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MEDITATION:

Written by Rick Warren, contemporary pastor, founder of Saddleback Church, author, and speaker.

God wants you to be an agent of mercy in the world. Everyone needs mercy because everyone has messed up. We’ve all hurt other people and made mistakes. We’ve all sinned and we all have hurts, habits, and hang-ups as a result of the mistakes we’ve made. Mercy changes the lives of people who have made mistakes, and we who have received mercy freely can change the world around us by showing mercy to others.

Here are four reasons to keep showing mercy to others. 1) Show mercy to others because God has been merciful to you. The Bible says that God is merciful. It is emphasized all throughout the Bible. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of verses that talk about God’s mercy and his love, his compassion, and his grace…2) Show mercy to others because God commands you. God says if you want a summary of what life’s all about, and if you’re going to be in his family, this is what’s required of you: You need to do what is right with others, to love being merciful to others, and to live humbly in fellowship with God. One-third of God’s requirement for you on this planet is to learn mercy. Why? Because God is merciful. 3) Show mercy because you’re going to need more mercy in the future. You’re not going to be perfect between now and when you get to Heaven. The Bible tells us we cannot receive what we are unwilling to give…It isn’t the people who have kept more rules than anyone else who get to face their eternity with the greatest confidence. It is believers who have shown mercy to other people. 4) Show mercy because it produces happiness. The Bible teaches over and over that the more merciful I am, the happier I’m going to be…Being kind to other people actually blesses you and makes you happier in life. And mercy certainly produces greater joy in those to whom you’ve shown it. Would you rather live in a world that is harsh or a world where the people around you value mercy? You get to help shape a world of mercy around you and allow more people to find freedom from their past when you’re willing to show mercy.

PRAYER:

Written by Cheryce Rampersad, a contemporary Christian author.

Sovereign Savior, I approach your throne of grace and mercy asking that you touch my heart. Lord, grant me a merciful heart. Engulf and fill my heart with the type of mercy you gave, when Jesus died on that cross to save a lowly sinner such as myself.  I do not deserve such a beautiful gift. But yet You gave to me without question. Your love poured out as the precious blood of the Lamb flowed so that we can have that same mercy. Amen.

MUSIC MEDITATION:

O Sacred Head Now Wounded:  Performed by Fernando Ortega.

The words to this classic hymn are based on a poem written by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). It was set to music in 1601 by Hans Leo Hassler. his traditional spiritual was arranged for choral performance by Mark Butler in 2005.