Mercy Doesn’t Disable (by Mike Olshefski)

ACTS 3:2-8
Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. eter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

Although this man could not walk, he was carried every day to the temple to beg for money. Those who carried him could have easily be viewed as helpful, compassionate and yes, merciful. By carrying this crippled man every day, it did not occur to them that what they were doing was actually enabling him to remain disabled. It was assumed and believed that since this man was born crippled he would always remain crippled. What is more tragic is that this man had accepted that his way of life would be a good as it would get – a crippled man carried every day to the temple to beg! How sad!

When Peter and John arrived on the scene, they approached the crippled man with true mercy. First, we can assume that this lowly cripple and beggar never looked anyone in the eye but Peter commanded him, “Look at us!” Secondly, Peter explained that he cannot give what the man was used to getting but something far more fulfilling. Finally, Peter reached out and took him by the hand helping him up to his feet. You see, with true mercy, through Peter God broke this man’s disability by not enabling it but showing him that this day in his life would be the most different day he had ever experienced. The cycle of being carried to the temple and begging for money had been broken. A fresh new life was given to this man. This is God’s mercy flowing through Peter because he realized that it was not Peter that healed him but as, “8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”

There are many people that we know are stuck in a repetitious lifestyle. This is bogging down their walk and personal relationship with God. They may feel to be a victim or simply had been dealt a bad hand in life so they choose to live by it. By us not getting their attention and giving them what they are used to getting, we will continue to enable those to remain disabled. But instead, give them something different that will allow God to move in their live in a merciful healing way. God does not want us to accept life as the crippled man did in settling that his life was just that … a crippled beggar. Don’t let the enemy trick you into believing that about yourself and others.

MERCY IN ACTION: Are we enabling others to be disabled? Are we “carrying” others because that the way they have been all of their lives? Today, lovingly break the cycle and get someone’s attention. Give them something different and explain that there is a fresh way. Most importantly, never forget to extend your hand to pull someone up and then experience the river of mercy from God.

Who Cares? (By Pastor Bob Stiles)

Matthew 20:29-34
As Jesus and the disciples left the city of Jericho, a huge crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd told them to be quiet, but they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped in the road and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

Have you ever been in great need and feel like people are looking right through you?
You ask the question, “Does anybody care?” It’s sad to say, but many people today have developed the art of “looking without seeing!” They go about their daily business so wrapped up in their own stuff that they fail to SEE the “two blind men by the side of the road crying out for mercy!” Worse yet, they see them but just wish they would go away, or “be quiet.”

It’s interesting that this passage immediately follows a discussion Jesus had with His disciples about who is great in the kingdom of God. Jesus says that, unlike the world who wants to “be served” and “have power” and “exercise authority”, those who wish to be great must “be your servant.” ….”just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom.” But it wasn’t enough to just say this to his disciples, Jesus wanted to demonstrate what it meant to be a servant. We see in verse 34 that Jesus modeled that the heart of a servant is “moved with compassion.” Compassion involves several things. First, in order to show compassion, you must SEE a need. I can just imagine Jesus and his disciples walking down that Jericho road having a discussion while the faint cries of the blind men got louder and louder. No one would have noticed had Jesus paid them no mind. In fact, the crowd would have preferred that He simply look the other way and pretend they were not there. But Jesus DID notice! Are there people in our lives everyday that we’re not seeing? Ask God to open your eyes.

Second, in order to show compassion, you have to CARE. Too often it’s easier for us to have the mentality of “THEY made their bed, let them LAY in it!” Yet, mercy triumphs over judgement. We need a fresh anointing of care and concern for those in need….to freely give away what’s been freely given to us by Jesus….MERCY!

Lastly, in order to show compassion, we must DO something. True compassion requires action. We must ask the question, like Jesus, “What do you want me to DO for you?” Pray this simple prayer today, “Lord, give me Your eyes to see, Your heart to care, and Your strength to act.”

Mercy Suggestion: If you know of someone who is having a hard time financially, pop a $5, $10, $20 bill in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope and post it to them with an encouraging note telling them that God loves them. They will talk about it for weeks and remember it forever!

I Am Poor and Needy (by Pastor Jason Coker)

Psalm 86.1
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

In America there’s almost nothing worse than to be poor and needy. America is the land of strong, relentless workers. Workers who won’t take poverty for an answer, who look hardship squarely in the face and pull themselves out of the pit by sheer determination and grit. These are our heroes, men and women with an “I can” attitude and a rags-to-riches-story, the American dream of which we all drink deeply.

To be poor in the midst of a wealth that can be freely earned is shameful to American sensibilities. Be honest, isn’t it hard sometimes to look squarely upon people who have their hand out? Isn’t there - even among the most compassionate among us - a distant sense of being puzzled by a poor person, or a lingering aftertaste of bitterness, or perhaps even for some of us the hearts hair-trigger, explosively firing off accusations and condemnation?

