Blessed Are The Merciful

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:7-8

Today, our focus is on Matthew 5:7-8. We’ve been discussing the Beatitudes for a few weeks now. These come to us from the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave. As we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we are able to freely give mercy to others, knowing that we will receive mercy from God. This understanding allows us to serve others without having an agenda. To listen to the sermon click here.

It’s not religion that we need. There are plenty of references in the Bible of the Pharisees who see their religiosity as something to be proud of. But they are so wrapped up in the law made by man, that they miss the importance of a personal relationship with God. He wants for us to acknowledge him, and our relationship with him is built on mercy.

Religion can be faked, as the Pharisees have shown, but mercy cannot. Mercy is given to those who are in pain, misery and distress, from the results of sin. But we can’t select only the righteous to extend mercy to. It is given to the bullied and the bully. Hurt people hurt people, right?

Does a person have to earn the mercy we extend to them? Well, let me ask you this, have you earned all of the mercy God has given you? God shows us mercy all the time, even when we don’t deserve it.

We won’t realize the mercy and forgiveness of God unless we repent. And we can’t claim to have repented if we’re unmerciful towards the sins of others. We have compassion on sinners because they are sinners just like us.

The smallest distraction or sin can cause us to lose sight of the path in God’s direction. That’s why it’s so important to have a relationship with God where we converse with him daily through prayer. If our lives are not in sink with him, it will be impossible to see him work through us.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

This scripture from Psalm will be the focus of my morning devotions for awhile. I need to renew this daily.

• When we give mercy because mercy has been given…
• We keep a pure heart by keeping God first and foremost…
• Then we will see God and be admitted into His presence…
• Awestruck by His glory. Comforted by His grace.

In Faith,

Pam