Called to Mercy

"Nobody gets to Heaven, without a letter of reference from the poor." - Rev. Dr. James Alexander Forbes Jnr.

There are moments I have just kept quiet and wondered whether there was that one thing that would please God if I did it. And yes you might have figured out what I am actually thinking. Is there something that God requires from us, not in general terms but specifically?
 
There are a whole lot of things that we could engage in to honor Him. So much variety of ministries and labors that may make us feel as if we were in the center of His will. But what if there was a main thing and we missed it! By all means Wisdom whispers "we must avoid such trajedies". When we spend time and fellowship with God we get to realize His value system. We learn what He esteems most. In simple terms we learn His ways. For God is not a man like any of us, neither does He have a dwelling among flesh.

Let us read Micah 6: 6 - 8
 

With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?

 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

 

Futher we read in Isaiah 58: 4 - 11, (Living Bible)

 

 Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.  Is this what I want—this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes? Is this what you call fasting?

 

No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn.  I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help.

There is a blessing accompanying this action best put in the scripture as well:

If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!

Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day.   And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

By studying through the bible, I have come to know that God is very keen on how we treat the widow, the destitute and the orphans.

In Mathew 9: 13 Jesus tells the pharisees, But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ God through Jesus Christ was and is compassionate and so should we! This will be a true hallmark of our Christian DNA, if we genuinely love one another. There is no love if we do not care for one another and attend to the needs of others as if they were our own needs. Consider the parable of the good samaritan.

Lastly, I would like to point out that there will be two groups of people in that last day. Those that will be richly welcomed into the Kingdom and those that will be told.." depart from Me, you evil doers". By observing the qualities of each group we can learn what matters most to Christ, in His own words.

Group One:

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ...... ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Mathew 25: 31 - 46

This is a group that practiced mercy!

Group Two:

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Mathew 7:21 - 23

There will be deacons, deaconessess, Bible teachers, Elders, TV Evangelists & Apostles, Miracle workers, Praise & Worship leaders along with countless others (i.e. all church people!) that will be sadly turned away.

It is unfortunate that we have more and more churches that do little to help the poor and those in need. You and I can make a difference. 

I am called to Mercy.