BE MERCIFUL AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL

12/26/2022

"Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)

There is a curriculum of the Spirit that every disciple of Jesus Christ must undertake. If you miss specific lessons in this curriculum, it may jeopardize God's end goal, which is for you to be conformed to the image of Christ. As a matter of fact, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is a core part of this curriculum that every believer must undergo to fulfill the requirements of graduating into sonship by adoption. 

That said, the subject of mercy is a very important course that you must understand, without which, you would lose a key to the miraculous and there are not many keys that the Bible shows us. So what is mercy in the context of Jesus' mandate to you? Mercy is the acknowledgment of God in another person. It is treating another as the image of the invisible God. 

Hosea 6:6 unlocks many mysteries to us about the secret keys to the miraculous and beyond this, we also see a ranking of these keys. God says, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." Two things are imperative to unlock the scripture. First, this verse of scripture is iterative, mercy equates with knowledge of God and sacrifice equates with burnt offerings. The second thing to note is that the word translated, "knowledge" implies " to acknowledge" and not "to know". 

That said, to be merciful in the context of our theme scripture means to acknowledge God in another so that God can also acknowledge Himself in you. Now, something else is implied in Hosea 6:6 that is evidenced throughout the scriptures is that mercy is a more potent key for triggering divine intervention than sacrifice. 

Given, sacrifice is an access key to trigger the miraculous intervention of God.  The Bible says as an example, "And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (2 Chronicles 1:6-7). There are many other instances in which God's intervention was elicited by a sacrifice. 

Yet, God prizes mercy above sacrifice because when you show mercy to another, you become a conduit for God to intervene in any situation. Many do not notice it but mercy was often Jesus' key to the miraculous. Matthew 14:14 says, "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick." He acknowledged God in the people and there was no way they would remain sick. 

This is exactly what the Lord wants to do in your relationships; produce miracles. Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." In other words, the Lord is asking you to be mindful of mercy and show it to others. Acknowledge Him in others and let this God-acknowledgement lead you to let go of hurts, reach out with love and make someone's day, today.

God bless you.

Faith-Filled Confession

I am a conduit of divine mercy today and everywhere I am, I represent the mercy of God. In Jesus' name. Amen

ONE YEAR READING PLAN: Zephaniah; Revelation 15