Matthew 5:7

“Blessed our the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Mercy here is not the opportunity to be merciful to someone who has done you wrong, but rather the disposition that one has toward all things. Being a merciful person is not limited to how we interact with people but how we interact with all of creation. We are the stewards of this earth. If being meek makes us heirs of creation, being merciful makes us stewards of our inheritance.

We should treat all of God’s vast creation with respect and mercy. If an animal needs food, feed it. If a plant needs water, water it (Eccles. 3:18‑21). Kindness and gentleness are the true attributes defined in this word, merciful. Mercy embodies all the great qualities of Christendom. Laying hold of faith is the not enough to claim that great Name as your own (Christ). The man who dares call himself a Christian better know right well he has been called to a great task. To represent this faith is to arm yourself with attributes fit only for kings.

Mercy is not something you practice like a sport; it is something that is inborn in the believer at the new birth. People make a fuss trying to obtain these things when they are not reborn. Try if you must, mercy is not something that a man schools himself in; on the contrary, he grows in mercy as natural as a child carries the attributes of those whom he has been reared. Mercy is useful because it comes back to those who share it. The unregenerate man can only fake mercy. He may say I will have mercy upon you; I pardon your error. Yet deep inside of him lays the tar of a vengeful spirit. The only people that truly know mercy are those who have received it from the Lord (Hosea 2:23; 6:6; 10:12).

Word for Today

Unregenerate ‑ Not spiritually renewed or reformed; not repentant.

Quote for Today

“One act of mercy from a new-born Christian is more righteous than ten pardons from an unrighteous Judge.”