If God calls us to be compassionate to others, how does that play out? This daily devotional looks at how we are to be compassionate to believers and non-believers alike.
Nuggets
- Disciples are to disciple others mercifully when they sin.
- We should show mercy to all, regardless of how successful we believe they are.
- We are to show mercy to those who are enduring persecution.
- Disciples are to have compassion for the poor.
- While caring for the sick does not earn us salvation, it shows we are imitating Christ because we are showing mercy.
- God heals the broken heart, but at times, He uses us to help mend it.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Being Merciful Leads to Godliness series
Disciples of Christ are to be known by their compassion. Mercy should be appropriate to the situation with which the disciples of Christ are addressing.
But what does that look like? Blair’s sermon gives us a clue as to some areas that apply.
Resource
Let's Put It into Context
God’s mercy is the unexpected way God responds in love to our needs. Disciples’ mercy is a characteristic of compassion for the needs of others, especially those who are in distress.
I love Vaughan’s definition of mercy. He wrote, “‘Mercy’ is love to the weak, the unhappy, and the bad.”
Resource
How Do We Show Mercy to A Disciple Gone Astray?
“My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5: 19-20 CSB)
Disciples are to disciple others mercifully when they sin.
Ooo, baby. Don’t we really get judgmental when another disciple sins?
Oh, yes. Disciples still sin. Deems described it when he wrote, “All the wrongs in the universe begin by a wandering from the truth. This is so in every department of human thought, emotion, and action.”
Resource
For disciples, it usually is a small step in the wrong direction. The churchy term is backsliding. That gives a good visual of what occurs.
It usually is a little compromise. We may think it is a small deviation. Finney called it a conscious decision to to the opposite of what God calls.
Resource
Then, it snowballs. We become entrenched in that sin.
God wants us to support each other. That is especially true in our support of each other’s relationship with Him.
God doesn’t want us to respond with pride. He wants us to respond with mercy.
Parker reminded us that, when we are witnessing or discipling someone, we need to start where they are. We need to have a sensitivity when working with them.
Resource
We like to think our actions are our own. James debunks that theory. He contends that we should have mutual oversight with each other.
Scary, isn’t that? We are to take care of the salvation of others. Manton described it as being their conscience.
Resource
It is difficult to speak with someone else regarding their sins. We are to do it with gentleness and love.
Isn’t it wonderful that God doesn’t cut off disciples when we sin? He doesn’t give us one chance after conversion to get it right. He will keep forgiving us when we ask.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
What James is really getting at is we are to be a brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. This is to be part of our ministry.
Mercy Should Triumph Over Judgment
“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas. 2: 13 CSB)
We should show mercy to all, regardless of how successful we believe they are.
What the first part of James 2 is talking about is showing favoritism. Isn’t it human nature to gravitate to those who are what we consider successful? It may be more than just the clothes that tell us this. Positions can cause us to be deferential.
God doesn’t want us to do that. Adam wrote, “Everything is to be done in righteousness; and here is the only complete, infallible criterion of righteousness.”
Resource
Judgment without mercy is not showing them compassion. It is showing moral superiority.
God doesn’t want us to think we are superior to others — or consider others superior to us. (Ooo, baby. A lot of people need to hear that today.)
We are not to show favoritism. We are to obey the second greatest commandment.
Remember what we said in the last devotion. Love God is righteousness + love others is mercy = perfection/godliness.
Manton had an interesting take. He wrote, “The condition of men under the covenant of works is very miserable. They meet with justice without any temper of mercy.”
Resource
That is true. The covenant of works is Adam’s covenant. Mankind is miserable under it because we are in bondage to sin.
We are to act in what James calls the law of liberty or the law of freedom. We are to submit to the covenant of grace.
It is through God’s mercy and grace that we are offered the Plan of Salvation. If we do not accept God’s gift of salvation, He will judge us according to our sin.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Let’s take it another way. If mercy is love and judgment is condemnation, then it would read this way.
For condemnation is without love to the one who has not shown love. Love triumphs over condemnation. God is love, and condemnation is sin.
For sin is without God to the one who has not shown godliness. God triumphs over sin.
I know that is stretching it — but it really isn’t. God will triumph over sin.
Being Merciful to Those under Persecution
“At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now” (Gal. 4: 29 NIV)
We are to show mercy to those who are enduring persecution.
Just because we are disciples of Christ doesn’t mean we won’t be persecuted. Nowhere in Scriptures does it say we are going to have smooth sailing in this life.
In fact, it says the opposite. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16: 33 ESV).
Jesus also said the trials would come in the form of persecution. “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (Jn. 15: 20 ESV).
Okay. Let’s back up a second. “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you” (Jn. 15: 18-19 ESV).
Yes, non-believers will persecute disciples. Maclaren defined the world as “… in Christ’s language, … the aggregate of Godless men.”
Resource
No, disciples are still to react mercifully to their persecutors. We are to witness to them.
Being Merciful to the Poor
“He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he” (Prov. 14: 21 NKJV)
Disciples are to have compassion for the poor.
We have talked in the past about the disciples’ responsibility to the poor. We said that we have to be concerned enough about the poor for action. God has a plan for our help for others, first helping our biological family. Instead of a brother being reduced to an alien, we have an alien elevated to the status of brother.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We are told to love our neighbors. There is no qualifier on that command. Their bank account does not play a role in how that should look.
Being Merciful to the Sick
“Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’” (Mt. 25: 44 ESV)
While caring for the sick does not earn us salvation, it shows we are imitating Christ because we are showing mercy.
We’ve talked about this verse before in the context that caring for the sick does not earn us salvation. This is part of the sheep and goats passage. Only those who have ABCDed will be sheep on the right.
Glossary
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
But that does not negate the fact that we are to be merciful to the sick.
We are instructed to pray for the sick. “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Jas. 5: 15 ESV).
We are to help the injured. That was the whole point of the parable of the Good Samaritan.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We are to respond with compassion.
Being Merciful to Those in Mourning
“The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34: 18 CSB)
God heals the broken heart, but at times, He uses us to help mend it.
God is always close to us. Still, He uses us to comfort those who have lost loved ones.m
We can do this because we feel for them. We may have experienced something similar to what they are going through.
Making the Connections
Being merciful to others is a way to show God’s love to them. That means we need to respond how He would respond.
We are to love always. We are to provide care as need. We are to confront sin as needed.
That is what godliness is, right? Being God-like.
How Do We Apply This?
We love others. Period. End of story.
Father God. We want to love like You love. We want to be like You in every way. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: God’s Blessings for Merciful Disciples of Christ – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Still More of God’s Blessings for Merciful Disciples of Christ – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Manner in which Disciples of Christ Are Merciful – Seeking God with Elaine