April
9, 2003
BLESSED
ARE THE MERCIFUL
"Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew
5:7, NKJV).
"The
merciful are those who manifest compassion to the poor, the
suffering, and the oppressed... God is Himself the source
of all mercy. His name is 'merciful and gracious' (Exodus
34:6). He does not treat us according to our desert. He does
not ask if we are worthy of His love, but He pours upon us
the riches of His love, to make us worthy. He is not vindictive.
He seeks not to punish, but to redeem. Even the severity which
He manifests through His providences is manifested for the
salvation of the wayward. He yearns with intense desire to
relieve the woes of men and to apply His balsam to their wounds.
It is true that God 'will by no means clear the guilty' (Exodus
34:7), but He would take away the guilt.
"The
merciful are 'partakers of the divine nature,' and in them
the compassionate love of God finds expression. All whose
hearts are in sympathy with the heart of Infinite Love will
seek to reclaim and not to condemn. Christ dwelling in the
soul is a spring that never runs dry. Where He abides, there
will be an overflowing of beneficence.
"To
the appeal of the erring, the tempted, the wretched victims
of want and sin, the Christian does not ask, 'Are they worthy?'
but, 'How can I benefit them?' In the most wretched, the most
debased, he sees souls whom Christ died to save and for whom
God has given to His children the ministry of reconciliation...
"There
are many to whom life is a painful struggle; they feel their
deficiencies and are miserable and unbelieving; they think
they have nothing for which to be grateful. Kind words, looks
of sympathy, expressions of appreciation, would be to many
a struggling and lonely one as a cup of cold water to a thirsty
soul. A word of sympathy, an act of kindness, would lift burdens
that rest heavily upon weary shoulders. And every word or
deed of unselfish kindness is an expression of the love of
Christ for lost humanity.
"The
merciful 'shall obtain mercy.'.. There is sweet peace for
the compassionate spirit, a blessed satisfaction in the life
of self-forgetful service for the good of others. The Holy
Spirit that abides in the soul and is manifest in the life
will soften hard hearts and awaken sympathy and tenderness."
--Thoughts From The Mount of Blessing, pp., 21-23.
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