VERSE OF THE DAY FOR SEPTEMBER, 24, 2020

 

Today's Bible verse for Meditation and memorization is Luke 6:36

Be ye therefore merciful even as your father  also is merciful. 

Thoughts on Today's Verse

What does it mean to be merciful?  According to the dictionary someone who is merciful is willing to be kind to and forgive people who are in their power: it means to be lenient and charitable.

God's intention from the beginning is that we will be like him. He wants us to have his attributes and so he tells us to be "holy as he is holy" and  "merciful as he is merciful". He wants us to love as he loves, to be compassionate, just and faithful, just like him. These are his unique attributes which he imputed unto man at creation. Unfortunately, man lost these at the fall and in their place wickedness reigns in a man's heart. God knows that without these attributes his creation will remain in peril. Jesus' came to man's rescue. He died that we may live, that we may be restored. This restoration requires that we become like Jesus. God showed through Jesus  the kind of perfection he wants to see in mankind. Life in Eden is possible when man has become like Jesus. 

Mercy requires that we be not hard hearted and unforgiving. It requires kindness, affection, love, tenderness, forgiveness, empathy and gentleness. In Psalms 103:8 " the lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy". God bears with us for a very long time. He does not treat us with the punishment we deserve because of his mercy. So, in Colossians 3:12, we are advised to "put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering". 

Read also: Man shall not live by bread alone.

Mercy is reciprocal. If we are merciful we shall also receive mercy. James 2:13 puts it this way " for he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath showed no mercy and mercy rejoices against judgement". Mercy speaks better and louder than judgement. It is usually difficult for us to show mercy especially to those that have wronged us, but we all have received mercy from God even when we did not deserve it. For this reason, we must show mercy because what we give is what we get. Mathew 5:7 summarized it: "blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Therefore, let us all go boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace at this time for on our own we can do nothing. We have not the capabilities to be merciful on our own but as God gives us the grace we can meet up to his standard.

PRAYER; father thank you for your mercy which made you not to leave us nor abandon us in our fallen nature. You helped us by sending your son Jesus to die in our place that we may live. May this substitutionary death always be in our minds constantly that we may learn to be merciful as you are. Amen!