‘God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ Matthew 5:7(NLT)
‘And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”’ Hebrews 8:1(NLT)
‘But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.’ Psalms 86:15(NLT)
‘But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. ‘ 1 John 1:9(NLT)
‘One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”’ Luke 10:25-37(NLT)
‘Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”’ Matthew 18:21-35(NLT)
‘You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.’ Luke 6:36(NLT)
‘“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,#5:3 Greek poor in spirit. for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,#5:6 Or for righteousness. for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ Matthew 5:3-7(NLT)
QUIET MOMENT
What is your heart response when somebody drops the ball and you have to pay the consequences? Do you want to make them pay? When your child does the same thing wrong for the umpteenth time, what is your response? What do you do when your husband continues to fall short of the mark? What about you? What does God do when you make the same mistake over and over again? What does His Word say? How much mercy have you received from the Lord?
GOING DEEPER
Read Luke 10:25-37 and Matthew 18:21-35 and observe the characters in Jesus’ stories, their responses, and their actions in light of mercy.
1. What is mercy? What does mercy look like when you are interacting with others?
2. Has there been a recent time when you granted someone mercy?
3. When was the last time you received mercy from a family member or a friend? What was that like?
4. Now ask yourself, “Have I experienced God’s mercy?”
5. What does Luke 6:36 tell us?
Think through the Beatitudes you have studied so far. How do they relate? Do you see any connection or progression? Read Matthew 5:3-7 and then answer the questions that follow.
1. What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
2. What does it mean to mourn?
3. What does it mean to be gentle or meek?
4. What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
5. What do you think it means to be merciful?
6. What are your thoughts about the sequence?
REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Close your day by taking your thoughts to the Lord in prayer. Confess where you struggle the most with granting mercy.
TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE
Choose one truth from today and apply it to your heart. Take it with you throughout the day.
from Jesus, I Need You Part 7