Day Fourteen
Generous - Merciful
Proverbs 31:20...She opens her hands to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind or spirit].
For today's devotional, we are again looking at a willingness and openness of our hearts for God's Spirit to flow through - by being generous and merciful. We basically understand what generous means, but what of mercy and being merciful? Mercy is defined as the following: having or exercising mercy, compassionate, tender, disposed to pity offenders, and to forgive their offenses, unwilling to punish for injuries. As I considered the word 'mercy', two things came to mind very quickly - what do I know of mercy, and the day that God set me free from years of walking in anger and unforgiveness. I had been touched by Mercy!
So, we read the definition and comprehend mercy in our minds. But do we grasp the enormity of mercy in our hearts? In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we begin to read about the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. Dakes Annotated Reference Bible says the following..."The solid gold mercy seat made the covering of the ark which held the Ten Commandments. This signified that mercy and grace overshadowed law, reconciled through grace and faith in the blood." When man deserved judgment for sin, God brought mercy through atonement. Today, Jesus Christ is our Mercy Seat. The blood that He shed for us,the atonement, saves us from judgment of sin. The Father, in His love and compassion, tenderly forgives us our offenses. Ephesians 2:4-5 says...But God - so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loves us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses. He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy, which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).
The understanding of what mercy was started the day after God set me free, yet at the same time, how could I truly fathom such a mercy as this? I believe we begin to take hold of and grasp mercy when we start walking in mercy.
Okay, so what do we know of mercy (having or exercising mercy, compassionate, tender, disposed to pity offenders, and to forgive their offenses, unwilling to punish for injuries)? We hear of love, mercy and grace...we sing about it...are thankful that God was merciful to us Are we not to have the same mercy for another? How willing are we to forgive another's offenses against us? How much mercy do we show to our spouse or in our families? We can attend church and smile and act kind to one another, because we usually only see each other on a weekly basis. But what about the ones who are closest to us...even the ones we live with daily? It would be easy to read today's verse in Proverbs and imagine how this woman held out her hand to the poor and needy, and to think it a noble gesture, even imagining us doing such a thing. It is also easy to read 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) and say we love each other and pat each other on the back, even hugging each other in fellowship. And it is true that we are instructed to love and have mercy on each other. But oftentimes, we define love and mercy and respond out of that, measured by whether we like what we are hearing, if we agree or if it offends our sensibilities. The test of love and mercy is when the rubber meets the road. It is learned through trials and difficulties, in the home and out. And to walk in this type of mercy will come at a cost...If you [merely] love those who love you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the [very] sinners love their lovers (those who love them). And if you are kind and good and do favors to and benefit those who are kind and good and do favors to and benefit you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the preeminently sinful do the same. And if you lend money at interest to those from whom you hope to receive, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? Even notorious sinners lend money at interest to sinners, so as to recover as much again. But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant) and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and the wicked. So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these]. (Luke 6:32-36)
There will be times when someone comes your way and it will be a joy and a delight to show love and mercy. And you will grow in the Lord. And there will be times when someone comes your way and it will be the hardest thing you have ever done to show love and mercy. And you will grow in the Lord.
Mercy that results in changed lives does not come from a sense of duty, nor through contrived love. It comes through experiencing God's Mercy in our own lives, and then walking in obedience in that same willingness to forgive...when someone does not deserve it, just as God was willing to forgive us. The Proverbs 31 woman affected lives around her because of the love and mercy that flowed through her. We are called to affect those around us...and we will grow in the Lord!
Hosea 12:6...Therefore return to your God! Hold fast to love and mercy, to righteousness and justice, and wait [expectantly] for your God continually!
Micah 6:8...He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God.
A hearts' cry...Father, what do I know of Mercy?