Have you ever desperately needed mercy?

• Maybe you made a mistake at work and hoped your boss would be understanding.
• Maybe you hurt someone you love and hoped they would forgive you.
• Maybe you knew you were clearly in the wrong and could only hope the other person would show you grace instead of giving you what you deserved.

I remember one time I was driving in Atlanta and got pulled over by the police for driving with an expired tag. It was July and my birthday is in December. It wasn’t even close. I was guilty. Thankfully, the police officer let me off with a warning and made me promise to update my registration as soon as I got home. That was mercy. I broke the law and deserved the punishment, but was shown compassion instead.

Most of us know what it feels like to need mercy.

Mercy is when someone chooses compassion instead of punishment. It is kindness shown to someone who deserves the opposite.

Jesus says the merciful are blessed.

Why?

Because as Christians who show mercy, we understand something very important.

We know we have received mercy ourselves.

Earlier in the Beatitudes, Jesus described people who are poor in spirit and who mourn. Those descriptions remind us of our true condition before God. We are sinners who fall short of His glory. We have not loved God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

When we see our sin clearly, we realize just how much we need mercy.

And God gives it.

God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins on the cross so that we might receive forgiveness and life.

That is mercy beyond measure.

When we understand the mercy God has shown us, it begins to change the way we treat others.

• We become slower to anger.
• Quicker to forgive.
• More patient with weakness.
• More compassionate toward those who are struggling.

This does not mean we pretend sin is not serious. Mercy does not ignore wrongdoing. After all, God did not ignore our sin. Jesus paid for it with His own blood.

But mercy means we desire forgiveness and restoration rather than revenge. It means we treat others the way God has treated us.

Sometimes this can be difficult. People hurt us. They betray our trust. They say things that wound us deeply.

In those moments, showing mercy can feel impossible. Yet we remember the mercy we have received.

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say the words,

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Those words remind us that our lives as Christians are shaped by mercy.

God’s mercy flows to us through Jesus.

Then, through us, that mercy flows to others.

And Jesus gives a wonderful promise here: the merciful will receive mercy.

We already receive that mercy from God in Christ, and we will experience its fullness on the day when Jesus returns and every sin, sorrow, and wound is finally healed.

That is a wonderful blessing.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the great mercy You have shown us through Jesus Christ. Forgive our sins and help us to show mercy to others just as You have shown mercy to us. Fill our hearts with compassion and patience so that Your mercy may be seen in our lives.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.