Mercy

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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Matt 5:7 NIV)

As everyone across the globe knows, there is much emotion centered around the USA’s Inauguration today, January 20, 2021. From those who are posting decals saying, “Bye Bye Don,” to those like myself who are concerned about Biden/Harris policies, to those who outright say, “Biden is not my President,” there is no shortage of anxiety, outrage and turmoil in the USA and the world at large.

Whether we like it or not, “The Lord made mercy a foundation for his teaching” (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible vol 2, 1988, p 1441; see also Matt 9:13; 12:7; 23:23; Luke 6:36; 10:37; James 3:17). The first four Beatitudes (poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness) are God centered in that our mindset and attitudes are centered on Him. The next three Beatitudes (5:7-10) are centered on a life lived rightly. Turner states, “God’s approval comes to those who relate to others with mercy, which includes pity plus action” (Matthew, BECNT, 2008, n.p.). As a present participle in Greek, showing mercy is continuous. When we show mercy we “exemplif[y] the conduct God demands of his people” (Osborne, Matthew, ZECNT, 2010, p. 168).

Like the previous Beatitudes, this one begins with a principle and ends with a reward, they will be shown mercy. “When we show mercy to others, we will receive mercy from God” (Osborne, p. 168). Praise God for the mercy that He has given and shown His people who are in Christ.

As such, regardless of what emotions you are experiencing today, regardless of where in God’s Creation you are located, regardless of your political leanings, I beg you in the name of Jesus to show mercy. Show mercy on those (especially other Christians) with whom you disagree. Whether you are elated, concerned about policies or think the election is illegitimate, I humbly ask you to show mercy and in return God will show mercy to you.

Lord God, if there is one thing this world is it is unmerciful. It is unrelenting in its sin, darkness and cruelty. I ask Lord that for those of us who are in Christ teach us what it looks like to show mercy in these rapidly changing times. Lord God, have mercy on Your people when we get it wrong in these rapidly changing times. Lord God, direct our minds, hearts and hands to extend mercy rather than hate and rage. Lord God, may we never forget that the mercy You showed us with our salvation was costly, the death of Your Son. Thank You Jesus that You are still seated on the Throne and that whatever happens is of no surprise to You. Lord God, prepare us and strengthen us today. Thank You for this reader. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

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Blue Collar Theologian

My name is Mandy Sweigart-Quinn, I live in Lancaster, PA and I am a “Blue Collar Theologian.” I love Jesus! I am passionate about His Word (The Holy Bible)! I come alive when I can encourage others in their walk with Jesus (whether by writing or speaking). As a “Blue Collar Theologian” it is my aim to live/practice/work out my Christian hope with sincerity, authenticity and genuineness. As a “Blue Collar Theologian,” I strive to meet people right where they are (“Incarnational Theology”). I graduated in May 2019 from Capital Seminary and Graduate School with a Master's in Biblical Studies. I am a passionate, excited and enthusiastic person! I love flowers, sports and sunsets. Since January 2, 2018 I have had the privilege of being married to Nathan.

76 thoughts on “Mercy”

  2. Well written Mandy! The presentation of mercy as being continuous, a way of life is Biblically accurate. It is not a tap of water to turn on or off at will but is a continous Godly well of Heavenly origin. Thank you for this reminder of the higher standard we are called to, God bless you sister.

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  3. Like Ryan, I am going to be praying that they come to Christ too, and that a revival would sweep across our nation. The end draws near!

    I am comforted by Proverbs 21:1. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord ; he turns it wherever he will.”
    Proverbs 21:1 ESV

    Regardless of who is Presidenr and how that may have come about, God is in control, and He can do what He pleases through any ruler, just as we see in the Bible of Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and even though the Pharaoh of Moses’ time. God’s purposes will prevail!!!

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  5. It is a new day. We have a new President. We may not be happy or we may be ecstatic.

    I am reminded of who our King is. It is Jesus.

    Revelation 1:4 -6 shows us:

    Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

    To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

    And so … Amen! All hail the power of Jesus name, let angels prostrate fall. Bring for the royal diadem and crown Him Master of all.

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  6. Mercy is the irrefutable nature of the Kingdom of God. It is the a grace which is received by the giving of it. My need is such that I dare not keep it to myself.

    A good word as always.
    BT

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  7. Pingback: Mercy | Talmidimblogging

  9. Hi Mandy. I wanted to let you know that guy Bruce is always trying to make me look bad and is constantly attacking me. It is very sad. I already told him to leave me alone in the past, but he just can’t resist sticking his finger in my face, judging me, & condemning me. I get persecuted for speaking the truth all the time, even from phony people who claim to be my brother. I hope to continue having good fellowship with you. My original comment to your post here today is truth. Thank you for your prayers. My prayers & blessings are with you & your family too. Grace and peace to you.

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    1. Hey, pretty lady!! Thank you for your time and encouragement, what a gift!!“He shows it to us even in our most unworthy state, praise God! How can we do less?” Amen and Amen! I am so thankful that God in His mercy has given me a friend like you!

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  13. Amen, this is a beautiful post and badly needed. Our Lord displayed what a true heart of mercy and love looks like, when at the cross He pleaded, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Stephen likewise asked mercy and forgiveness for those who were stoning him to death, displaying no animosity toward his killers.

    These clear examples set a high standard. Most believers that I know who are militant on the political divide are not actually contending for the Lord’s kingdom or for the gospel, and are nowhere near the point of suffering death at the hands of evil men, and yet seem to bear much animosity toward those they disagree with. It’s easy to feel threatened and hard to trust the Lord’s sovereignty when we do.

