MErcy Begins With ME
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7”
“Mercy is not simply having sympathy for someone. It implies an "active sense" of compassion or pity for someone suffering or in distress.
I am putting this mercy thing into practice. I am extending it to others so that it will come back to me! I am certain that there will be a time when I need mercy and if I do what God says, I will get it when I need it. I am also learning more about the Lord as I read through His Word this year. If you don't read it every day I encourage you to start. I came across Psalm 41:1-3 the other day and the first three verses really picked me up as I gleaned some insight on what God can and will do for us as we help others. It says...
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; ..he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.
“Did you catch all of that? I was studying mercy and found that God delivers, protects, preserves, blesses, sustains and restores! All of this for the one that has regard for the weak. In other words, if I start thinking of others first, God will take care of me.
So I will extend mercy today. Whether it is deserved or not I will do it because that is how I make certain that it shows up for me when I need it. I show mercy because the Lord has already been merciful to me in that while I was a sinner, Christ died for my sins. He paid the price and I reap the benefits.That's quite an exchange!
Maybe you should extend mercy too. Quit holding a grudge and carrying those hurts from one relationship to the next. Let it go. Be merciful. That's what I am doing because I realize MErcy begins with ME!”
Excerpt From: Joe Jones. “Cup of Joe.” iBooks.
