Daily Devotion

Mercy is something Christians are well acquainted with. After all, it is by the mercy of God through Jesus’ amazing sacrifice that we are made right with God. The first two beatitudes ground us in the blessings of God’s mercy. Those who have nothing to offer God and mourn their sinfulness are comforted and brought into the Kingdom of God.

God’s mercy is more than a great gift to us, it also changes us.

We have now experienced mercy beyond anything we could have imagined, a mercy greater than anything we may be asked to show to our neighbor. Not only that, but Christ now lives in us. Mercy incarnate dwells in us and His Spirit is working in us to transform us to be more Christ-like.

We’ve seen over and over again that the beatitudes are not new commands given with promised rewards. Our condition as God’s people is described along with God’s blessing related to that condition. In this case, the condition also affects our actions.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26

When God saves us, we are made a new creation. Our old heart of stone is removed, the heart that is hardened not only towards God but towards others. God puts a new heart of flesh in us, a heart that beats with love for God and for our neighbor, a heart that shows mercy just as we have been shown mercy.

Like many of the beatitudes, the blessing Jesus speaks over us has both a present reality and a future completion.

God has show us great mercy already, forgiving us though we don’t deserve it and giving us a new life in Christ. In this new life, we show mercy to others by God’s will and power with the wonderful promise that God’s mercy will see it’s completion on that last day when our sinful nature is gone, we are given new bodies, and we are brought into the fullness of God’s presence forevermore.

This promise is for you and all who receive the Good News of Jesus Christ by faith.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You have shown me mercy greater than I could ever hope for and you continue to show mercy to be every day. Thank you for loving me in this way. As I have been shown mercy, work in me mercy towards others knowing that, in the end, your mercy will be made complete and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen.