“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7 ESV). God promises to bless us and have mercy on us if we are merciful to others. Jesus told a parable about an unforgiving servant who had a debtor thrown in jail even though he himself had been a debtor to a king who forgave his debts. The king heard about it and told the unforgiving servant, “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” (Matt. 18:33 NLT). The point is that God has been far more merciful to us than we can possibly be to others because he had to forgive so much sin in us. This truth should compel us to be merciful to others. Yet, it isn’t easy to be merciful to others who offend us, and sometimes they do not even appreciate our mercy when we give it to them.
Yet, whether they respond or not, God wants us to be merciful to others (in other words, forgive them, release them) because he had mercy on us. By definition, mercy is not earned; it is just given when it is not deserved. We just forgive because of who God is and who we are, not because of who the offender is. If we will do that then God will be merciful to us. We need his mercy because we still offend God with our unbelief and lack of love; we need his mercy in our lives instead of constant discipline. Those who are merciful to others will receive this; those who are not merciful will find themselves suffering more of God’s discipline.
Is there anyone who has hurt you that you are not merciful to? Do you have a merciful heart for them? How can you show mercy to them?
