God Blesses Those Who are Merciful…
God wants to heal our land. But He wants to start at the heart level.
At the bottom of every rebellion person’s heart are feelings of unforgiveness.
When you are able to justify not forgiving someone, it becomes easier to justify other acts of rebellion against God
Understand that you can forgive a person in your mind and with your mouth but it is possible that your heart didn’t get the memo. As result you may carry around FEELINGS of unforgiveness that can be triggered every time that you think about your offender or get around them.
Forgiveness is humanly challenging, especially when our offender hasn’t even admitted to their wrong.
One day our O.G Peter asked Jesus in Matthew chapter 18 verse 21: “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
In verse 22 Jesus replies by saying “No, not seven times, but seventy times seven!”
Let me back up; the word Mercy is defined as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm”
When we are offended, Jesus is still expecting us to be forgiving and compassionate towards our offenders.
God knows that once the world begins to completely walk in Mercy we will truly exhibit the Love of Christ towards each other. 1 Corinthians 13:5 declares that Love keeps no record of being wronged.
We are made in God’s image, and He desires for His children to mirror character. God is a forgiving God!
In my own life I know that I have surpassed the 490 chances that Jesus requires of us, so I have experienced the liberation that comes from being forgiven.
Each morning God grants us a fresh new Mercy according to Lamentations 3:23.
This means that with each waking day, God gives us a clean slate and we are not only encouraged to do the same towards other people, we are commanded to do so.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15- NLT YIKES!!!
God would be justified in severely punishing me and turning His back on me for all of the wrong things that I have done. Instead, not only did He forgive me, but He also sent His only son to die in my place for the sins that I committed.
Even more so, He did all of this so that I can have eternal life in heaven and be joined with him.
THERE IS NO GREATER MERCY THAN THAT!
I now understand that I have an obligation to extend this same mercy, forgiveness, and compassion towards others. And it is not up to me to decide who deserves my mercy and who doesn’t because none of us deserve the Mercy of God, Yet there it is waiting for us every morning. HALLELUJAH!!!
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7