1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian 6 - Blessed are the merciful | Page 10

I plead with all of you to give mercy to those who you are holding a grudge against.
The words of Jesus on the cross so powerfully come to mind when he said, “Father,
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” These words could well be for
you today a well spring of joy and renewed passion for life. Remember that mercy
given always leaves, not just the forgiven in a better position, but also always leaves
the giver in a better state as well.
When you read the Bible, you notice that there are many names that are given to
Jesus. He’s referred to as the Son of God, the Son of man, the Messiah, the
Bridegroom, but for me the most beautiful name of Jesus, is found in the name the
LAMB OF GOD. In the Old Testament lambs were used for sacrifice, Jesus’ mercy
towards us was sensitive, not very sensible, but was incredibly sacrificial.

Prayer Thought: When you read this devotion we will have just left the Passover
season behind us, won’t you take some time today to reflect on that awesome time
and at the same time in your reflection take time to renew yourself and your
commitment to Christ, but also, remind yourself that as Jesus did on our behalf so
He requires us to do on behalf of others. We may never have to give our lives for
somebody, but we will certainly have to make some sacrifices on their behalf if we
are to live out the beatitude, be merciful.

Sunday
Reading: John 8 v 1 – 11 / Luke 8 v 26 – 39 / John 4 v 1 – 25
I would like to conclude our study on mercy today by talking about a term that we
refer often to in the life and the ministries of our church. We often speak about the
“value” of a man. I do not believe that we will be totally motivated to show acts of
mercy simply because of Jesus’ example, because that would be mechanical and
almost legalistic. But the motive behind Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice is found in the
fact that Jesus understood so well the value of a human being. He did not value poor
people less than rich people. He did not value Jews more than He valued Gentiles.
He did not value men more than He valued women. Jesus, throughout His life here
on earth, had one standard value for everyone. How different it is in our world today
where we tend to value people according to what they can give us. If a person is able
to add value to our lives we will value them more than if they aren’t able to. Our
value system I believe has become corrupted. I would like to give you to read today,
as we close, three incidents in the life of Jesus.
1. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, we see Jesus valuing somebody who
everybody else had rejected. They were willing to do away with her life because