Mercy = Strength

Matthew 5:7

Today’s verse comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes in particular. His aim was to flip conventional wisdom upside-down based on God’s desire for our lives. When we think about mercy, it means to withhold a punishment someone deserves in order to bestow a love one could never earn. Some might think mercy is for the weak (I’m looking at you John Kreese) but mercy comes from strength. Think about the deep reservoirs of strength required to exercise the restraint necessary to keep from running roughshod through our corrupt culture. This is something I imagine God deals with every day; but God shows His ultimate strength through restraint and mercy. God wants to give you that strength, too. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. A great place to start is with mercy. As you do, you will realize that the mercy you receive far outweighs the mercy you grant. Strength upon strength. So let’s do it. Let’s go live lives of mercy and love on this chilly Friday!