Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the fifth step of the spiritual ascension, namely mercy. It is the feeling by which the misery of others touches our heart. It is therefore a feeling of compassion generally lodged in the bowels, hence the expression “bowels of mercy” that we find in Luke and Colossians.
Mercy is an attribute of God and a proof of superior growth for the believer. The mercy of God is a manifestation of his kindness to men in view of their suffering and misery. That’s why the Hebrew word usually translates as: kindness, and is sometimes rendered by: mercy. In addition, there is a word that often comes to express these different aspects of God’s love: “The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in goodness.” More specifically, mercy is the feeling that leads to forgiveness of the guilty. And more especially it is the pity of God who forgives the sinner; since it is also written, “But you, O God, are always ready for forgiveness, merciful and compassionate”. This is why the Lord Jesus said in Mat 5.7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
This mercy, made of kindness and compassion, God asks us to exercise to each other. The following verses mention it:
Psalms 112: 4-9: “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor.”
Micah 6.8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Zechariah 7.9“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another”.
Matthew 9.13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Luke 10.37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
It’s a deep sense of solidarity with people who are suffering and in need. Put to the benefit of the mercy of God who grants us free forgiveness, we must, in our turn, be merciful to those who have offended us, on pain of rendering vain, by the hardness of our heart, the first grace that has forgiven us (remember the parable of the ruthless servant, mentioned in Matthew 18: 23-35, and James 2:13.
Thus, the merciful are those who do not think only of their own misery, but who sympathize with the misery of their brothers. Therefore, one must have felt one’s own misery, having suffered oneself, in order to sympathize with the suffering of others. Therefore, to have been oneself the object of the infinite love of God to be able to love others and to practice charity for them.
1) But let us read what is written in the Bible to characterize human mercy:
- It’s commanded to be merciful: be kind:
Luke 6.36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Rom 12: 8 ” if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Jude 22 ” Be merciful to those who doubt;
- mercy is more important than sacrifice:
Hosea 6.6 ” For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Micah 6.6-8 ” With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. “
Mat 9.13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
2) Man is enjoined to exercise mercy:
Proverbs 3.3 ” Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Proverbs 11.17 “Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.”
Micah 6.8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. “
James 2.13 ” because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Luke 6.36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
The promises of divine mercy are contained in the following verses:
Exodus 34.7 “maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Psalms 89.29-30 ” I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. 30 “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,”
Psalms 103.8 ” The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Isaiah 54.7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.”
John 14:19 ” Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
3) -The different expressions of the mercy of God:
-He forgive our sins: Psalms 51.3-4 ” For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”
Daniel 9.9 ” The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;”
1 Timothy 1: 13-16 “13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
-He saves us in Christ: Ephesians 2: 4-5 ” But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. “;
Titus 3.4-5 ” But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, “
1 Peter 1: 3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,”
-He calls us back to him: Jeremiah 3: 12-13 ” Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “ ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’ ” declares the LORD.”
-He cures us of our diseases: Philippians 2.27 ” Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.”
-He spares our goods from destruction: Genesis 19.16 ” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.”
Psalms 116: 1-6 ” I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “LORD, save me!” 5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.”
-He saves us from our enemies: Psalms 6.10 “All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.”
Psalms 28.8-9 “The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
4) We must pray for the mercy of God:
-self-mercy to oneself: Psalms 4.2 ” that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation.”
Psalms 9.14 “Have mercy on me, O Lord! See the misery in which my enemies reduce me, Take me out of the gates of death,”
-He hears the cry imploring his mercy: Psalm 28: 2 ” Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.”
– “remember your great mercy”: Psalms 25.6 “ Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.”
– “have mercy on the sinner that I am”: Luke 18.13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
– “Jesus, show us mercy”: Matthew 9:27 “Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”.
Matthew 20.30-31 ” Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
5) What grace brings us:
-we are established in grace: Romans 5.2 ” through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
-we have a superabundant grace: 1 Tim 1.14 ” The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
-We are established in God’s grace : Philippians 1.7 ” It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”
-We can approach the throne of grace: Hebrews 4.16 ” Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
-We are strengthened by grace: Hebrews 13: 9 ” Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.”
-We must grow in the grace: 2 Peter 3:18 ” But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
-We must not receive the grace in vain: 2 Cor 6.1 ” As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”
-We may no longer be under grace: Galatians 5.4 ” You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. “
Hebrews 6.4-6 ” It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
So finally, it is clear from the foregoing that the merciful are those who do not think only of their own misery, but who sympathize with the misery of their brothers. Therefore, one must have felt one’s own misery, having suffered oneself, in order to sympathize with the suffering of others. Hence, to have been oneself the object of the infinite love of God to be able to love others and to practice charity for them. Let us integrate mercy into our works because it’s superior to sacrifices. May the Holy Spirit accompany us all in this direction, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows :
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all adoration, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to your queries and comments as necessary, before sharing with you next week on the sixth step of spiritual ascension, which is inner purity.
May the Almighty God bless you in abundance.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord Almighty.