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"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." — Matthew 5:7 (KJV)
You know, there's a story that came out of Rwanda that I can't get out of my mind. After the 1994 genocide that tore that nation apart, the government set up what they called "Gacaca" courts, places where survivors would come face to face with the people who had destroyed their families.
In one small village, a woman named Immaculee sat across from the man who had murdered her parents and her brothers. Everyone in that courtroom expected her to demand justice, to call for the harshest punishment the law would allow. And who could blame her? But instead, she looked at this man and spoke three words that changed everything: "I forgive you."
The killer fell to his knees and wept. Today, he tends her garden and calls her "mother." When people ask her how she could possibly show such mercy, Immaculee says something profound: "I showed mercy because Jesus first showed mercy to me."
That's the heart of what Jesus is teaching us in Matthew 5:7 when He says, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Mercy isn't just some nice idea, it's the very character of God flowing through us to a broken world.
See, mercy goes beyond justice. Justice gives people what they deserve. Mercy gives people what they don't deserve. It's unearned kindness, freely given to the undeserving. And here's the beautiful truth Jesus is teaching us: there's a reciprocal principle at work. We receive what we give.
Charles Spurgeon put it this way: "God will measure out to you with the same measure you use for others." That's not some cosmic transaction where we earn God's mercy by being merciful. No, it's something deeper. When we show mercy, we're reflecting the very heart of our Father in heaven. And as we become channels of His mercy, we discover more and more of His mercy flowing into our own lives.
I think about a judge I read about who started a rehabilitation program for offenders instead of just handing down sentences. What he discovered was that mercy transforms more lives than judgment ever could. When people experience genuine mercy, something breaks open inside them. Walls come down. Hearts soften. Change becomes possible.
But here's what gets me about Immaculee's story: the merciful don't just receive mercy, they become channels of God's transforming mercy to others. That man who murdered her family didn't just receive forgiveness, he received a new life, a new identity, a new purpose. That's what mercy does.
So let me ask you today: is there someone in your life who needs mercy instead of judgment? Maybe it's someone who's hurt you, let you down, or just plain gotten on your last nerve. What would it look like for you to be a channel of God's mercy to them?
Because when we show mercy, we're not being weak, we're being like Jesus. And there's nothing more powerful than that.
Let's pray: Father, help us to be merciful as You are merciful. Teach us to give freely the grace and kindness that we ourselves have received from You. Make us channels of Your transforming mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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