What Then?
Good Morning Friends,
Both giving money and bestowing acts of mercy can be considered spiritual gifts. What makes them spiritual though is the intention and attitude embedded in the action combined with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Giving therefor needs to be generous like God. We need to earn, save and give all we can. The acts need to be a witnesses of compassion combined with love and reason. This is especially true in the case of spiritual acts of mercy but also in the corporal acts of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, burying the dead, sheltering the traveler, comforting the sick, and freeing the enslaved. But friends, the harsh reality is that we are in as much need of mercy as those poor we might seek to help for we are all sinners. The beauty is that though we are in need of receiving mercy, when we extend mercy we might just discover or rediscovery the fruit of the spirit. For here true acts of mercy illuminate the experience of Jesus in our lives. However let’s face this reality. Once we get in a competitive mindset it is tough to be merciful. Whether it is war or love it is wise to know ones friends and foes. It is wise to know the dynamic of the situation. So there is much that needs to be learned when it comes to carrying out spiritual acts of mercy. For once we have won or lost the challenges of world we need to connect our understanding the judgement to God’s ultimate judgement as a way of understanding grace. Friends, even if all our plans are exacted and the world’s goals are achieved someday we will die. What Then?
Scripture: Jesus began to weep.
John 11:35 (NRSV)
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NRSV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 21:5-6 (NRSV)
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.’
Matthew 5:7 (NRSV)
Message: Mercy is a word that goes with other words. We can contemplate God’s act of supreme mercy on the cross but also in acts of compassion discover God’s presence in service. But there is something fearful about falling into the hands of God and His mercy whether it is in extending it in acts of service or in approaching the throne for forgiveness. Both are supposed to be carried out with courage and boldness. There is something miraculous about mercy and the reality that His mercy can show up whenever and where ever it is His will. Clearly we are not in control. But when we do acts of mercy we can become an eternal monument to His incredible mercy… a mercy planned from the very beginning. Here is the mystery of mercy being combined with justice, of mercy being linked to compassion, of mercy and the incarnation of Christ being present when we serve as part of his Body. Hopefully we begin to see how the love of God, the motive behind it all, goes beyond sympathy and empathy to action. We experience an action that tells the truth in love. We are shown this love that we have been graphed on to, His love for His agents of the world’s salivation, His inexplicable fidelity to His covenant… the ultimate mystery of God’s grace, gifted by Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit, given to us the Body of believers. The feeling helps us to remember what God has done for us personally but also asks us to remember how this love, this mercy, is connected in a holy history moving forward God’s plan in the world in which we live. He wants us to prepare for just how wonderful and mighty a response He can breathe into our lives. He wants us to be humble and expectant when we cry out for His mercy… mercy that we might not get what we deserve. But there is more, here mercy is the obligation of the covenant promise…the obligation of the stronger to the weaker of the insider to the outsider. It is here that we pray and lay claim to Jesus’ victory over sin…our sin. Here mercy is sacrifice, the sacrifice of the cross. So be surprised by the joy of His severe mercy. Even a little of our love combined with God’s extravagant and perpetual love is as an act of mercy. So let’s give it our all with the real goal in mind. God showed mercy to the back stabbing brother named Jacob and to the prostitute named Rahab and to the adulterer named David and even to the vile and evil ruler named Manasseh. But do not be deceived. God showed mercy to those the world would reject but the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Pray God have mercy on us. Pray we be of pure hearts and rich in mercy, gentle, sensitive and courteous with others so that they might know of God’s love and the ransom paid…of the salvation Jesus makes possible. Pray we experience the Father’s mercy in the face of Jesus. Pray we see the face of Jesus in the poor. Pray we realize that the Lord’s message is one of mercy. Pray we trust God and His mercy. Pray we hear Jesus’ words of mercy in a way that aids our sanctification. Pray we help meet the spiritual and material needs of others. Pray we instruct those who do not know. Pray we counsel those who do not yet believe. Pray that only when we have knowledge and tact and love do we admonish other sinners. Pray we learn how to comfort the afflicted. Pray we bear wrongs patiently. Pray we forgive offences. Pray we willingly and faithfully pray for others.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 