Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Uetersen, Germany. by Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de)

Good morning, beloved,

I want to share with you some more of the story of the five missionaries, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming and Ed McCully.  I think hearing more of the story. I think God‘s restoration is an amazing, amazing gift.

Well, let’s look at the next beatitude:

Matthew 5:  7 Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!

Mercy: “to have pity or mercy shown one, to obtain mercy,” to have mercy on, to help one afflicted or seeking aid, to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched, to experience mercy…

I want to figure out mercy a little more in detail..so let’s go hunting through Scripture with the help of the blb.org:

Matthew 18³³ And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you?

³⁴ And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed.

³⁵ So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.

Then, the first part of mercy to me would be: as you have been shown mercy, give it freely to others. This story can be read in its entirety in Matthew 18. We need to have hearts that do not hold forgiveness hostage and good heavens, this isn’t for others, this is for us! For our freedom, of course, yes, we need it for good relationships, but honestly, who among us wants to walk around in chains like Ebenezer Scrooge‘s friend?

Proverbs 11:17 The merciful, kind, and generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel and callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution.

Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins [against God, his fellowman, and himself], but happy (blessed and fortunate) is he who is kind and merciful to the poor.

Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?

Luke 6: ³⁵ But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked.³⁶ So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these].

Pray on, friends. Pray on.

Related articles

• The presence of a compassionate God! (devotionsandblessings.wordpress.com)
• THE JIM ELLIOT STORY – A Tribute to Missionaries (anencouragedheart.wordpress.com)
• Nuns on the bus stand up for the poor. (ireport.cnn.com)
• Message of the Beatitudes – Five – Merciful (pastorswifelife.com)
• Are You Comfortable Showing Mercy? (thebiblemeditator.wordpress.com)