Mercy and Forgiveness

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
What does it really mean to be merciful… To show mercy?  I think I treat others fairly.  I try to "do unto others as I would have them to do unto me"! I take dinners to friends who are having a rough day (sometimes)… I help friends with childcare issues… I even let others pull out in front of me in traffic if I am able! Ahhhh…. BUT.  Those same friends have been bringing me dinners when I needed them, helping me with my kids, and I am always so thankful when SOMEONE finally lets me out when I am trying to pull out of the High School at drop off time!   Justice is getting what we deserve.  Mercy is something altogether different!  Mercy is receiving something that we do not deserve! Forgiving someone who has not earned forgiveness!  How many times should we FORGIVE?  What if what that person has done the "unforgivable."  
In Matthew 18, Peter came to Jesus asking the same question… "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  Up to seven times?  Jesus answered I tell you, not seven times, but SEVENTY-SEVEN times." 

BUT how are we able to do this?  How can we possibly have mercy for someone when they have shattered our hopes and dreams?  When they have harmed those that we love the most… or when they have stolen that which is most dear to us?  HOW can we possibly have mercy?  Well that is an easy answer:  we can't unless the Holy Spirit intercedes and changes our hearts.  The Hebrew word for mercy is "cheesed".  The word means more than just sympathizing with another, or feeling sorry for them… even more than simply empathizing with them.  It means to get right inside another person and see life through their eyes.  To think with their minds.  To feel with their feelings.  It is taking on all their past experiences and feeling the weight of them as we see the world through their eyes.  It is ONLY through the POWER of the Holy Spirit that we can do this.  Forgive the unforgivable.  Love the Unlovable.  
Then, we too will be shown mercy.  

  

Meekness is not weakness

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." -Mark 5:5

Think, for a moment, about success.  What comes to mind?  A "go getter"?  A big house with a nice car in front of it?  Straight A's, scholarships, awards…we teach our kids to set their goals high and go after them, right?  Not to settle for mediocrity.  But Jesus tells us that the meek will inherit the earth.  What does this mean?  As I dug into this verse, I came to the conclusion that Jesus DOES want us to be ambitious …driven… successful!  He just wants us to do it in a meek manner.  

Christ Himself was meek.  He was humble & forgiving, full of grace and mercy!  He was also Full of passion and power! POWER brought under control.  Soooo, the meekness that Jesus is preaching about is one of humble submission.  This takes strength, friends.   The Greeks used the word praus to describe the a wild horse that has been broken. That once wild, bucking horse is now a calm and submissive. But that horse still has the same strength and passion, it is just channeled for the benefit of it's master.  See, the way I understand it, meekness is is not an extinguishing of our inner passion,  it is igniting it!  Then instead of just letting it burn freely, we channel our passions!  We channel our God-given spiritual gifts, and our Christ given Holy power to be used for His glory.   It’s not a weakening  of our passion… it is CHANNELING it…. !  And in doing so we become rich. 

  "You're blessed when you're content with JUST who you are-no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourself proud owners of everything that can't be bought."-Matt 5:5 The Message Bible

Being Blessed

What does it really mean to be blessed? I dove into this question this week as I began studying Matthew 5... the Beatitudes.  So here is the scene.  Jesus was just baptized by John, publicly blessed by His Father, and we witness the  manifestation of the Trinity as the Holy Spirit descended like a dove.  After being tempted in the desert, He began His public ministry, and gave us a sort of road map to the true path of "blessedness".  Not happiness.  Blessedness... Like skim milk vs. cream.   To be blessed is to be Spiritually prosperous. "To walk righteously in joy".  To have EVERYTHING you need.  "FULLfilling" JOY-not dependent on your life circumstances, or your paycheck, or your health, or you child's successes... a deeper seated contentment.  The Hebrew translation of blessed , esher,  really got my attention.  It implies the sense of congratulations! "CONGRATULATIONS!... You are poor in spirit!"  "CONGRATULATIONS! ... You mourn."  It is an expression of approval from our God!  Why in the world would he congratulate us when we are "poor in spirit" or when we mourn??? Because He knows the rest of the story... The ending.  He knows that when there is less of us, there is more of Him.  He knows that when we mourn, our Heavenly Father will embrace us and fill us with a love and a peace that we can not humanly comprehend.  So go.  Be blessed. 

...to be continued!