Verse of the Day 2/11

Through the Bible - Leviticus 7-9, Matthew 26:36-56

 

Good morning,

It's interesting to note that yesterday's challenging teaching to reach out to "the least of these" was the last thing that Jesus taught the disciples prior to the last supper and His betrayal.  It was the culmination of His teaching ministry, one that would be remembered by His disciples.  As Christians at some point in our lives Jesus Christ reached out to us as the "least of these", the least deserving.  We should remember Paul's words in Romans 5: 8, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

To see this last teaching spelled out to us, we can go back to Jesus "first teaching" and look at these two as bookends of His Gospel ministry.

 

Matt 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.  NLT

 

Where does mercy come from?  John Piper writes, "mercy comes from a  heart that has first felt it's spiritual bankruptcy, and has come  to grief over it's sin, and has learned to wait meekly for the timing of the Lord, and to cry out in hunger for the work of his mercy to satisfy us with the righteousness we need.   .....Mercy comes from mercy.  Our mercy to each other comes from God's mercy to us."

What is the opposite of mercy?  It relates to the "straining out of gnats" that we looked at in Matthew 23 the other day.  Piper writes, "the opposite of mercy is when your religious impulses are exhausted after you have decided whether to tithe on your gross income or your net income or on your birthday gifts.... Don't "neglect the weightier matters of the law", beware of going through the day doing only trivial things, thinking only trivial thoughts, feeling only trivial things, ....making no plans for the weightier matters of mercy."

 

How much of our time is spent on "trivial things", the urgency of the generally insignificant?  Seeing the need, with a heart of compassion, willing to help, in spite of what others may think, that's mercy.

Can you think of Biblical examples?

 

A friend sent the following quote to me after reading yesterday's devotional regarding helping "the least of these".

 

" On its own, the commandment cannot provide the incentive or the power to fulfill it, and this might foster either discouragement or indifference. But those who are in touch with the very source of love, who have been shown what love is and who are the recipients of a great and healing love, can receive the commandment with hope and joy. For they are not commanded to do something that is alien to their experience or beyond their ability to learn and to do." 

 

Mercy comes from mercy.  Have you felt it?  Will you spread it?

 

In Christ,

Mike

 

Matt 5:1-11

5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation