Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
We get another dose of mercy in today’s verse. Refer back to day two for a refresher of what mercy is if you still feel a bit confused by the term. Everything we said on day two can be applied today, as well.
This verse is one taken from the teachings of Jesus known as the Beatitudes and was part of the Sermon on the Mount, which is only found in the book of Matthew. In it we learn various truths about how we can live a blessed life. Extending mercy and forgiveness to others is just one of the things we should do to be blessed.
It is important to understand that nothing we do can ensure we receive mercy. The same is true of anyone who you need to extend mercy to. They can’t do anything to convince you to extend mercy or earn it from you. It is something you must CHOOSE to give. And the same is true of God. We cannot earn mercy. We can beg and plead, we can try to live holy lives, we can repent over and over and over again and it still has to be His choice to be merciful. Luckily for us, He doesn’t want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9) and He WANTS a relationship with you, so we receive His mercy. But it is a gift.
As we extend mercy to others, God will recognize it in us and He will bless us with His mercy. We align ourselves with Him, mirroring His actions and receiving mercy as we do. This is a repetitive process that continues for as long as we show others mercy (or until we die).
If someone were to look at you today and describe you, would merciful be among the words they say? Based on this verse and Luke 6:36, merciful definitely should be a description for Christians. But are you really being merciful towards others? A little self reflection should answer that question for you.
A tip to wrap up today… the more you ACT merciful and extend mercy to others, the easier and easier it becomes. It begins to happen naturally as we let the Spirit work within us.
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