Blessed are the Merciful
Blessed are the Merciful. Why do we need mercy? The answer to that question is at the very root of the need of every man, woman, and child before a holy and righteous God. Our difficulty is that we are prone to compare ourselves with one another, but that is truly a fatal error. From the moment we were conceived, we stood condemned before a holy God who cannot even look upon sin.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 5:7, NKJV
Blessed are the Merciful
What does it mean to show mercy, or to be merciful? The following
definition of mercy seems to most closely fit the intent of the Lord
Jesus Christ when He said that the merciful are blessed.
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm: "the boy was begging for mercy".
What can we do? Is it possible for God to show mercy to us? Can we, who
are condemned before God truly receive mercy? Yes! Understanding our
helpless estate, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this world
for that very purpose. Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so
that we might appear before God as righteous.
21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV
That is mercy! Each of us owes a debt of sin to God, yet we cannot die for ourselves, much less die for others! Yet God, knowing our lost estate, sent His only, sinless Son, to pay that debt for us. How can we deserve such a thing? We cannot and do not! All we can do is fall before the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing our sinful and hopeless estate, and receive His payment made on our behalf.
The result is mercy! By the grace of God, we stand before a holy and
righteous God as His righteous children--not for any righteousness that
we had, but because of the righteous blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
which covers our sins, from now until eternity.
How can we resist such a loving and merciful offering? Yet, most do! Let
us fall before the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving His payment for our
sins, and let us cast ourselves upon His loving mercy and grace.
Our lives upon this earth will still be difficult, as we will always
wrestle with our own sin natures. Yet, a day is coming when the fight
will be over. The day is coming when we will walk into the loving arms
of Jesus and remain there for all eternity!
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
See also the children's devotional "Merciful"
Children, 8 Beatitude Devotionals from the Bible
Devotional Reflections from the Bible
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