESV)

 

          So, what exactly is mercy? Mercy is “to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need”.[1] The parable of the “Good Samaritan” is probably the best known Biblical example of what having mercy on someone looks like when put into practice. The Samaritan in the story shows exceptional amounts of mercy on the man who has been beaten and robbed. He cared for the man’s injuries, put him on his donkey and set him up at an inn so he could recover from his injuries. See Luke 10:25-37 for the full parable.

          The “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” nature of mercy is stressed in the gospel of Matthew (6:12, 14–15; 9:13; 12:7; 18:21–35; 23:23).[2] We are explicitly told in these and other verses that in order to receive mercy from God one must have shown mercy to our neighbors. In fact, in the model prayer that Jesus taught his disciples this principle in included. (See Matt. 6:12)

          So, what in practical terms, can we do for our neighbors to show mercy? We can show radical compassion on those who are ill, in need of food, shelter, or clothing. We can show kindness to everyone we meet in our daily lives. Forgiving, from the heart, those who have harmed us in any way.

          For myself, I know that I have received much mercy from my family members and members of my church. I pray that when I have the opportunity to return the kindness shown to me, I will do so. God has also been merciful to me in many ways. Let us pray that we may both show and receive mercy.

Prayer:

          Lord God, we praise you for your mercy to us each and every day. May we be faithful servants and show mercy to our neighbors. Both the ones we know and those whom we meet by chance. May all people glorify your name when they see us showing mercy toward others in your name and by your power. In Jesus name we ask this. Amen.


[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 750.

[2] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 116.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more