MERCY– by Stephanie White
Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 1:22-23 NIV
Mercy is love reaching out to meet a need in spite of the person being helped. It's not about worthiness; it's about love.
If we're walking in God's love we'll be merciful to those who doubt. Some are angry with those who doubt. Why? We should feel sorry for those who don't believe the Word is their life! We should pity them because we remember what it was like to ignore the Word. In life we're all ministers; we need to be able to relate to those we minister to. We need to remember how our flesh gets the best of us - no one is perfect!
We're also commissioned to snatch others from the fire. Fire is often referred to as destruction. The Bible tells us that our works are tested by fire and if they're of the flesh they will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 3:10-14). We must understand that the works we produce apart from Christ will be destroyed by fire and we need to share this with others. Help others avoid the trap of the works of the flesh.
In our attempt to give aid to others, we must remember to keep ourselves in the Word. Our first priority must always be the Word! We cannot help others if we're not full of the Word. When we take pride in ourselves we'll fall. Pride is of the flesh and it corrupts. Mercy mixed with fear is love reaching out to meet the needs of those who don't deserve it because we remember that we do not deserve it!
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