The Mercy We Desire.

16 Feb The Mercy We Desire.

Something I consider really profound happened to me this morning. My husband got ready to leave the house and was waiting for our two younger boys who had indicated their interest in going to the office with him. I was up in the bedroom, just finished praying and was expecting my husband to walk through the door and give me a good morning kiss before he leaves.
He wasn’t coming and I had started reading the book of Proverbs thinking; “He cannot possibly leave the house without seeing and kissing me.” 😊
He woke up earlier and left the room to pray while I was still sleeping, He quietly got ready in order not to disturb me…
“But he would surely come to the bedroom to kiss me…”

While this and some other angry thoughts were rummaging in my head, I got to chapter 11 and saw that…

The merciful man does good for his own soul… Proverbs 11:17 NKJV

I wasn’t thinking right at all.
I was already getting angry, thinking on how I was going to let him know how upset I was that he just got up and left… And then a thought; “Why didn’t I leave my bible for a minute or two and go to him myself?”  Went through my mind…Any way, we will discuss on this some other time.

But God wanted me to know that forgiving and showing mercy is FOR MY OWM GOOD.
The moment I decided to let it slide and dropped the anger, all those negative emotions gave way to peace and joy, it felt really good, I felt really good.
Something else happened that I do not consider an ordinary coincidence happened. I had planned to continue on The Beatitude series and guess the one that was next in line from last week.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 NKJV

I just love it when Abba speaks to and rebukes me. It shows how much He loves me. Click To Tweet

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:12 NKJV

Okay, back to The Beatitudes.
Since the merciful are blessed because they will obtain mercy, we should all strive towards being merciful shouldn’t we?
So who are the merciful? They are those who are;
-Compassionate –   they have a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it
-Tender hearted – they are easily moved to pity.
-Gracious – they are pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.
-Lenient – of mild and tolerant disposition or effect :  not harsh, severe, or strict
-Forgiving – they are always disposed to forgive.

All the above are kind of interwoven and are all OFFSPRINGS OF LOVE.

Why should we show mercy?
1. We show mercy because we have received it.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 NKJV

…Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us… Titus 3:5 NKJV

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:22 NKJV

2. We show mercy because we are our Father’s children.
But God, who is rich in mercy… Ephesians 2:4 NKJV

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Ephesians 5:1

3. We show mercy because it is God’s desire for us.
Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36 NKJV

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice. Hosea 6:6 NKJV

4. We show mercy because it is a seed into our own lives.
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy… James 2:13 NKJV

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 NKJV

Two of Jesus’ parables on mercy and how He expects us to respond to others can be found in:
1. Matthew 19:21-35 – The Parable Of The Unmerciful Servant.
2. Luke 10:30-37 – The Parable Of The Good Samaritan.
PLEASE DO TAKE THE TIME TO READ THEM.

Mercy in its truest and purest form comes from a heart yielded to The Holy Spirit. Click To Tweet

In order to be merciful according to God’s demands, we must be open to His Spirit and His leading.   Trying to be merciful by ourselves will be frustrating because no good thing dwells in the flesh, that’s why we need to commune always with The Holy Spirit.
In constant fellowship with The Holy Spirit, we take on more of Him and more of His grace to live the life we have been called into.

Mercy is for our own good, we sow mercy if we want to reap it. The mercy we desire is the mercy we should give!

What is your mercy meter reading?
Are you working on getting it up?

Copyright© Ugochi Oritsejolomisan 2017

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