The Merciful

by Terry Wane Benton

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7 NKJV).

Obtaining mercy from God is a great blessing, but God intends to give it only to those who believe it is worth giving to others. If we do not become merciful in our character, then God is not interested in giving His mercy to people who cannot appreciate it.

What would it be like to live in a home where there is no mercy? What if there was only the expectation to do right, but no mercy for when you failed? Even those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for doing right, don’t always live up to the standard they are aiming to practice. What if there was no mercy for failures?

What if God gave us only what we deserve with no mercy? We would have no chance of going to heaven. We need mercy and forgiveness, but if we recognize that we need it, are we compassionate enough to give it to others? Do we hold them to a higher standard than we hold ourselves?

The Lord will have a kingdom of people who desire mercy and who value giving it to others. Later, Jesus would talk about forgiveness (an extension of mercy) and tell His disciples that if you do not forgive others, "neither will the Father forgive you." We want God to show us mercy and not give us what we deserve. God wants us to value mercy for others.

Imagine being in a kingdom that is blessed to obtain mercy and in which people are merciful in outlook toward each other and toward those outside the kingdom! That would be “blessedness.” Would you say that you are a merciful person? Do you feel for others, especially when it comes to failure and self-disappointment? Such people will obtain mercy, our greatest need in this world.