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Four Reasons God Expects You to Be Merciful
By Rick Warren

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 NLT, second edition)

Jesus says in Matthew 5:7, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (NLT, second edition).

In other words, what you give, you’re going to get. You’ve got to learn to be a minister of mercy if you want God’s blessing on your life.

But why does God expect you to show mercy to others? Why should you be merciful?

1. Because God has shown you mercy.

Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved” (TEV).

God wants you to pass on the mercy you’ve received from him.

2. Because God commands you to be merciful.

Do you want a summary of what life’s all about? Here it is: “The LORD has told you what is good. This is what the LORD requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 GW).

3. Because you’re going to need more mercy in the future.

You’ll make many mistakes between now and when you get to Heaven, and you’ll need God’s mercy when you do. But you cannot receive what you are unwilling to give. James 2:13 says, “You must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment” (NCV).

4. Because showing mercy brings or causes happiness.

Matthew 5:7 says that God blesses those who are merciful. The word “blessed” also means “happy,” so the more you learn and demonstrate this quality, the more blessed and happier you’ll be.

Talk It Over

What does it mean to “love mercy”?

How have you seen God bless you when you made the sometimes difficult but right decision to show mercy to someone?

Think of some ways you could have shown mercy to others in the last week. How do you think it might have changed the outcome of the situation?