Good
Morning All,
Matthew 5:7; “Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
There was a man that I used to know many
years ago, he has since died. You would
run into him at the local elevator or the local co-op. You might see him at the local Memorial Day
service in town. He was just an average
run of the mill guy. There wasn’t
anything special about him. He wasn’t
rich or poor. He wasn’t particularly
handsome or ugly; he was just a man.
Yet he was the saddest and
the bitterest person that I had ever met.
He remembered, vividly, every single slight that any neighbor or anyone
who he knew had done to him. He could
remember the time someone didn’t say “hi” to him as he walked down the
street. He remembered the neighbor whose
cows got out and into his newly plowed field.
He could remember the time the fuel delivery guy was a day late
delivering fuel. He could remember which
neighbor did and did not come to help him when he had been hurt. He remembered it all and he relived it every
time he saw someone who would listen. He
lived his life as a sullen, unhappy man.
He never had a smile or a kind word.
Most people would go out of their way to avoid him. It must have been an incredible disappointing
life.
This is what the Bible is
telling us about forgiveness. Sin
refuses to give forgiveness. Sin tells
you to hold onto the grudge, to make sure you get even. What sin doesn’t tell you is the unbelievable
toll that this attitude causes you. You
have no contentment, you have no peace, you have no joy; you only have sorrow
and pain. Those who are not merciful
reject God’s mercy. Those who are not
forgiving, hold onto the sins which God has forgiven but they haven’t. So by clutching to that sin; you reject God. It is not that we earn mercy or have it by
merit, rather it is that we reject God’s mercy.
When we reject God, we reject
the peace and contentment that he gives us; we simply try to walk away. When we walk away from God, from his mercy,
love, gentleness and hope; we walk toward anger, hatred, jealousy and an uneasy
and unhappy life. We live the life of that
angry, bitter man and that is not the life that God intends for us. The life he intends for us is one of
contentment, peace, love and hope. “I
know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you” is what God tells us. It is the life we can grab hold of but we
have to let go first. We have to let go
of our sin and then let go of our neighbor’s sin against us. God invites you to let go of your anger, your
pain and your sorrow.
So be merciful, let the sins
of others go. They only cause you pain as
you hold onto them. They only let others
control your happiness. Give them up and
enjoy God’s mercy in your life.
Gracious and tender Father,
through your mercy you bring us back into your holy family. Teach us to see that our contentment is about
the mercy we show. Guide us by your
Spirit to see that our happiness comes from you and is best expressed by
showing love to others. Be with those
who won’t let go of the pain. Give the
desire to seek your will and trust in your promise. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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