“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5 v 7
So far, the beatitudes we have covered have been the blessings given to the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven on account of their attitude toward God – the poor in spirit is blessed with ownership in the Kingdom of God, the one who mourns is blessed with comfort from God, the meek are blessed with an inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven and the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is promised satisfaction in Christ. If these first four beatitudes can be described as privileges, then the next four are the responsibilities of these citizens. The first four address our attitude towards God, the second four beatitudes describe our attitude toward others – the horizontal relationships, like we’ve referred to them before.
Jesus tells His disciples that in the Kingdom of God, the heart matters. It is not the outer person being changed, it is the inner spirit that’s undergoing transformation. Being transformed by the Spirit, the citizens of the Kingdom of God now exhibit His divine nature. Being merciful is foremost.
The believer who has been filled to satisfaction, is now outpouring this abundance of love and mercy to those around Him. This is the true and only response. Once you are filled it overflows for the benefit of those around us. Even if we desired we could not contain what He fills us with. This is the beautiful nature of God’s love.
When we love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, the natural sequence to this is loving our neighbors with such love , mercy and grace. May the Spirit enable us to do so with obedience and passion.
Pick Up Your Bible 