mercy – Page 2 – Praying Pint

33.y. “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

You have to wonder if the disciples felt a hesitation concerning their own ability, and this is the reason they lacked faith. It is the bane of every person to infuse and confuse faith with their own ability. Faith alone, period. Not faith plus my ability – faith alone. It is hard to surrender or cause to die those feelings of reliance in (and on) self, and even more so when the object or desire of our faith relies solely on the will and grace of God alone. We read the rebuke by Jesus to the disciples and their true desire to understand why they could not cast out the demon from this man’s son. “If you have faith like the grain of a mustard seed” (very small – about 10x the width of a human hair). Jesus is saying, faith, when it is set apart from all earthly and self ability can accomplish anything and everything – in line with God’s sovereignty, purpose, and will. As I write this I also wonder how this true “faith” is grown, flourished, and applied. I believe it is when a person continues to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. Day by day they continue to die to self and learn to yield and rely upon God alone. As we continue to seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do it is then our faith in self-reliance dies and Jesus reliance grows. Scripture says God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Faith (no matter how small that pure faith is) in Him alone who is limitless will accomplish God’s will and purpose. We must also leave room in our faith for God’s will and His timing. The three friends of Daniel said, “Oh King, our God is able to deliver us from your decree of being thrown into the fiery furnace, but even if He does not we will not bow down to your statue.” There are times I am sure our faith is pure and in line with God’s Word, but is not in line with His will, purpose, and timing. In these times we must be content with our prayer being in the hands of our Creator.

33.l. “You have given me relief when I was in distress”

Matthew 15:21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Psalms 4:1  Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

Jeremiah 50:6-7    “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.  All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

Ezekiel 34:5-6   So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered;  they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Ezekiel 34:23  And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Acts 13:46    And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

The dark corners of the country, the most remote, shall share Christ’s influences; afterwards the ends of the earth shall see his salvation. The distress and trouble of her family brought a woman to Christ; and though it is need that drives us to Christ, yet we shall not therefore be driven from him. She did not limit Christ to any particular instance of mercy, but mercy, mercy, is what she begged for: she pleads not merit, but depends upon mercy. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children, and to be earnest in prayer for them, especially for their souls. Have you a son, a daughter, grievously vexed with a proud devil, an unclean devil, a malicious devil, led captive by him at his will? this is a case more deplorable than that of bodily possession, and you must bring them by faith and prayer to Christ, who alone is able to heal them. (Henry)

This mother speaks as though she herself were the one that needed healing, identifying herself with her oppressed daughter, as though the horrible anguish, distress, and torment lay upon her own spirit and could not be relieved without the cure of her suffering daughter. (Guzik)

But he answered her not a word,…. Not that he did not hear her, or that he despised either her person or petition, or that he was not moved with it; but to continue her importunity, and try her faith, and make it manifest: for like reasons the Lord does not always, and immediately, answer the requests of his people. This giving her no answer, either that he would, or would not help her. (Gill)

But he answered her not a word,…. Not that he did not hear her, or that he despised either her person or petition, or that he was not moved with it; but to continue her importunity, and try her faith, and make it manifest: for like reasons the Lord does not always, and immediately, answer the requests of his people. This giving her no answer, either that he would, or would not help her. (unknown)

Send her away; for she cries after us.—It appears that after no response from Jesus the mother turned to the disciples. The disciples words, as interpreted by our Lord’s answer, were, in some sense, a plea in favor of the woman. They wished Him to grant what she asked for, and so to dismiss her. And yet we feel that their words were far harsher than their Master’s silence. They wanted only to be rid of her presence, which had followed them from the streets into the house, to be freed from the loud eager cries which vexed them. (Elliot)

I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; as a priest, or as a Saviour and Redeemer, he was sent to make satisfaction and atonement for the sins of all God’s elect, and to obtain eternal redemption and salvation for all of them, whether Jews or Gentiles; but as a prophet, in the discharge of his own personal ministry, he was sent by his Father only to the Jews; he was the “minister of the circumcision”, Romans 15:8 that is, a minister to the circumcised Jews; he was sent only to preach the Gospel to them, and work miracles among them, in proof of his Messiahship; and upon their rejection of him, then his apostles were to be sent among the Gentiles; but he himself was sent only to the Jews, here styled “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”: by “the house of Israel”, is meant the whole body of the Jewish nation, so called from Israel, the name of Jacob their father, from whom they sprung; and by the “lost sheep” of that house, are more especially designed the elect of God among them: for though all the individuals of that house were “lost” persons, considered in Adam, and in themselves, as the rest of mankind, and Christ, in the external ministry of the word, was sent to preach to them all; yet the elect of God are only “sheep”: they are the sheep of Christ, of his pasture, and of his hand, whom he has the particular care and charge of; and who, in their natural state, are lost and straying, and could never find their way, or recover themselves from their lost state in Adam, and by their own transgressions; but he came to seek, and to save them, and to these his ministry was powerful and efficacious. (Gill)