Scripture, of course, explicitly teaches the value of a strong work ethic. “How long will you lie there you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6: 9-11) We celebrate these passages, and rightly so, for in them is great wisdom for life, but I think our problems with the poor run deeper than simply the abhorrence of laziness, for clearly the reality of poverty is more complicated than mere laziness. Some of the hardest working people in America are among our poorest.

Instead, our embarrassment of the poor and needy is at least partly entangled with the impression that by their very existence they repeatedly utter the two dirtiest words in American English: “I can’t.” People who say such things are beyond our patience. Just ask yourself, how would your thoughts respond to someone saying these words? “I can’t pay my rent; I can’t take care of my kids; I can’t hold down a good job; I can’t take care of myself. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t… ” Rather than mercy, such people tend to reap our total rejection to the point of blind indifference. To be counted among such people is the worst possible condition for proud Americans. Would you rather be a sick person “fighting” your illness, or a “charity case” living off someone else’s benevolence? Most of us would choose the former.

And herein lies our spiritual problem, for in the Kingdom of God there’s nothing better than to be poor and needy. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt 5:3) Here Jesus is merely echoing age-old wisdom. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17) says David, and Isaiah seems to agree when he offers us this from the Lord, “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Not only do we all need the mercy of others from time to time, but from the vantage point of eternity we need the mercy of God all the time! We are forever destined to live off the charity of the Lord. As long as we insist upon our self-sufficiency, we will remain distant from God, but once we’ve realized we are truly poor and needy, God will dwell with us.

Moved With Mercy (By Pastor Bob Stiles)

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

The principal Hebrew word for mercy, “checed” speaks of an emotional response to the needs of others. It means to feel the pain of another so deeply that we’re compelled to do something about it. In fact, people in Bible times believed that the seat of emotions was found in the intestinal area. That’s why the King James Version uses the phrase, “bowels of mercy.” Mercy means to “get inside someone’s skin”, to see things with their eyes, to think what they are thinking, and feel what they are experiencing; to move in and act on behalf of those who are hurting.

We can see this idea captured in Matthew 14:14: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” The word “compassion” means that Jesus was so moved that His stomach churned, or literally, “his bowels yearned” for the crowd. Notice that this churning led Him to do something about it! He saw the need and then He went into action. Mercy in theory is absolutely meaningless. Simply “having mercy” as an emotional state of mind doesn’t benefit anyone. Mercy must move us to action! In addition, the emphasis in this beatitude is on those who are inclined to show mercy as a lifestyle, not those who are merciful on an occasional basis.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” He was teaching that mercy to men brings mercy from God - not mercy from men. Our corrupt, ego-centered, and selfish society often asks only one question; “What’s in it for me?” Jesus wants us to ask “ Lord, what’s in it for You? How can I meet people’s needs right where they are? What acts of compassion can I do?” Mercy is meeting people’s needs wherever their needs are - in what ever situation they find themselves. It’s not simply “feeling” compassion but “showing” compassion, not only sympathizing but offering a helping hand as well. The true character of mercy is in giving – giving compassion, giving help, giving time, giving money, giving of yourself and giving forgiveness. If you desire to “brightly reflect the glory of the Lord” and become “more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more” you must “never give up” in showing His mercy. (2 Cor 3:17-4:2 NLT)

Mercy Suggestion: Who do you need to release from debt today? Forgiveness is the virtue we most enjoy but least employ. Nothing proves more clearly that we have been recipients of mercy than our own readiness to forgive. And secondly, what downtrodden person can you restore this week? You don’t necessarily have to go looking for someone because God will bring people along your path. What will you do? Will you be a taker, a keeper, or a giver? Determine right now to move from emotion to motion.

Rescuing Mercy (by Pastor Tom Pauquette)

Jude 22
Be merciful to those who doubt.

Yesterday we jumped in to a couple of verses from Jude which were just previous to this one. We talked about waiting for the fullness of God’s mercy to be extended to us in heaven. Continuing on, Jude commands us to “be merciful to those who doubt.” That’s a fascinating perspective, isn’t it?

We are nearly always surrounded by a true mixture of people – some who believe and some who do not. We know how the Bible calls us to act toward believers – in mercy. We know that we, as recipients of God’s mercy and forgiveness, are to become experts at freely giving away our mercy and forgiveness to other believers. That’s the Jesus thing to do.

But how are we supposed to behave toward those who do not believe? Are we called to live in judgment and condemnation of them? Jude clearly says here that we are to show unbelievers mercy too. He says that a person’s state of belief does not change whether or not we show them mercy. The call is the same.

But is the expression the same? Let’s read on, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…” The kind of mercy we are called to show to unbelievers has a much different expression, doesn’t it? It is a rescuing mercy that snatches them from the fires of hell. It is a warning mercy that shows them the way of escape.

