Spiritual Gift: Mercy

Spiritual Gift Analysis: http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis

Mathew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Mathew 5:44-45 – but I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. So that you may be like your father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

When our values are violated, we react; it’s like a defense mechanism. We want to justify ourselves. There are times when we threaded on the past issues because we hated the situation so much. The costs for all of these is our happiness because we’re letting the hatred, sin, and pride, kidnapped us away from being at the present, from being a loving person that Jesus has guided us to be.

Luke 24:15 – Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Sometimes we do get caught up in thinking that people are making personal attack on us when really it’s more of a miscommunication, or a socializing issue. Even when it is a personal attack, you want to treat it as not, and the issue will resolve itself. Because for every action, there’s a reaction, but if there’s no reaction, the action will nullify itself.

Mathew 6:12 – Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
Mathew 18:21-35 – Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Col. 3:12-14 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.


Love people for who they are rather than love them because of who you made them to be and then condemned them for not meeting your expectations. Reconcile your relationships by comming to God.

Henri Nouwen:
God's mercy is greater than our sins. There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but rather to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that says: "I am too sinful to deserve God's mercy." It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to bread down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. The question is: "Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in God's mercy any longer and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to his Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins?" The season of Lent, during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance, helps us in a special way to cry out for God's mercy.

Titus 3:5 – He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

When you mourn, the Holy Spirit comes out and prompt you with answers because Jesus said “blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” So after the tears, I realized that, Jesus had sacrificed, it’s already done, it’s a gift. And because of Jesus that people begin to have mercy on one another. Because He made the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE so that there will be no more “an eye for an eye,” no more vengeance, no more debts.

Sandra Glahn – Mocha on the Mount
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are perfect, and I am not! I fall so far short of Your standard. So I throw myself on Your mercy, Lord. Thank You that You promise to give grace to the humble. I’m helpless, Lord, and I need Your grace! You say that You oppose the proud – help me never to think my own righteousness is worth anything but manure compared with the surpassing richness of Jesus’ righteousness credited to my account. Thank You that Your son loved His enemies – of whom I was one before You reached down in mercy and called me Your own. Make my life a constant offering of gratitude for all You have done for me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen