Daily Devotional

Sunday, August 15, 2010

“Blessed are the merciful,

  for they shall receive mercy.

Mercy comes from a heart that has recognized that it is spiritually bankrupt, has come to grieve over its sin, waits patiently on the timing of the Lord, and hungers for the righteousness of God to be poured out into its life. Mercy comes from a heart that has fully understood the first four beatitudes.

The gift of a merciful heart comes from the knowledge that we are broken and that we owe everything we have or do to the mercy of our heavenly Father. Mercy begets mercy, and our acceptance of the mercy God has bestowed on us grants us the ability to be merciful to others. In order to develop a merciful heart we must first have the understanding that every talent, every happiness, and every distress in our lives is given to us through the undeserved mercy of God.

Prayer:

Lord, create in me a merciful heart. Show me my brokenness, Lord, and constantly remind me that without you I am nothing. I am thankful for your mercy, Lord, and give thanks for my life; I recognize that I deserve nothing but death. Lord, I know that once I fully understand your mercy for me I won’t be able to do anything but praise you and share your mercy with those in my life, and so I pray that you would open my eyes to see.