It’s interesting to note that the Bible calls us to the urgency of proclaiming the fate of the unbeliever as an expression of genuine mercy. There are many different models for sharing our faith with unbelievers. But in the end, evangelism is really not so much about technique, is it? It’s really about our motives. Behind any proclamation of the Gospel message to unbelievers must be an underlying motive of mercy. The mercy of God is central to the Gospel message. Jude calls us to share the message OF mercy IN mercy.

Mercy Suggestion: When is the last time you spent time and money with an unsaved friend? How about showing the highest form of mercy to an unbeliever and invite them to dinner so you can mercifully share the Gospel message with them. Afraid? Good, do it anyway. Peace.

You Just Wait! (by Pastor Tom Pauquette)

Jude 20,21
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

The Epistle of Jude is, perhaps, one of the most underappreciated books of the New Testament. It’s kind of hiding between the books of John the Apostle in the back of our Bibles. The book is so small that it doesn’t even have chapter numbers, only the verses are numbered. You’d think its brevity alone would make it a favorite among American Christians who like to read our Bibles in short spurts.

In the two verses above, Jude calls us to build ourselves up in the most holy faith by praying in the Spirit. There is no substitute in the life of the believer for Spirit-filled prayer. Times of intimacy in prayer with God’s Holy Spirit will do more to strengthen your faith than any other single activity as a believer. In fact, if you have not yet prayed today, it would be better for you to stop reading and spend the next few moments in intimate prayer than it would be for you to read the musings of a bald man. Hopefully, you will find time for both.

After calling us to build ourselves up by way of prayer, Jude calls us to keep ourselves in God’s love. That’s an interesting perspective, isn’t it? God’s love for us never changes. His love is infinite and unconditional. What could he mean by calling us to keep ourselves in it? While it’s true that’s God’s love for us never changes, our awareness of and experience in His love is in constant change. Our sense of God’s love (and mercy) in our lives is something the devil himself would like to steal from us forever. Jude calls us to make choices which keep us in a state of experiencing, embracing, and enjoying God’s great love for us.

Then Jude hits us with the big one. He says that we should do all of this, “as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Waiting for mercy. You mean there’s more? How amazing is that? How amazing is it that in addition to the mercy we have already experienced and embraced, Jesus Himself is bringing more on the day we pass from this life to the next. Jude says “you just wait!”

Enjoy God’s mercy in your life today. Sing back to Him your appreciation of it and your need for even more of it. There’s lots of God’s mercy to be enjoyed today. But beloved, you just wait — there’s a day coming when you will experience the fullness of God’s mercy as you see in a single moment the depth of your pardon. Jesus Christ is bringing you eternal life. You just wait!

Mercy Suggestion: People are waiting for you to arrive with simple expressions of God’s mercy and kindness. They are in hospitals and nursing homes and prisons and jails and… Some are simply waiting by the phone or checking email to hear from you. Wouldn’t today be a great day to end their waiting?

God’s Greatest Works (by Pastor Jason Coker)

Psalm 145: 3-9

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom.” (v3)

David is at it again. Here he is, harp in hand, singing of the greatness of God. Only this time David says God is so great that mere mortals cannot even comprehend it, no individual expression of praise can possibly contain it. Its not enough for one man to sing of the Lord’s power and might, no, David says,

“One generation will commend your works to another;

They will tell of your mighty acts.” (v4)

David has glimpsed the greatness of God, and has seen that it is beyond the ability of mere individuals to proclaim it. Indeed, David sees generation after generation spilling forth praise, still unable to contain the vastness of God’s glory. Individuals aren’t enough to proclaim his greatness, generations aren’t enough! Will even eternity be long enough for the people of God to exhaustively proclaim the wonder of his great works! I think not. (Rev 19:1-9)

So David joins with the generations of the people of God, responding to their call and answering their summons to give God Glory,

“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

And I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

And I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness

And joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (v5-7)

But what exactly are God’s “wonderful works,” David, what are his “great deeds?” Is it his creation of the universe, the awesome power of thunder and lightning and earthquakes, or the splendor of the sun and moon? Or, perhaps it is His mighty deeds on behalf of his people, the liberation from bondage in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, or the miraculous provision of water and manna in the desert? Certainly these come to mind when dwelling on the greatest works of God.

Yet, in addition to these, David has something even greater in mind and it is to this greatest of all acts of God that David know turn his attention in the middle climax of this song,

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all;

He has compassion on all He has made.” (v8-9)

David knows, there is no act of God quite so great as his unfailing tendency to have compassion and mercy on people. For this reason, generation after generation, we seek to praise him into eternity.

Reaching Out in Mercy
Later in this Psalm, in verse 14, David says, “The Lord upholds all those who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down.” Who do you know who has fallen in some way? It could be a severe failure or a simple unfortunate circumstance. Look for someone in a fallen or downcast condition and find a way to lift them up; send them a card or e-mail, or better yet pay them a visit. Touch someone today who is in need of being lifted up.