7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. – Matthew 5:7
Today we continue our look at the upside down teachings of Jesus in His most famous sermon. Christ mentions 9 blessings that run counter to how we think and challenge us to live upside down lives.
Mercy is beautiful. When we understand how poorly situations could go, only to receive a break from consequences, it seems to lift our spirits in a way few things can. Mercy is like cold water on a hot day. It refreshes, renews, and eases the all too real burden of existence.
Mercy also produces more mercy. Mercy received is mercy further distributed. All of a sudden, when faced with such favor, it is easier to share with others struggling with condemnation and circumstance. The design of Godly mercy is for it to reverberate through our lives and contacts, never ending. It is His design for it to continually be received and delivered. It is a spring of life for all who seek rest.
Oftentimes, the mercy starts with us. The more we are able to grant ourselves mercy in this life, the more we recognize the deficit in others. It is pride, not humility, that keeps us from receiving the free gift of Jesus in the form of such compassion. Mercy is never earned or deserved – this is what makes it so Godly. It is the unmerited and unhindered kindness of Jesus.
Today, there is someone in your life who needs mercy. You don’t have to give it, but you might just find your own desperate need filled when you extend it. Perhaps you are the one who needs to share it with yourself. You stand in self condemnation and Jesus is urging you to be kind to yourself.
If He no longer condemns us, then why should we?
Matt simon blog 