Sunday, July 22, 2012

How Mercy Leads To Happiness. Matthew 5:7

We all want to be happy, the Bible has much to say about happiness and most of it is surprising.

"Blessed are those who are the merciful for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7.NIV.

HAPPINESS:
The word blessed can be translated happy, it has a sense of happiness being given by God. This scripture does not say we become happy is by getting something, accomplishing something, or marrying someone. Instead, it tells us that we will find happiness by doing something, it is a rare thing too- showing mercy.

Anyone can be merciful. You don't have to be rich, wise, educated, or upper-class to be merciful. We can be merciful to the clerk in the store by being polite, we can be merciful to the service person by showing hospitality, we can be merciful to every person we meet by extending grace and sacrificial compassion.

MERCY IS:
Mercy is an action, but to be merciful is more, it is an attitude of habitual demonstration of the attitude of mercy.

Mercy is a choice to be actively compassionate, not just to feel sorry for someone, but to do something to lift their burden that they cannot do themselves.

MERCY DOES FOR US:
Being merciful prepares us to receive God's favor. God wants us to be merciful to others he has already prepared blessings for it; it is when we fail to be merciful that we fail to receive the blessing.

Being merciful imitates God, we are made in the image of God; part of that image is the ability to dispense mercy, grace, forgiveness, and kindness. In fulfilling the image of God by our actions we will be fulfilling our purpose and that will bring happiness.

WHEN WE ARE NOT MERCIFUL:
If we are not merciful it is vain to expect to receive mercy, our actions show disregard to mercy as a principle, since God honors those who honor him if we don't honor him in mercy we might not expect to receive mercy.

GOD'S MERCY:
We are not saved by our good works but by the mercy of God. God has shown us mercy by not punishing us for what our sins deserve. In fact, God has made the most merciful salvation available by sending his son to die in our stead so that we may have salvation and righteousness in Jesus.

Only faith saves us but our mercy to others will determine our blessings since all God's blessings are truly a gift and thereby from his mercy.

To learn more about the plan of salvation see my other blog, follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 7/22/12