Mercy is the most fundamental aspect of our relationship with God. We only have a relationship with God because of His tremendous mercy, for without it, we are permanently estranged from Him. Thus, Jesus teaches mercy on our parts as a foundational requirement of being His disciple.
We have received His mercy; we are to show mercy to others when the occasion arises. We have received His love; we are to show love to others. How can we show mercy without love, and love without mercy? Yes, this is fundamental.
The person who has received God’s mercy and who shares God’s mercy with others, both through the Gospel and through our own attitudes and actions, will in the end, receive mercy when those who have refused it receive God’s judgment; this is also a fundamental truth.
Now we come to the reversal of this: What kind of person does not show mercy to others?
The ruthless, the cruel, the inhumane, the purely evil…
Will they receive mercy: of course not, they will be judged. Will they be blessed in this life by relationship with God? No, for they live in open rebellion against Him. Will they receive mercy in the end? No, they will receive justice instead.
Life Project Blog 
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Daily and almost out of habit we ask God to forgive our sins. Yet we keep committing the same ones over and over and keep asking him to forgive us for doing the same ones over and over. What do we do when someone we know offends us over and over and asks us to forgive over and over Now, that’s a different story!!
Yes it is, and it’s also a great point!
I was waiting for this one also, Don as it is a particular delight to me for this reason; before I became ordained, I was in an almost year long class where we were learning about ministry gifts as well as spiritual gifts as listed in Romans and Corinthians. Paul was big on the gifts being a part of the Church to keep it strong, unified and empowered.
One those GIFTS (given as a calling, a service (ministry) for the Body of Christ is one Paul wrote about in Romans 12:8, “he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” I was so impressed that the Holy Spirit would bestow this on individuals as a calling, and yet by the same time it doesn’t let the rest of the Body of Christ, the Church off the hook!
As you stated, we have choices in life, we can be obedient to the Father through Jesus or we can reject Him. If we ARE going to demonstrate LOVE as I always like to clarify, then Mercy HAS to be a component of that!
God bless, brother! What a joy following along with this series! 😉
Thanks Roland. Of course you are right: If we cannot show mercy, then we do not love. It’s really quite simple.