Be Merciful

 Be Merciful

Jesus said,

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” 

                                                              Luke 6:36.

Mercy according to the Oxford dictionary is “compassion or forgiveness shown towards and enemy or offender in one’s power.”

I’m writing to Christians here and the question I want to ask is; Are you merciful?

I am a retired professional clown and magician. I spent a large portion of my life entertaining children and adults alike at events ranging from a small house party, to large company picnics and even weddings. And I had a lot of fun.

On one particular occasion I mentioned to someone at the church I was attending at the time that I’d been hired to perform at a same sex wedding.

This person, who sat on the board of the church said I shouldn’t be doing it. Frankly while in hindsight it shouldn’t, have shocked me, it did.

He was without meeting these two people. Judging them to be sinners. Which shouldn’t have mattered anyway. After all Jesus sat with sinners. 

I didn’t know at the time whether this couple were saved or not. The way I seen it, it was not my job to judge them. The American evangelist Billy Graham said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                            Billy Graham.

As a believer in Christ Jesus I feel I, and indeed all who believe in Jesus must not judge anyone outside our faith. We must at all times show mercy and love to those around us.

No one will ever see Gods mercy if we as believers do not show it to them. 

The apostle Paul wrote,

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  2 Corinthians 18-20.

If we are Christ’s ambassadors given the ministry of reconciliation. Then we have a duty to show mercy to all people by reaching out with the love of God in a non-judgemental way.

We must do this irrespective of a persons lifestyle, faith, or position in society.

So I repeat my question; do you show mercy to those around you?

Please think about it.