“Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
This is Jesus talking. Part of His sermon on the mount. It comes right after His discussion about loving your enemies and turning the other cheek and all that. Then comes today’s verse. At first it doesn’t seem to fit. Is loving my enemies the same as being merciful? Mercy isn’t a word I use very often in my every day speech. Oxford defines mercy as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” I may not immediately recognize my power to harm someone, especially if they are my boss or someone else with authority over me, or just someone much stronger or with more resources than me. But there are always ways to harm. It’s always within my power. Little sabotages here and there. Some unkind gossip. Working slower than I can or just doing sloppy work. When someone has wronged me, become my “enemy”, it feels so right to get back at them in some way big or small. But that’s what today’s verse warns me not to do by reminding me that God has extended mercy to me. God definitely has the power to harm me! He could direct a bus to squash me flat or send a tornado to sweep my house off the earth or inflict my loved ones each with a different disease to pick them off one-by-one. But He doesn’t do this. He has shown me mercy instead. I deserve His wrath. But He has extended forgiveness and compassion instead.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for the great mercy you have given me. I know I don’t deserve that and I could never earn it. Your generosity is unbelievable! Teach me how to be merciful with everyone in my life. Open my eyes to the times when I am not showing mercy and give me the courage and strength to change my attitude back to love.
CamDevo 