Today we live in a world in which people live isolated lives and there is much suffering that goes on unnoticed. Occasionally we experience a major disaster and we rally to help out the best that we can. While this is good in the verse today Jesus is talking about something entirely different, Matthew 5:7 says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they obtain mercy”. Before I look at the meaning of being merciful in this verse Jesus introduces a new truth, ‘The law of sowing and reaping’. This truth is easily overlooked but it is fundamental to how we live and how what we do affects our lives. Galatians 6:7 says: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for what a man sows that he shall reap” NLT “Don’t be mislead. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow”. Many people are surprised why certain things keep happening in their lives because they are oblivious to the Law of sowing and reaping. The reason for this is the time between sowing and reaping, in the natural, some plants are ready to harvest quite quickly while others take years to produce fruit. One thing is certain that there will be a time of reaping, Galatians 6:9 says: “ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”. NLT “So don’t get tired of doing good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time”. Now I want to look at the meaning of mercy – merciful is putting mercy into action. Mercy is the outward expression of the feeling of tenderness aroused by another’s suffering, to feel sympathy with the suffering of another. While the word mercy/merciful is not a common expression there is another word that we can identify with that means the same and that word is compassion. We need to be very careful that we are not desensitised to the situations around us. The god of this world through his influences over the media has just done that – child abuse and abuse of others are reported so often it just becomes another news item. The bible reported so often that Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the needs of the people around Him. Psalm 118 tells us that “The lord’s mercy endures forever” and Psalm 23:6 says: “Surely goodness and mercy shall me all the days of my life”. Jesus is very clearly teaching that when we become Christ-like and demonstrate mercy (compassion) we are blessed and the favour of God impacts our spirit that we become so different from the world. I am so humbled by God that He chose me and equipped me with His nature so that I can be merciful to others.
Great Ian.
You don’t have to have a sensitive nature to have mercy, it is what God wants of us.
So glad God is blessing you as you are blessing others with your thoughts and words from God. Love Marion
You can’t keep a good man down… well said Ian