Pass It On

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

I spent about a half an hour yesterday talking with a friend of mine who lives in Jerusalem. He’s among the leaders of Jerusalem Cornerstone Foundation. Yoni is an expert Israeli guide and my “go to” guy for putting Holy Land tours together. We discussed many things about a trip I’m planning in 2016, Lord willing. While talking about the time I want to spend in Galilee, the Mt. of Beatitudes came up. After hanging up, I got a Bible and read Matthew’s account of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. What grabbed my attention was the Lord’s statement about mercy.

There are many ways to show mercy. We know that God delights in mercy [Micah 7:18], but as a Christ follower, we, too, have an opportunity to reflect that character of God. But how? 

You can…

Be merciful to the poor. “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren…you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs” [Deuteronomy 15:7-8]. 

Spiritually speaking, you can…

Pity the lost. St. Augustine once said, "If I weep for that body from which the soul is departed, how should I weep for that soul from which God is departed?” [Quoted in The Beatitudes, by Thomas Watson, p. 144]. Both Jesus [Luke 23:34] and Stephen [Acts 7:60] had pity on sinners shortly before their deaths.

You can…

Speak out against sin. Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy, "The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all . . . with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” [2 Timothy 2:24-25].

So many things come to mind. Praying for someone can be an act of mercy, preaching the gospel too. Sharing your love for Christ and all things godly may just be the most merciful thing you can do. There’s so much more. My hope is that this short eDevotion will encourage you to discover and pass on the “abundant mercy” God has shown to you.

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