Mercy is something we all want to be extended to us, but sometimes we have a hard time extending it to others. The definition of mercy is the showing of compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to harm. In Matthew 5:7, we find the very simple fact that those who show mercy will receive mercy. They will also be blessed. As we have seen in other “be” attitude devotions, the word blessed means to be fully satisfied.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
There is no greater show of mercy than that of God. He created us, and He has the power to do with us as He desires. Yet, his love for us is demonstrated greatly in the mercy He shows toward us. We deserve Hell. He provides the sacrifice needed to give us Heaven. God has shown us mercy over and over, not to take away our responsibility for the wrong in our lives, but to give us a chance to repent and be saved. Mercy also gives us the opportunity to stay right with Him after we are saved.
Exodus 34:6-7 “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.“
Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
We serve a merciful God. He is rich in mercy. In II Peter 3:9, we see God’s mercy is long-suffering, he is very patient with us. This patience shows a willingness on God’s part for all to be saved. Each day we live, we are living as an extension of His mercy.
II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
We are to seek to live like God, to have the character of God, and nowhere do we imitate Him more than when we show mercy to others. The Bible makes it clear that if we want His mercy, we must be merciful to others. If we are not willing to show mercy and forgiveness, we can’t expect God to show it to us.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Psalm 18:25 “With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;”
This command is very simple and straightforward. If you want mercy, and trust me you want mercy, then we must extend mercy. Not mercy to whom we pick and choose, but mercy to all. God does not extend mercy to a select few, but to the whole world. He demonstrated that mercy when He gave His Son.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Hebrew word for mercy, el-eh-eh’-o, means to have an emotional response to the needs of others. To feel their pain so deeply that we are compelled to do something about it. It is seeing things through the eyes of the one who needs mercy. It is not saying they are right in their actions, but understanding that without the grace of God we too could be in their shoes. It is the opposite of most people’s response to those who need mercy. For instance, mercy sees the drunk and understands they are trapped in their sin and they see no way out, therefore they sink deeper into their sin. Mercy extends a hand and shows them a way out. The unmerciful person says they are getting what they deserve and walks away. In Matthew 14:14, Jesus sees a large crowd with magnitudes of needs. Jesus was tired and needed rest himself, but he was moved with compassion and healed their sick. The word compassion in this verse means “His bowels yearned.” In other words, He was so moved by their needs that His stomach churned. He was so moved by His emotions that it affected Him physically.
Matthew 14:14 “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.”
How do you feel when you see someone who is living a sinful lifestyle, or in poverty because of their own doing? Do you have compassion for those who are lost? If your answer is yes, then you must do something about it. Mercy is not just a feeling, it must have action. You can have sympathy for someone and still not show mercy. If we show mercy, we will receive mercy and we will be fully satisfied because we have done as Jesus would do. We must remember that the opposite is also true if we show no mercy, we will receive no mercy!
