DEVOTION – DAY 186

Luke 6:36 “Be Merciful”

Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I have heard people say, “I can never forgive him because he had hurt me so much.” People have also told me, “I cannot forgive my relative for cheating me out of my inheritance.” And a woman told me she was so angry with her husband when she found out that he was having an affair behind her back. What have all these people have in common? They are people who hold a grudge and refuse to forgive those who have caused them hurt, anguish or financial loss. 

But in Luke 6, Jesus taught His disciples and the crowd of people listening, to love even their enemies. He reminded everyone that it was easy to love people who love them in return. It was easy to lend money to people when it was known that they would return the debt in full. But hardly anyone would love someone who had mistreated them. And nobody will lend money to someone without expecting to get anything back. That was exactly what Jesus was telling people to do – to love their enemies. This was because God is kind and merciful to people who are undeserving. God is merciful to sinners like you and I. We have received God’s mercy and love when we did nothing to deserve it. If we call ourselves God’s children, we should follow the example of our Heavenly Father. We should all be merciful to others, just as our Heavenly Father is merciful towards us and others.  

A man was killed in a motor accident by a reckless driver. The reckless driver was arrested and charged in court for dangerous driving that led to the death of the man. The widow was greatly saddened by the death of her husband. However, she chose to forgive the reckless driver. She realized that bitterness and unforgiveness will not bring back her husband. As a Christian, she knew that God would want her to forgive the reckless driver. It was not easy for her to forgive this man but she did the right thing by forgiving him. Because God had forgiven her as a sinner, how could she not forgive this driver for his sin of causing the death of her husband. She was showing mercy because God, the Father is merciful.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing your mercy to us when we do not deserve it. Please help us to show mercy to others and help us never to keep score against others. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Questions

• How have God been merciful to you in the past? 
• Whom must you show mercy to and what is holding you back from showing mercy?
• Will you show mercy to this person and how will you do so?
• Why is it important for us to show mercy to others? Discuss.