MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD’S MERCY
Matthew 5:7
Christ is building an edifice of
truth. He presents the eternal message of heaven with an orderliness and
progression that cannot be re-adjusted. Acceptable acts of mercy follow the
spiritual experiences Christ taught in the first four beatitudes (Matthew
5:3-6). Grace and mercy are not fruits that grow out of the heart of the
natural, fallen man. Love is not a natural fruit. A fallen natural man begins
to receive the grace and mercy of God when he turns away from his sins. It is
repentance that brings the mercy of God to the heart of man. Christ’s message
reveals that mercy shown before poverty of spirit, mourning and repentance,
meekness and lowliness of character, thirst and hunger for righteousness cannot
get anyone to heaven. Mercy shown before entrance into the kingdom has no
recognition by God. You can only show acceptable acts of mercy after you have
been filled with God’s righteousness through repentance and faith in the
atoning sacrifice of Christ. Mercy that manifests from a righteous character is
different from a natural man’s. Mercy shown to maintain good relationship with
others or in the process of child training, and in almsgiving though necessary,
cannot take anybody to heaven except rooted in God’s grace.
This beatitude, mercy, follows the
blessedness of:
(i) kingdom benefits for the poor in
spirit (ii) divine comfort for the mourners (iii) the inheritance of the meek
(iv) imputed and imparted righteousness for the hungry and thirsty. This is
mercy manifested as a fruit of the Spirit from a heart made righteous by the
divine hand of God. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy” (Matthew 5:7). We must possess the mercy and truth of God. Then,
we must demonstrate it, live by it, act it out and walk in the mercy and love
of God. When we, as believers, stretch out the hand of grace, love and mercy to
other people, we will find mercy and favour in the sight of God and of men (2
Samuel 22:26,27; Proverbs 3:3,4).
1. THE
PATTERN OF GOD’S MANIFESTATION OF MERCY
Matthew
5:7; Isaiah 55:6,7; Proverbs 28:13; Ephesians 2:1-4,10; 1 Peter 1:3; Luke
1:72,77,78; Deuteronomy 13:17,18; Jude
20,21; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Hebrews 4:14-16.
The
life of Christ is the interpretation of His message. He demonstrated all the
messages He preached. And as believers, we need to read and watch Christ to see
and follow a pattern of how He showed mercy to people. This will help us to
refrain from sentiments in most of our dealings with people. Christ related
with people differently including His disciples.
God
shows mercy to those who repent of their sins. Following God’s pattern, the
believer does not give to sinners (smokers, drunkards, drug addicts, etc.) the
money they need for them to continue in their evil. “Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). The reason He shows us mercy
at salvation is because we could not pay the price. When we come to God,
pleading with a repentant heart for forgiveness and mercy, He forgives. The
forgiven sinner is created unto good works. As such, God does not expect him to
return to the old lifestyle of sin. The mercy of God is available to those who
repent of their sins. God’s mercy does not just come to us. We must seek and
look for it because His mercy is not cheap or meant to be wasted.
God’s
manifestation of mercy begins with forgiveness and salvation. And it continues
and increases as we faithfully serve Him in obedience to His Word. He always
grants us mercy according to His truth.
God never contradicts His truth so as to show us mercy. Christians must hold to this truth and
pattern revealed in His Word in showing mercy to others. This will guide us
into wholesome manifestation of mercy as well as prevent us from falling prey
to the enemy who might take advantage of our ignorance. Many references of the
Scripture connect and associate mercy with truth to reveal God’s pattern to us.
They include: (i) Psalm 25:10 – the mercy of God is for those that keep the
truth: you cannot abandon the truth while seeking the mercy of God if you are
following His pattern; (ii) Psalm 57:3 – we cannot deviate from the truth in
order to show or emphasise the importance of mercy because there exists an
inseparable connection between mercy and truth; (iii) Psalm 61:7 – it is mercy
and truth that preserve the church: mercy alone cannot do it; (iv) Psalm 85:10
– we show mercy on the basis of truth; (v) Psalm 89:14 – we must be guided by
mercy and truth – special blessings are for those who obey the truth. And we
cannot show mercy in isolation of the truth of the Word of God; (vi) Proverbs
16:6 – we don’t abandon the truth and allow the spread of evil in the church
while trying to show mercy; (vii) Proverbs 20:28 – mercy and truth uphold the
leadership of the church. Thus, we cannot dissociate mercy from truth. Mercy
always goes with sound doctrine, pure worship, righteousness and holiness.
2. PERSONAL
GRATITUDE AND THE MINISTRY OF MERCY
Matthew
5:7; 1 John 4:10,11,19-21; Ephesians 4:32; 5:1,2; Romans 12:1,8-21; Colossians
3:12,13;
Luke 6:36; 2 Chronicles 19:1,2.
Mercy
is favour undeserved that we receive from God after repentance. And because we have received mercy from God,
we are so grateful to Him. It is this personal gratitude that leads us into the
ministry of mercy. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love
one another” (1 John 4:11). We ought to show mercy to others as a proof
of our gratitude to God, who first had mercy upon us and forgave our sins. God
generally shows mercy to all. He allows the sun to shine and the rain to fall
for the good of the just and the unjust. He also allows all to enjoy some
material blessings. But this divine benevolence, without repentance on the part
of sinners, will not be of any eternal good to them. We must continue to show
mercy and to do it the way Christ did it. “And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath
forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Believers
have received many-sided and manifold mercies of God. They are duty-bound to
show mercy to others with cheerfulness because it proceeds from a grateful
heart. Pride and self are not part of the manifestation of God-kind of mercy.
Humility and diligence are components of mercy. We show mercy to enemies by
giving them material things to enjoy but we do not accommodate them in our
houses. If we do, they will pose a great danger to, and are capable of
destroying our families and ministries. Jesus is the greatest model of His own
message. He did not reveal to Judas Iscariot deep secrets of the kingdom as He
did to Peter, James and John, though all of them enjoyed material things
commonly in His presence. Believers should follow this pattern of Christ in
Scripture. We must be wise to balance mercy with truth; we must show mercy on
the basis of truth.
3. PROMISES OF GREAT MANIFESTATION OF MERCY
Matthew
5:7; Proverbs 3:3,4; 11:16,17,25; 21:21; Psalms 37:25,26; 41:1-3; 112:4-9;
Isaiah 58:10-12.
If
we are merciful, we will obtain mercy. “ Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy.” When we obey God in showing mercy to other
people, we will find mercy and favour in the sight of God and men. We will also
find life and honour. As we show mercy, the blessings of the Lord will become
abundant in our lives. “ I have been young, and now am old; yet have I
not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever
merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed ” (Psalm 37:25, 26). As
the Lord uses us in the ministry of mercy to bring restoration and peace, our
lives will witness divine visitation of mercy. Following the pattern of
Scripture and the way of Christ in showing mercy makes it possible for merciful
people not to stop coming our ways.
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