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The Merciful Shall Have Mercy, October 25
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 5:7
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The heart of man is by nature cold and dark and unloving; whenever
one manifests a spirit of mercy and forgiveness, he does it not of himself,
but through the influence of the Divine Spirit moving upon his heart. “We
love, because he first loved us.”
God is Himself the source of all mercy. His name is “merciful and
gracious.” He does not treat us according to our desert. He does not ask if
we are worthy of His love, but He pours upon us the riches of His love,
to make us worthy. He is not vindictive. He seeks not to punish, but to
redeem. Even the severity which He manifests through His providences
is manifested for the salvation of the wayward. He yearns with intense
desire to relieve the woes of men.... All whose hearts are in sympathy with
the heart of Infinite Love will seek to reclaim, and not to condemn. Christ
dwelling in the soul is a spring that never runs dry. Where He abides, there
will be an overflowing of beneficence.
To the appeal of the erring, the tempted, the wretched victims of want
and sin, the Christian does not ask, Are they worthy? but, How can I
benefit them? In the most wretched, the most debased, he sees souls whom
Christ died to save.... The merciful are those who manifest compassion to
the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed....
He who has given his life to God in ministry to His children, is linked
with Him who has all the resources of the universe at His command. His
life is bound up by the golden chain of the immutable promises with the
life of God. The Lord will not fail him in the hour of suffering and need.
“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus.” And in the hour of final need the merciful shall find refuge
in the mercy of the compassionate Saviour, and shall be received into
everlasting habitations
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Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 39-41
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