This is the fifth of the eight Beatitudes. The first half of the Beatitudes dealt with Character Traits Manifested in our personal relationship with God--coming to a complete end of ourselves into total and complete reliance upon Him for everything in life. That's the pathway to happiness in our relationship with God. The last half of this list now deals with character traits manifested in our relationships with other people. It is important to point out that there is an intentional progression in the eight Beatitudes. The last half is impossible to obtain without first developing the first half. This is important to understand so that we have our theology right.

Secular Humanism would tell us that the pathway to spirituality is harmony with mankind. This is a path that will lead to destruction because it doesn't work. If it did, we would have world peace and all the Miss America contestants wouldn't be laughed at during the question and answer portion of the competition. We don't find God by attaining brotherly love. The only pathway to God is through total surrender to Christ--being poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

You can't wake up one morning and say, "I think I am going to be merciful today." Mercy is not a natural character trait for humans. Just drive on any freeway in America and see how merciful humans are when you are trying to merge into traffic or just simply obey the speed limit. That "one-finger salute" is not a gesture of mercy. Mercy is a byproduct of a lifestyle modeled after the first four Beatitudes (see my previous posts). This person tends to be merciful by nature. They are forgiving and tend not to hold grudges against others. They are not easily angered or upset. They are easy to get along with and are well liked by others. They are also the person who is shown a lot of mercy when they mess up. Why? Because when you show mercy, it always comes back to you. This Beatitude proves the law of sowing and reaping. If you sow mercy, you can count on reaping a bountiful harvest of mercy.

I don't know about you, but I still have a lot of work to do. Help us Lord, to be merciful to others today. Thank you for the mercy You have shown us.