Everyone needs compassion...

Hillsong United- Mighty to Save
Everyone needs compassion,Love that's never failing;Let mercy fall on me.Everyone needs forgiveness,The kindness of a Saviour;The Hope of nations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE92VCpTDWg

Matthew 5:1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I hope that the New Year has dawned on you with hope for tomorrow. I pray that your hope is grounded in Christ and that you are trusting in Him.

The verse that I am looking at today can seem very simple. Everyone needs some mercy thrown their way and we are all in favor of that right? I think most of us want mercy for ourselves and are not quite so quick to grant it to others. Why is that? Why is it that we are so willing to condemn others when we ourselves are pretty worthy of condemnation? I must look at myself first.

I have two cyber friends that I have known for quite some time. One of these friends is not a believer. They are however, very loving and I am particularly fond of the occasion when they came to my defense much to my surprise when I was in the midst of a debate with an atheist. The other friend is a believer and quick to condemn any behavior that does not suit him. I know that he is correct in his orthodoxy but I have doubts about his orthopraxy. How do I balance teaching the word without coming across as condemning?

Luke 10:29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

The first thing you notice here is that the expert in the law wanted to justify himself. I see this desire in myself and I know that it is wrong. It is a constant struggle to remind myself that I can not justify myself and that I am only justified through Christ. The question that you have to ask yourself is what is the secondary motive for asking the question of Jesus? Could it be because he only wanted to show mercy to those that were deserving of mercy? Could it be because he did not really want to show mercy to anyone?

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

The solution here is to show mercy to everyone. Jesus does not define who the neighbor is but how to be a neighbor and that is by showing mercy. I said earlier that I have to look at myself first and the reason is pretty simple. I often feel that my friend who is so quick to condemn is very wrong and could use a good smackdown. But then that puts me right there with him doesn't it? My challenge is to learn how to balance sharing the correct belief (orthodoxy) while showing the correct actions (orthopraxy) out of love in both cases. I pray that God gives me the strength, wisdom, and guidance to do exactly that in the year to come.

Peace, Bruce