"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7, KJV).
If you and I have a desire to imitate God, seldom do we accomplish that purpose more than in the practice of showing mercy.
God delights in nothing more than in the exercise of showing mercy. One of the clear prerequisites to real happiness is this display of genuine mercy. Surely God has given us the supreme example, by giving His only Son to die in our place. That is mercy beyond comprehension, beyond description.
The world speaks often of having someone at its mercy. In a very real sense, God has us at His mercy - but He chose to be merciful and make a way of escape for us. The decision to take that way is ours.
To the degree that we show mercy to the poor, the wretched, the guilty - to that degree we are like God. And if He keeps us here on earth to be conformed more and more to His image, how important it is that we trust Him - by His indwelling Holy Spirit - to make us merciful.
When we do something to glorify God, like giving a cup of cold water in His name, in obedience to His commandments, and with a desire that He should be honored, He will consider it as done unto Him and reward us accordingly.
The lesson is clear: the merciful shall obtain mercy. And who among us is not a candidate for more of God's mercy?
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: "Dear Lord, with Your great mercy as the supreme example, I resolve to allow your Holy Spirit to show mercy through me."
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