Be Merciful

Be Merciful

“Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Matthew 18:21 The Message

The Jewish law stipulated that the wounded forgive three times. Peter is willing to double that and throw in one more for good measure. No doubt he thinks Jesus will be impressed. Jesus isn’t. The Master’s answer still stuns us. “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22 The Message).

If you’re pausing to multiply seventy times seven, you’re missing the point. Keeping tabs on your mercy, Jesus is saying, is not being merciful.

To Prove His Love

“In the past God spoke . . . at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”  Hebrews 1:1-2, NIV

God, motivated by love and directed by divinity, surprised everyone. He became a man. In an untouchable mystery, he disguised himself as a carpenter and lived in a dusty Judean village. Determined to prove his love for his creation, he walked incognito through his own world. His calloused hands touched wounds and his compassionate words touched hearts. He became one of us.

Think it over…..

The great masses of the people…will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one….Adolph Hitler.

Evangelism

“Why should anyone hear the Gospel Twice before Everyone has heard it once...Oswald J. Smith