Mercy & Kindess
Now this is a word that I really like. It is defined “showing compassion and forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm”.
I am constantly in need of mercy as I stumble and bumble my way through life and situations. I may look like I know what I’m doing, but I’m still making mistakes and rethinking conversations. I try hard to not intentionally hurt others. There are times when my mouth gets me in trouble and I’ve giving commentary on another person’s actions or attitudes. My words are often unkind and have no mercy. The Word of the Lord spoken through Zechariah jumped in my grill this morning. Check this out…
8 And the Lord spoke his word to Zechariah again, saying, 9 “This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: ‘Do what is right and true. Be kind and merciful to each other. 10 Don’t hurt widows and orphans, foreigners or the poor; don’t even think of doing evil to somebody else.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention; they were stubborn and did not want to listen anymore. 12 They made their hearts as hard as rock and would not listen to the teachings of the Lord All-Powerful. And they would not hear the words he sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord All-Powerful became very angry. (Zechariah 7:8-12 NCV)Kindness is something that should simply come out of me because of the Lord’s kindness to me. I should not have trouble with mercy, because the Lord has shown great mercy to me. The Lord so wants to honor me when I’m kind and full of mercy to others. He wants my heart to shapeable and moldable by His Mercy and His Grace. I think Kindness is one of the big characteristics of God. He is kind even when I’m hateful and hard. His kindness is what attracts me to Him. He could be hard and cold, but instead He is kind and warm.
The Lord showed me mercy when I deserved punishment or death. He gives me abundant life here on earth and the promise of eternal life in heaven. I would be wise to show mercy and act kindly toward others because He asked me to. He also demonstrates that mercy and kindness to me every day!
Pressing On! Dwayne