Don’t Miss Out—Make The Beatitudes—Your “BE-attitudes!”   PART 6- Mercy

Thus far, we’ve learned that we will be BLESSED if our “be-attitudes;” that is, “attitudes for living,” reflect that we: 

1. Are “Poor in spirit,” that is, completely dependent upon God; 

2. “Mourn,” that is, have a strong aversion for sin;

3. Are “meek,” that is, submit our will to God so His strength courses freely through us; and

4. Hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Remember, the be-attitudes will engage us in God’s blessings. Jesus continues with the next beatitude: 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Matthew 5:7

Do you care about RECEIVING mercy? 

Many of the clients who come through my office and have criminal charges pending, have a heightened concern for receiving mercy. Up until they got in trouble, their need for mercy was not really at the forefront of their mind. Indeed, this is true for all of us. We don’t typically live feeling fragile and in need of mercy from others, do we?

It isn’t until we are completely broken that we understand our poverty before God. 

If we want mercy from others—especially from God—Jesus is teaching us that we should take care to be merciful to others. This idea is parallel to what Jesus said about forgiveness.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:14-15

When we recognize the 4 trillion in forgiveness we’ve received from God, we are more easily generous in our forgiveness towards others. When you have trillions, five dollars is no big deal, right? Forgiveness and mercy are sister attitudes. Forgiveness is very personal and involves resolving internal attitudes towards someone who has wronged us. Mercy is withholding harsh treatment when you have the right or authority to inflict it. If I write-off a client’s outstanding attorney’s fees when I have the right to demand it—I’m being merciful. If someone does a terrible job when I pay them to replace my flooring, I have a right to demand they make it right. Jesus is giving us the spiritual wisdom to deal with others in mercy and His approach is brilliant. He shows us the rewards.

How does mercy towards others reward us? 

Ah, that’s where God comes in. He sees our merciful attitude and it pleases Him. His mercy may not always be obvious. It may come in the form of preventing a tragic circumstance; in an unknown healing; or in an unexpected restoration of a relationship. That workman who messed up our flooring—coming to know Jesus because, in God’s power, we were merciful. God is at work in millions of unseen blessings for those who are merciful. 

But then, sometimes the mercy we RECEIVE is obvious. I’ve seen it in my life—time after time—when I didn’t get what I deserved after I’d either made a mistake or even committed a blatant sin. It’s a humbling blessing to receive mercy. It’s also a blessing to give it. When we recognize that we have received MERCY instead of JUSTICE from someone else—or, especially from God—it creates the blessings of humility and gratefulness. 

Mercy from God happens every day. Our flesh sins every day, but God’s mercy covers us. David Guzik made this observation about the mercy God showed King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and caused her husband to be killed:

“Some people wonder why God showed such remarkable mercy to King David, especially in the terrible ways in which he sinned. One reason God gave him such mercy was because David was notably merciful to King Saul, and on several occasions was kind to a very unworthy Saul. In David, the merciful obtained mercy.”

We need mercy from God. We need mercy from each other. To live with this understanding to the extent it becomes a habit produces the multiplied blessings of God’s grace. It’s like we enter into the experience of grace because we are experiencing it from both ends—the giving and the receiving.

So, how do we become filled with mercy in a world culture that encourages entitlement, retaliation, and personal justice?

The Bible says:

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

Psalms 103:17-18

God’s abundant mercy is given to those who live with a deep respect for God’s presence and His commandments. When we are living in the BE-attitudes of Jesus, we have a huge head-start. When we’re poor in spirit we live with a deep acknowledgement of the mercy we’ve received from God through His precious gift of salvation. We not only want to be merciful to others, but we are very grateful for God’s mercy in teaching us humility. We know it is by God’s mercy we enjoy the strength of a meek spirit. It is by God’s mercy we hunger and thirst after righteousness and live completely satisfied. 

We become filled with God’s mercy when we are awakened to how much mercy we have received from Him! 

This mercy from God manifests itself in a myriad of ways which abundantly bless our life. We are joyfully generous with our time, money, resources, and love. We give generously to those who have less than we do. We gladly share our time to comfort those who are in sorrow. We are gratefully quick to forgive. We have gracious reactions towards others with bad attitudes and poor character and give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s amazing how a merciful attitude produces compassion and caring for even those who offend us the most. 

This BE-attitude reminds me of the song, Glass House,  which describes mercy as a “miracle;” for indeed, it is!

Look through the window of your Glass House
Outside stand vacant eyes and broken heart
Created like you by Holy God
Oh how very like her you are
So before you cast that first stone
Remember the glass in your own home
In our glass house lives Amazing Grace, miracle of mercy
In our glass house lives Amazing Grace, miracle of mercy

VERSE 2

Remember that wretched place you came from
All those sleepless nights and hopeless dreams
Dying slowly fearing the unknown
Then blessed redemption filled your soul

Now in God’s mercy we find no stones
Only His heart which welcome us home
In our Glass House lives Amazing Grace, Miracle of Mercy
In our Glass House lives Amazing Grace, Miracle of Mercy

Amazing Grace, Miracle of Mercy
Amazing Grace, Miracle of Mercy

The BE-attitude of mercy places us in the extraordinary experience of God’s amazing grace. 

My friend, God’s mercy surrounds us, and if we desire to maximize this blessing, in the next brilliant beatitude, Jesus teaches us how.