32.p. “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Matthew just quoted Jesus offering us an easy yoke and a light burden. Now he shows us the kind of heavy burdens and hard yokes the religious leaders put upon the people. When the disciples began to pluck the heads of grain, in the eyes of the religious leaders they were guilty of: reaping, threshing, preparing food. At this time, many rabbis filled Judaism with elaborate rituals related to the Sabbath and observance of other laws. Ancient rabbis taught that on the Sabbath a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder; but he could carry something with the back of his hand, with his foot, elbow, or in the ear, on the hair, in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. On the Sabbath one was forbidden to tie a knot – except a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, one could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and then to the rope.

Remember it had been over 400 years since a prophet of God had been among them. It is important to note that left to our own wisdom, man will attempt to do things that seem right in their own eyes to make themselves worthy or acceptable before God. The religious leaders set heavy burdens and rules on the people. When you make the rules it is easy to point out all of the actions that break them. Calling out Jesus’s disciples for picking heads of grain to eat indicates they were out there watching and hoping to catch them breaking a law of God. They were searching for some way to accuse Jesus and stop all of the people from following after Him.

Jesus departs from the field and went straight to the synagogue and exposed their hypocrisy. Where is the mercy in not healing a person because of the day of the week? Jesus had compassion, power, and wisdom. The pharisees had hardness of their hearts, rejection, and retaliation. A man was healed of a useless hand and it was restored. What Law was broken? If the Pharisees did not fully despise Jesus they certainly became single minded in their plot against Him.

A person can always find reason to reject Jesus fully or in part. The end is the same, trusting and reliance in self-worth before God. No one will be right with God on their own and their own ideas of worthiness. It is only in and through Jesus Christ and humbly surrendering, repenting, believing, following, trusting, and relying on Him, that our sin is wiped away and we become sons of the living God. Jesus takes away the heavy burden people place on themselves to be worthy of eternal life. Try as hard as they want there is no peace or rest in their soul. They are forever searching and never finding because they search through works and not through surrender of self, and belief, trust, faith, and reliance in Jesus Christ.

Examine your mind and the actions you do. Are they for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ or for somehow to balance the good and bad ledger book of your life before God.

32.m. “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”

Matthew 11:20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Jude 1:11   Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Ezekiel 3:6-7   not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.  But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart

Hebrews 10:26-31    For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.  Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

“Unresponsiveness to the voice of God is the characteristic of this generation, and will be its downfall.” (France)

It is not only western industrial nations that have had access to the gospel. Technology, computers, internet, websites, translations, radio, TV, etc…. leave no room for excuse. No other society has had access to God’s Word, (Scripture, Gospel of Jesus Christ) at their fingertips, yet they reject and deny it of any value for their soul.

“The people in the cities listed above did not attack Jesus Christ; they did not drive him from their gates; they did not seek to crucify him; they simply disregarded him. In the end, neglect will kill much more than persecution ever did.” (Barclay)

When I read, “But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”, “ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”, “But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” Here it is implied that there are in fact different degrees of judgment. Some will be punished more severely in the final judgment than others. In fact, those who were living out sin and doing all kinds of fleshly and worldly sinful things will be judged to some lesser degree than those who flat out know the offer of redemption and salvation but not only reject it they deny it any room in their heart for it. God has opened their heart to the Gospel and they neglect, reject, and deny any need for it.

It is not hard for me to understand and believe in heaven and hell. What is hard for me to understand is how a person whose heart and mind have been open to the need of salvation and have heard the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have an understanding of heaven and hell and choose hell. Lost on us is an understanding of eternity. Eternal life or eternal hell. Separated from the love of God forever. The busyness of life needs to be slowed down in most lives. Being too busy for giving thought to eternity just doesn’t make sense now and for sure will not in the future.

31.c. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Psalms 145:9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Jesus understood we will have enemies, yet we are to respond to them in love, trusting that God will protect our cause in the best way possible. It is not in our human nature to have a positive “love” towards an enemy, who by word or actions, does us hurtful or harmful things.

