discipleup podcast

Disciple Up # 199

Mercy, Tolerance & the Loss of Focus

By Louie Marsh, 2-17-2021

 

7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 (ESV)

 

Synonyms for merciful according to Thesarus.com:

Charitable, compassionate, forgiving, gracious, humane, lenient, beneficent, bleeding heart, indulgent, liberal, softhearted, tenderhearted, tolerant.

 

To Stay focused I must think MATURELY.

 

“20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14:20, ESV)

 

“8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, ESV)

 

Three Ways Not to Think:

 

• Tribally
• Emotionally
• Faddishly

 

3) I need to learn how to think BIBLICALLY.

 

God calls disciples to think Biblically not culturally and not to simply follow my feelings or to go by my instincts. No, God calls all disciples to think clearly, critically (I mean analytically not to be critical of others).

 

21  but test everything; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)

 

Our first impulse should not be to either accept or reject but to test!

 

Word test here is one of Paul’s favorites. It was used of testing coins or metals in order to see whether they were genuine and of full weight.

 

Test everything – especially things that make me feel good while sending me off in a slightly different direction in life.

 

This kind of testing, comparing everything to Scripture – needs to become a deeply ingrained habit that the disciple does automatically!

 

1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (ESV)

 

  I become merciful through Jesus’ GIFT OF MERCY.

 

7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 (ESV)

 

God is angry at my sin (so I need mercy) because he’s a God of love, not because he isn’t.

 

18  Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:18 (NIV)

 

I don’t want to accept this because I’ll lose control of my life.

 

16  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

 

You will never feel accepted till you know you are accepted at your worse.

 

I admit I’m dying for acceptance – unconditional acceptance – that can come only from God.

I give the mercy I received from Jesus but do not deserve to others because I know I don’t deserve it.

 

4)I FREELY GIVE to others the mercy I receive but do not deserve from Jesus

 

7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 (ESV)

 

Shyness and bragging are both gone.