Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for THEY will be SHOWN MERCY

Good Morning!  I hope that everyone is doing exceptionally well today, that God is pouring His blessings out upon you!  That you realize it...and take the time to thank Him.

Would you believe that I ran out of room on my computer?  It's true. No gb or mb or any of that mumbo-jumbo!   I had to delete a few thousand folders that I had, and my husband worked some magic that I don't understand!  And, found some room!  And, the next 2 days...we had no Internet!  I was truly frustrated...but, am much better and so glad to be here with you now.  Thank you so much for being here.  It is a blessing to us to know you are here.

"Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for THEY will be SHOWN MERCY."  (Matthew 5:7)

 

Today, I will be sharing some of the writings of Gary Thomas.  He wrote for the Discipleship Journal in this copy dated Nov/Dec 2003.  I wish I could share all that he wrote, but it would take you at least three cups of tea to get through it.  Worth it...every word.

 

And, I did not forget about the He IS Able Blog's Card Set Give Away from Thursday.  Sadly, no one had left a comment during that time.  But, please leave a comment...even if it is just to tell us what country/state you live in.  We already have two comments for this week. I have left replies to both of you in that column's comment section. You have until Midnight, Wednesday of NEXT week to be entered into the random drawing where you may win beautiful cards.  This will allow you to have more than a week each time, to leave a comment, rather than a day...you are all busy, I understand.  So, poof!  You have more time to share your thoughts and prayer desires.

 

"Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for THEY will be SHOWN MERCY."   (Matthew 5:7)

 

"Mercy!"  It's the cry that gives birth to every child of God.  Whatever words are used.  Whatever tract we followed. Whoever led us in prayer.  The foundational request we made when we became Christians was that God would show us--sinners all--His amazing mercy.

 

Without mercy, we'd be damned--not only in the next life, but in this one.  Without mercy, we could never experience release from the guilt that accompanies our sin.  Nor could we release those who sin against us.

 

In Micah 6:8 we witness the centrality of mercy:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And, what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."  (Micah 6:8)

 

He wants us to fall in love with it, to lose ourselves in the beauty of mercy.  When you love someone, you naturally talk about that person.  Likewise, the person who loves mercy is so thankful that he tells others about what God has done.  He cherishes mercy;  the mere thought of it warms his heart and brings a smile to his face: "God has shown me mercy!"

 

Without acknowledging my own guilt, I would never sense my need for mercy, and I wouldn't fully apprehend this glorious gift of God.  If you, like me, have suffered from your share of guilt, I invite you to see it as a call to worship.  Acknowledge your guilt, and thank God that He has made provision for it in His Son, Jesus the Christ.  Confess that you have fallen short, then worship the God who shows mercy to you in your failings.

 

It means we're eager to show mercy to others, too.  Like the Father who's forgiven us, we choose to let go of our grievances and demonstrate grace to those who don't deserve it--just as we don't deserve it.  Our thoughts turn from revenge to reconciliation as mercy permeates our souls and becomes our way of life.

 

In contrast, mercy invites us to admit our guilt, receive God's forgiveness, and then stop judging others.

 

James wrote, "Mercy triumphs over judgement!"  (Jas. 2:13)

 

As we fall more deeply in love with mercy, we'll want to spend the rest of our days pointing others toward this glorious gift of our Father.  As Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give."  (Mt. 10:8)  We are blessed to be the recipients of such mercy--and blessed to be the givers of it as well.

______________________

 

WOW!  I was speechless when I first read this article. I felt stunned. When I read this paragraph below, I read each sentence, each word--slowly. Taking in the meaning of each word. Of course, I know that God shows me mercy...amazing mercy that I don't deserve. I am SO grateful for that.  But, when I read this, I saw the AWE-someness in it...again!   Please, read the paragraph again...I am adding space where you can pause, and think about what a huge part this plays or has played in each of our lives.

 

"Without mercy, we'd be damned--

not only in the next life,

 but in this one.

 Without mercy,

we could never experience release from the guilt

 that accompanies our sin.

 Nor could we release those who sin against us."

 

Now, are you feeling, thinking about that "WOW"  I felt, and hopefully you felt?  It may be many years since you thought about His gift of Mercy like this...look at it through the eyes of a person just coming to Jesus for the first time.  I hope that you will read this again.  It is right at the base when each of us became a Believer.  It is so important to know.  So important to realize the chain effect it has. THAT is what really struck me.  We are so blessed for His mercy.  It is so freeing.  Please, if you were moved by this article, share your feelings, too, in the comment section...or send me an email.

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather