MERCIFUL PEOPLE ARE HAPPY PEOPLE.
PEOPLE WHO LACK MERCY LACK HAPPINESS.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7 (CSB)
BEING A MERCIFUL PERSON
1. LOVINGGOD BY LOVING PEOPLE YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO LOVE.
"Then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, 'Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'What is written in the law?' He asked him. 'How do you read it?' He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' 'You've answered correctly,' He told him. 'Do this and you will live.'" Luke 10:25-28 (CSB)
2. THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING IS YOUR NEIGHBOR.
"But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, 'And who is myneighbor?'" Luke 10:29 (CSB)
3. THAT YOU CROSS ETHNIC, CULTURAL, AND RELIGIOUSBARRIERS TO HELP HURTING PEOPLE.
"Jesus took up the question and said, 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They strippedhim, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to begoing down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the otherside. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him,passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up tohim, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.'" Luke 10:30-33 (CSB)
"But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so thatby God's grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with gloryand honor because He suffered death." Hebrews 2:9 (CSB)
Action Plan: A very difficult task, you need to be deeply honest. Write down a list of ethnic groups and different religions. Next to each one, write down how you feel about them. It's important to not judge what comes up, this should be a gut reaction. Are there ones that for some reason you have a barrier? Is it the same for different cultures? Share with your small group or a trusted friend and discuss how you can overcome your barriers (i.e. ministry)
4. THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO COUNT THE COSTOF LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR.
"He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil andwine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and tookcare of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to theinnkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him. When I come back I'll reimburseyou for whatever extra you spend.' 'Which of these three do you thinkproved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of therobbers?' 'The one who showed mercy to him,' he said. Then Jesus toldhim, 'Go and do the same.'" Luke 10:34-37 (CSB)
Action Plan: As you reach out to others through volunteering, ministry, etc., you must be ready to keep your heart on Jesus and not worry about what others (friends, family, coworkers, etc) think? Are you going to give yourself limits, or be limitless? Write down your commitment and keep it in a place that is visible to you throughout the week.
Weekly Action Steps
We recommit our lives to Jesus Christ. Text NEWSTART (1 word) to 99000 or email newstart@saddleback.com
We express our gratitude to God for his goodness by giving back to him. Your generosity online is feeding tens of thousands of out-of-work families and serving many other needs. Give at Saddleback.com/give
We meet in small groups online to discuss what we've heard. To join a group, text SMALLGROUP to 99000 or email SMALLGROUP@saddleback.com.
Listen to our new Doable Discipleship podcast season, "Politics and the Church" at Saddleback.com/lear