    Jesus explained to Pilate the reason why his followers were not fighting for him was because His kingdom is not of this world. That remains true to this day. I certainly find it disturbing to witness the moral foundations of our country crumbling (as was also true in Christ’s day), and can see where things are heading, but in the mean time I believe we must not be distracted, trying to preserve an earthly kingdom that is doomed (as all of them are), but should remain focused on expanding our Lord’s kingdom, which will increase without end, and which is the only meaningful path to lasting change in a culture anyway.

    The time may come when we may face death for speaking the truth of the gospel in love, and if the Lord allows us to face true martyrdom in this way, let us bring Him glory and be found with grace on our tongues and true love in our hearts. Love is the hallmark of a heart redeemed – love for God, love for neighbor, love for enemy, even love for your own killer, and anything short of Christ and Stephen’s example is not love.

    Sorry for turning my comment into a blog post, LOL.

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      4. Same to you!! I mean this sincerely, my face always has a smile whenever I see your blog posts or comments, no matter whose blog it is. I appreciate your gifts of encouragement and stewardship! You use your time and resources well and that’s a genuine gift! Love and blessings sweet lady!!

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  15. P.S. I hope you know Mandy that I meant no disrespect to you at all. That is just what Bruce wanted to make it seem like by attacking me & my comment. I meant what I said with all my heart when I said your post was well said & told you God bless you. I am straight forward & I speak the truth. I was in no way trying to be rude to you or anything like that. I am your brother in Christ. Blessings to you.

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  16. Thanks for this one, Mandy. Yes, by God’s grace let us be gracious and merciful in all circumstances. Kings and Presidents come and go, but our Lord remains sovereign on His throne. I was working in the dining room today, but overheard the inauguration from the television in the family room. I heard God’s name invoked many, many times in the course of the ceremony, but this was the “god” of pluralistic civil religion and not the God Who offers the free gift of salvation by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. I will pray for the salvation of President Biden and for all government leaders and that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” and that the Gospel will continue to go out.

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  18. I agree Mandy. As Christians we need to show mercy. We need to be compassionate in all we do and say. Mercy is love in action.
    Thank you for this great word Mandy and AMEN to your prayer .
    Love and blessings to you and your hubby.
    Praying for your brother every time I pray for my family.

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      1. Thank you! She actually just got a job offer, so I’m pretty excited for her. It’s kind of a start up, but it looks like it’s going to grow pretty fast. They are taking on new patients everyday (she’s an Occupational Therapy Assistant).

        I’m still putting off studying for the BAR, working as a writing tutor.

        How are things with you and Nathan?

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      2. I am a PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) so excited for Andria! The best part about rehab/therapy is that you actually see people making progress/get better. It is a challenging but rewarding field to work in! I can understand putting off studying for the BAR, I’ll pray for you with that! Writing tutor, that would be a fascinating job!!

        Nathan and I are doing alright. He is reading some political article right now and getting a little unhappy. I am thankful that Jesus is still seated on the Throne and I am thankful for people like yourself!!

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      3. Oh so you two are sort of in the same field range. You’re a little more specialized than she is.

        My job is definitely interesting. I’ve read countless stories and helped some interesting people. Sometimes it feels like there is a cast of characters in the place!

        Your husband sounds like what I was doing earlier today during the inauguration. I decided I didn’t want to look at it much more today, so I went to Wal-Mart and rented a movie, Goosebumps 2. It was one of my favorite shows as a kid, so I figured it would be a good distraction.

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  20. Mandy this is a very good post. I appreciate this very much. I like how you broke down the Beautitudes with the first set referring to our relations with God then the second set is our relations to man. Good observation of the function of the Greek participle with the continuous action idea. Thanks for this post

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  22. G’day Mandy and thanks for sharing!

    I really liked your prayer – Teach us what it looks like to show mercy on these times- Amen!

    Your words spoke to me that’s for sure as I have been thinking about this lately so thanks for the encouragement.

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    1. Thank you for this encouragement! What a wonderful way to start the day!! To be honest (may I call you Dave or do you prefer Evad?!) mercy is one of those all or nothing attributes, either I am genuinely merciful to people who don’t agree with me or vice versa or I am merciless, impatient, annoyed. I have been pondering and asking God personally what it looks like to have mercy and hold to our convictions in these rapidly changing times. I am thankful for you praying with me! Sorry this response is so long, I try very much to write like I would talk with you in person!!!

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      1. Dave is cool as it’s my actual name. Something that I have learnt and continue to learn (Sometimes it’s hard!) about being passionate about something (our convictions) and having mercy at the same time is we really need supernatural help. It could be just me, but passion can often be communicated in such a way that it sounds like it’s our way or the highway kind of thing and that never goes down well with people. Showing mercy I reckon is when I am passionate about something and would love others to get the truth of it, but instead of communicating “you must believe this” or have the same conviction as I do” ,instead I stay true to my conviction and still come alive when talking about it and invite others on for the journey. That way I’m not being controlling and I allow God to use my words. Now that’s all easier ad than done lol but at the heart of it I think when that is done right, mercy shines.;-)

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  23. I just read a phrase in Job that truly soothed my spirit. It’s not that I didn’t know this, but it’s great to get the booster shot. “The One of all knowledge is with you” (my paraphrase). That goes well with these uncertain, disturbing times. Hugs, Alan

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  25. I hope the rain won’t affect us but since there was a massive fire a few miles away I know there’s not a lot of trees going to hold up the water in the soil..so, it probably won’t affect us but more those near the mountains.

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