MERCY

As we surrender to Jesus, we will continue to long for righteousness—hunger for justice—and thirst for goodness. This is "a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied this side of eternity." (David Guzik)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV

While we await heaven, may we hold tightly to God and trust in Him. As we do, pay close attention to the spiritual hunger and thirst it produces.

See my last post on the Beatitudes

https://www.jenarainonesmith.com/post/hunger-and-thirst

The first four Beatitudes describe a person's relationship with God: Poor in spirit is a condition of the heart, an awareness of our need for God. Out of that need comes a mourning over sin and its effects. As a result, meekness is produced; stimulating a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

The next four Beatitudes describe a person's relationship with others, that organically develop in a surrendered soul.

Jesus begins these four Beatitudes with mercy.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 NIV

What is the definition of Mercy? Mercy is the compassionate treatment of an offender, especially those under one's power or authority. Mercy has been described as withholding what's deserved.

In Matthew 18, Jesus shares a parable about an Unmerciful Servant who owed the king ten thousand bags of gold. Because he could not settle his account, the king ordered he and his family be sold for payment. The man then falls to his knees begging for the king's patience as he tries to earn enough money to repay his debt (as if anyone could pay back such a large debt). The king took pity on him and with compassion he canceled the debt and set him free. But when the man went out, he approached someone who owed him a hundred silver coins and demanded payment. When this man could not pay his debt, he also begged for mercy, but the man had him thrown into prison.

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' Matthew 18:32-34 NIV

The king's compassion led him to bestow mercy upon the begging man, but because the man's eyes were on himself, his desire was self centered. He had no concept of the magnitude of mercy he received; thereby, he was unable to extend that same mercy.

In contrast; Genesis 42 is a story about someone I‘ll call a Merciful Servant. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers when he was a teenager. He had suffered a great deal because of their hatred toward him. He lived as a slave—was wrongly accused—spent years in prison— and was forgotten. Many years later, at just the right time, he was able to overcome his circumstances by the grace and mercy of God. God raised him up to be second in command of Egypt ahead of a famine. The same brothers, who thought him dead because of their actions, had made their way to Egypt to buy food. When they met with Joseph, they didn‘t recognize him, but he knew them immediately. His initial response was harsh:

And he put them all in custody for three days (vs17 NIV). On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households" (vs 18-19 NIV).

There is much more to this story but what I would like you to see is that the presence of God in Joseph's life was pervasive; it changed the way he treated those who wronged him. God's mercy on Joseph, and Joseph's understanding of his dependence on God, had a deep impact on his life and enabled him to extend mercy in the most difficult of circumstances.

The greatest example of mercy we find is God's patience toward humankind. He gives each of us ample opportunity to surrender to Him. We see His tremendous mercy on display at the Cross when Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

We are not wired, in ourselves, to have compassion on someone who we believe has wronged us. Actually, it's entirely the opposite. Our entitlement usually calls for justice not mercy. It‘s only when we truly comprehend the significance of the underserved mercy of God in our lives that we can recognize that Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Mercy does not naturally happen, it is an overflow of the love of God in you to another.

Beloved, consider the ways God nudges you; sometimes He's subtle, other times, not so much. Remember, His desire is always to make us more like His Son. Can you remember a time when you extended mercy and later realized that without God in you it would never have happened? I have. It actually blew me away. God has a funny way of doing that.

We are never more like God than when we extend mercy—and merciful hearts receive mercy.