“I believe that he says this: ‘This is the day of free grace; this is the time of mercy.’ The hour for judgment is not yet, when he will separate between the good and the bad; when he will mount the judgment seat and award different portions to the righteous and to the wicked.” (Spurgeon)

This is an example – that we also are to love our enemies and bless them if we can. In doing so, we show ourselves to be sons of our Father in heaven. “We are made sons by regeneration, through faith in the Son; but we are called to make our calling and election sure – to approve and vindicate our right to that sacred name. We can only do this by showing in word and act that the divine life and principles inspire, encourage, and empower us.” (Meyer)

Remember, Jesus here taught the character of the citizens of His kingdom. We should expect that character to be different from the character seen in the world. There are many good reasons why more should be expected from Christians than others: “They claim to have something that others do not have; they claim to be renewed, repentant, and redeemed by Jesus Christ. They do in fact have something that others do not have; they are in fact renewed, repentant, and redeemed by Jesus Christ. They have a power that others do not have; they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. They have the Spirit of God dwelling within them. They have a better future than others do.” (Guzik)

30.v. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Psalms 120:6  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.

Romans 12:18    If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

James 3:16-18   For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Romans 14:19    So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Hebrews 12:14   Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:22-24   So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Galatians 5:22   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

James 1:19-20    Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Ephesians 4:1    I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

“The verse which precedes it speaks of the blessedness of ‘the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ It is well that we should understand this. We are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable.’ Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or an alliance with that which is evil. We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary to God and his holiness. That being in our souls a settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness towards men.” (Spurgeon)

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties. This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the offended or the offender. (Guzik)

We will always have the opportunity to offer peace. It can be an encouragement to be peaceful to someone who has been offended, hurt, chided, etc….. and is not at peace about it. Our encouragement might be to help them see it from another view. It might be to just let them know we understand and encourage them to be peaceable in their situation for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Last year I watched unrestrained riots, looting, and destruction. Those in the leadership of these cities, in the guise of trying to bring peace, tried to defend allowing these actions to go unchecked or stopped. This by all means is not being a peacemaker. It is weakness and cowardly. This same mindset would allow a person to be raped if the offender seemed to have a reason for their offense. Utter foolish thinking and leadership. Being a peacemaker may mean we will have to jump in and restrain during an offense. Protecting the weak or outnumbered or overpowered is also being a peacemaker.

Discernment is critical. When you hear what is proclaimed through social media and other media news outlets on their take on what brings peace, rest assured they are basing it on false worldly ideas that run contrary to Scripture. Peace is never obtained by divisiveness. What they are proclaiming may make worldly sense and may even sound like it could be right. This is why it is critical to have God’s Word in your life, written on your heart, mind, and soul. How else will you be able to discern worldly from godly? When there is no acknowledgment of God, Jesus Christ, and Scripture, people will do what seems right in their own eyes. Be a workman of God who is able to rightly divide the Word of Truth from worldly passions and ideas from what is right and wrong. Peacemakers must be rooted firmly in Jesus Christ, and continually learn more and more understanding and knowledge from God’s Word, with a desire to learn and apply it. Discernment will not come to those who are not seeking it.

30.u. “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 23:25-28    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Psalms 15:2    He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

Psalms 51:6   Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Ezekiel 36:25-27   I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

2 Corinthians 7:1  Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God

James 3:17    But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James 4:8   Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Peter 1:22  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1 John 3:2-3  Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Purity, inner purity, the image of purity, ceremonial purity have been attempted by many religions in many different ways. Pure of heart in Scripture seems to define it as a single, undivided heart – those who are sincere and not divided in their devotion and commitment to God. It is an inner purity and has external manifestations of the Holy Spirit which is in them. There are pollutants (sin) that pollute the heart. Greed, pride, lust, power, anger, deception, hate, confusion, self-reliance, self-worth, self-deserving, etc….. When these are present and acted upon there is little to no intimacy or relationship with God. A pure at heart person has heard the voice of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and humbly surrendered all of this selfishness, repented, committed, believed, trusted, followed, and obeyed Jesus Christ. The purity of heart comes through this alone and not by external actions, though there certainly are external actions that can be clearly seen in those of a pure heart. Being sensitive to Godly, holy, and heavenly spiritual things requires a heart and soul that is pure to things of God and always voiding the worldly and fleshly desires. If you are not conscious of spiritual things then your heart is focused on something else. The greatest motivator of purity comes from a desire to know and understand the grace, mercy, and love of God so that in all we say, think, and do Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. They want to be pure for His honor and glory, not ours.

30.t. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Psalms 37:26   He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Psalms 112:4 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;

Proverbs 11:17    A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Proverbs 14:21    Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

Proverbs 19:17   Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

Daniel 4:27    Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Micah 6:8   He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Colossians 3:12     Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

James 3:17     But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Hebrews 4:16     Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When this beatitude addresses those who will show mercy, it speaks to those who have already received mercy. It is mercy to be emptied of your pride and brought to poverty of spirit. It is mercy to be brought to mourning over your spiritual condition. It is mercy to receive the grace of meekness and to become gentle. It is mercy to be made hungry and thirsty after righteousness. Therefore, this one who is expected to show mercy is one who has already received it. The merciful one will show it to those who are weaker and poorer. The merciful one will always look for those who weep and mourn. The merciful one will be forgiving to others, and always looking to restore broken relationships. The merciful one will be merciful to the character of other people, and choose to think the best of them whenever possible. The merciful one will not expect too much from others. The merciful one will be compassionate to those who are outwardly sinful. The merciful one will have a care for the souls of all men. If you want mercy from others – especially God – then you should take care to be merciful to others.

