Breakfast With Christ - The Merciful
BREAKFAST WITH CHRIST
TOPIC: THE MERCIFUL
SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy".
Today, we will continue with our series on Jesus' sermon on the mountain.
The word "mercy" as used in the scripture is translated "eleemon" in Greek which means to show compassion and forgiveness. In our message for today, Jesus is calling on us to be compassionate and to forgive people when they offend us.
Being merciful isn't a natural human nature. The first act of mercy came from God Himself when He forgave us our sins on the Cross. We didn't deserve it, we didn't ask for it but he showed us mercy. *In like manner, as followers of Christ, we need to also forgive freely.
Many a time, when we are offended, we hold back our forgiveness until the person apologizes. Jesus died for us without us asking Him to, we also need to forgive without our offenders asking for it or apologizing. Forgiveness is a command from God. It is not optional, we need to learn to freely forgive people.
Forgiveness frees our hearts from bitterness and pain. Unforgiveness is a spiritual bondage we need to avoid. If we expect God to always forgive us our sins, then we also need to forgive those who offend us. If we are merciful to our neighbors, we will also obtain mercy from God. Stay blessed!
Prayer line:
Father, I thank you for your endless mercy. I am grateful you died on the Cross for my sins. Please help me to always forgive those who offend me. Amen