#36 Sept 7, 2015
2015 Devotional. Our goal for these weekly devotionals is to grow in humility and to grow spiritually by memorizing selected passages, putting them into context, and by applying them to our daily living. These passages are taken from: “100 Verses Every Christian Needs to Know” by Freeman-Smith. All passages are from the NIV.
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
The verse we are memorizing is part of a larger section of Matthew known as the “Sermon on the Mount” (ch.5-7). This was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry: He was baptized, was tempted, selected His disciples, began to preach the “Good News of the Kingdom”, and He healed many diseases. Jesus’ ministry attracted large crowds from many areas and as Jesus saw the crowds he started to teach them about the Kingdom of God. The Sermon teaches the principles and the main tenants of The Kingdom of God, the principles of discipleship emphasizes perfection and concentrates on the condition of the heart. V.7 However, the “Beatitudes” is the first section of the Sermon.
The Beatitudes are about humility, charity, love for God, for self, and for others. Further, it is also about the inner life, the after life, and about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Beatitudes of Jesus also includes rewards for practicing the values taught by Jesus. This is not salvation by works, true followers of Jesus practice the principles of Jesus in response to His love for us. “You did not chose me, I chose you…” (Jn. 15:16).
“Blessed are the merciful”! Mercy means to show love to those in distress, the sick, the lost, the disenfranchised, and all those separated from Jesus for whatever reason. The Beatitude includes the promise: “for they will be shown mercy.” Taken from “The Eight beatitudes of Jesus”: The following are ways to be merciful to your neighbor as well as to be obedient in faith to Christ our Savior. “
The Corporal Works of Mercy
1 Feed the hungry
2 Give drink to the thirsty
3 Clothe the naked
4 Shelter the homeless
5 Comfort the imprisoned
6 Visit the sick
7 Bury the dead
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
1 Admonish sinners
2 Instruct the uninformed
3 Counsel the doubtful
4 Comfort the sorrowful
5 Be patient with those in error
6 Forgive offenses
7 Pray for the living and the dead
The whole point of the Sermon on the Mount is that we apply it to our daily living. May all of us practice corporal and spiritual mercy!
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