Blessed Are The Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Matt. 5:7.  Mercy can be defined as compassion, kindness, and an outward manifestation of pity.  Mercy sees and feels what the other person is going through.  The merciful are promised mercy in return.  The opposite is also true; those who show no mercy receive no mercy.  This was true for the unforgivng servant of Matt. 18.  Though he had been forgiven a debt he could not repay, he refused to forgive someone a very small debt.  He was put in the debtor's prison until he would pay all he owed.  "So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  The unmerciful do not receive mercy.  This was also true for the rich man in Luke 16.  The poor man Lazarus was laid at his gate everyday, and yet the rich man never once had mercy on the poor man.  Both men died, and now the rich man in hell cried out for mercy, that Lazarus would come and dip his finger in water to cool his tongue, for he was tormented in the flame.  The rich man received no mercy, for he had a lifetime to show mercy, but had shown none.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who misuse and persecute us.  In this way we will be acting like our heavenly Father, who causes the sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  Job had three friends who spent their time criticizing and condemning Job.  Yet God told Job that He would bring these friends to him, and Job was to pray for them.  "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends.  Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."  Job 42:10.  Pray for your enemies, and forgive those who hurt you.  In this way God can show you mercy and restore all that you have lost, and even multiply it back to you!  "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment."  Jam. 2:13.  When mercy and judgment meet, mercy always wins.  The covering on the ark of the covenant was a mercy seat.  God wants to show mercy to His people.  We can be thankful that there are new mercies every morning, Lam. 3:22,23.  Even in the midst of Israel's failure and suffering, there were new mercies everyday.  No matter what your past has been, everyday is a new day, and there is mercy for each day.  Show mercy to someone today, and God will show mercy to you. 

How can I show mercy to someone today?