To be merciful is a choice. We have a choice on how we act towards and treat others. What is bouncing around in your head when given an opportunity to show mercy. I was right and have been wronged. I was cheated. I was not chosen. I was cursed at. I was not listened to. I was not invited. I was not asked. You are wrong. You are lazy. It is your own fault. You have two legs and two arms – use them. You choose to live like this. The list of things we allow to bounce around in our head when we are in a situation that should or could allow us to show mercy could go on and on. The fact is that we don’t spend a single day whereby we could show mercy to someone. Why should we, because God showed mercy and grace on us while we were still sinners. He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we would have eternal life. We did nothing deserving this grace and mercy. It was out of the love of God who reached out to a lost and fallen world. Rejecting to show mercy when opportunities arise says a lot about the condition of the heart of the soul. To recognize and understand that you were given mercy when you deserved none opens up our heart and mind to choose to show mercy in the like matter. Why? Because Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. There is no other reason. When our heart, mind, and soul desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ we will continue to find opportunities to show grace, mercy, and love.

30.q. “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Luke 6:25    “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Psalm 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

Psalms 30:7-11    Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Isaiah 30:19   For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

Zechariah 12:10-14    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

2 Corinthians 1:4-7   who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

There two kinds of situations by which we will mourn. We will mourn over the loss of something we love and we will mourn over our sin in the light of Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, glory, and honor. We can mourn over the loss of our freedom, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of financial stability, loss of position, loss of authority, etc… We mourn over something we once had and now do not. This is worldly mourning and for the most part it is temporal and just integrated into life this side of eternity. All of this mourning is based on love of a current state, relationship, or person, but may also include pride. Anyone with a heart will mourn, at times, throughout their lives. It is a natural response. Mourning should not be our destination but rather a path. This path can and should lead us into trust, reliance, and comfort that is only found in and through Jesus Christ.

There is another kind of mourning. It is so deep, hurtful, and overwhelming. It is the mourning that arises out of the understanding and knowledge of our personal sinful nature and God’s holiness. When we are given glimpses of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we are or should be, overwhelmed with mourning our condition. We are overwhelmed because we now understand our sinfulness in the light of holiness. We understand, on our own, we are without hope. Our sin seems to be so great, in the light of holiness, that there is nothing we can do to wipe it away. This is true. There is nothing we can do to wipe away our sin. We should be mournful. Our heart should ache. Our soul should weep. But glory to God this is not how this type of mourning will last.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Seeing our sin in the light of God’s glory and grace should lead us to mourn deeply, but this path of mourning should lead us to trust, obedience, reliance, and faith in Jesus Christ which yields humbleness, thankfulness, hope, joy, comfort, courage, and rejoicing.

30.k. “To open the eyes that are blind”

Matthew 4:12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Psalms 107:10-14   Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,  for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.  So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.

Isaiah 42:6-7    “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,  to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Luke 1:78-79   because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Jeremiah 13:16   Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.

2 Timothy 2:25-26   correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,  and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Spiritual darkness, separated from God, and yet, able to see what God the Creator created. Blind to righteousness, holiness, and things of God. For over 400 years no prophet of God had been sent to proclaim the will of God to the Israelites. It is not as though the Israelites sat idly by. They perfected a means of holiness and righteousness based on what a person should and could do to be right before God. They had a form of godliness but not in line with true worship, surrender, and reliance on God alone. Though they thought they had godly wisdom and were a bright light for all to follow, they were foolish in their understanding and though their eyes were open they perceived nothing. They were in utter darkness to true worship, honor, and glory of God.

Imagine being deep into in a very rocky and dangerous cave without light – utter darkness. Every step taken could be your last. There is no light to help guide the next step, no light to keep you from harm, let alone a pathway forward. Darkness becomes the way of life. It is just the way life is. Though no one can see they will speak as if they can. Shouts will be heard in the darkness, “over here is the way”, “It is safe to come this way”, “I have found the path”, “Listen to me”, etc…. so as many that hear these voices of direction, they follow them blindly. It does not matter that the person or voice or idea they are following will lead them further into darkness, closer to danger, and further away from God. Into darkness, they were born and seem satisfied away from the light. And then there was the light of Jesus, the Son of God, the light of the world, bringing light into the darkness. As then and as now, there were those who saw the light and willingly believed, repented, and followed it, but there were many who shielded their eyes and turned away from it. They saw the light and chose darkness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is light unto salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.