Sometimes when we read scripture we come across a passage that may seem to be out of place, or contrary to another scripture that we have read. In Matthew 5:7, 9:13 and Romans 12:1 we have such passages. They seem to be contradictory, but upon a closer study they support each other and create a full circle.

Mercy

Matthew 5:7 is a part of the Beatitudes.  A beatitude is simply a blessing. In this passage of eight blessings, Jesus does not elaborate but simply lists the blessings. This blessing states “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” So what is mercy?  Mercy has been described as an active virtue that Christians can show to each other because we have been given mercy ourselves. That’s a nice definition, but I need something I can sink my teeth into.  

A person who shows mercy will see distress in people. It’s almost as if they have a sixth sense and can detect when someone is facing overwhelming issues. Their initial response will be one of compassion for this individual and may quietly offer up a silent prayer for the person and the difficulties they face, even though they are unknown to us. But internal compassion is not enough.

We are to enact an external response, where appropriate. A response that seeks to relieve the distress or comfort the one suffering. There are times where just an encouraging word will be all that is appropriate. Other times we may not be in a position to do even that. We must use discernment to determine how to react.  Jesus makes it abundantly clear in Matthew 25:35-43 that when we minister to the downtrodden, we are doing it to Him. So mercy shown to our our fellow human is showing mercy to Christ also.

Finally, mercy knows no enemies. We are to act even when the person in distress is an enemy. God has shown us the distress, we are to act. The parable of the good samaritan comes to mind in this case.

Sacrifice

When we read Romans 12:1, Paul states “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” The first thing that I see here is that Paul references mercy. Our sacrifice is our response to God’s mercy. 

So what is a “living sacrifice?” Simply everything.  Nicky Gumbel said “God wants you to offer all of yourself and all of your lives – your time, ambitions, possessions, ears, mouths and sexuality – as well as your mind, emotions and attitudes. Paul’s description of a living sacrifice also reminds us that you have to go on offering your life as a sacrifice to God, offering the whole of your life for the whole of your life.” If that sounds extreme, it is. Remember that we are talking about sacrifice. The Old Testament concept of animal sacrifice was replaced when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us, but both  sacrifices illustrate the same concept. The sacrificial lamb and the sacrificial Jesus gave their lives. They gave everything.

I desire mercy and not sacrifice

So we have gone full circle. Jesus sacrificed, Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. God extended great mercy to us and we should extend such mercy to others. In making this mercy operational in our lives, we will sacrifice. How often have you had the thought of what you could do with the ten-percent tithe you give to your church? It takes a sacrifice. In a church I once belonged to, there was an elderly widower who was struggling financially. In order to pay his wife’s medical bills he reduced his tithe and it bothered him. The deacons took up a collection to help him out. His grateful response to the deacons astounded all of us. He said this was an answer to prayer, that he could now catch up on his tithe. Mr. Nelson knew about sacrifice.

I have a friend who is a very good counselor. After a long day of meetings, I asked if I could talk with him after dinner. He agreed. He came to my room and I unburdened myself. He was able to provide me some useful counsel that helped me deal with the issue I was facing. As he was leaving, he told me that he really didn’t want to come talk with me. He was exhausted from a long day and wanted nothing more than to kick back and relax. But he felt God calling him. He closed by saying his spirits and body were lifted, “When God is in it, you get energized.”  David Carter knows sacrifice.

Both of these gentlemen were abundantly grateful for the sacrifice and mercy shown them by Jesus. Both lead lives of mercy. Both have sacrificed for the cause of the Cross. 

God had mercy on us. His mercy led to His sacrifice. His sacrifice should lead us to be merciful and to sacrifice everything we have for Him. The scripture is not saying God doesn’t want sacrifice. It is telling us that we must be merciful before our sacrifice is one approved by God. 

In recent days, I have had several encounters that caused me to think about success. Some people are recognized as being successful during their lifetimes. Others may be recognized as a success only after they have passed on. Still others may be regarded by the world as failures. Our goal should be to be a success as a man/woman as opposed to being a successful man/woman. There is a difference.

A high school classmate of mine recently passed on. He was well-liked, successful in his chosen field of education. He had a successful marriage of 52 years. I cannot remember ever hearing anyone saying anything negative about him. Charlie Teague was loved by all and was a friend to all. I am pleased to say he was a devoted Christian and it showed in his life. 

I think of another classmate, this one from college. Jim Dyer has become a success as a man. He has a variety of interests. He served in the military, he has been a chaplain, he is on the town council in his place of residence. But Jim is known for something else. Jim is Santa Claus. He has been inducted into the Santa Claus Hall of Fame. Yet Jim is also a devoted Christian, using his Santa Claus platform to proclaim the real meaning of Christmas.

I recently attended a museum exhibit “Van Gogh Alive,” an immersive experience into the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh. He died young, it is unclear if he committed suicide or if he was murdered. Van Gogh was an obsessive artist. He wanted his paintings to touch people deep within themselves.  He is quoted as saying “I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.’” Over his short lifetime, he produced over 2,000 paintings. Yet only sold one or two. Several paintings were exchanged for necessities such as food. When he died, few would have considered his life a success. People may have called him “Weird Vincent.” But today, the view is different. He is a renowned artist and his paintings sell for hundreds of millions of dollars. His “Starry Night” painting is one of the most recognized paintings in the world. By all accounts, Van Gogh was a devoted Christian.

These individuals were successful in their own ways. All were Christian. I could cite many other “successful” individuals who were not followers of Christ. But it got me to thinking “What is success for a Christian?” The dictionary defines success as “a favorable or desired outcome or the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.” While there is nothing wrong with this measure of success, the Christian will look at success in a different way. We can’t be successful by comparing ourselves to others. That gets us back into the Old Testament mindset of legalism. Our success as a Christian is based on our relationship to God. 

Someone has said that when they think of Christian success they try to keep one thing in mind “There is nothing I can do—no way I can perform—that will make God love me any more or less than He does right now at this very moment. I cannot contribute to my salvation since it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Christ.” With this mindset, we should ask ourselves some questions.

1. Am I growing in my understanding of Christ and what He did for me? 
2. Does my life and character align with God’s plan for my life?
3. Do I follow what Jesus said in Matther 25:35? ”For I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

In Proverbs 16:3 we read “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Psalm 37-4-5 is a particularly meaningful passage to me. Before we were even married Gloria proposed that we adopt those verses as our life mission. “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.” These passages give us the keys to living a successful Christian life.

If we pursue success in the world we may or may not achieve it. This success may or may not come at all or even in our lifetime. We may leave a path of casualties of our pursuit of success. Christian success, though, can come now and we need to know what it looks like. I think that Christian success is a by-product of our commitment to God. If the goal we select takes our eyes off of Christ, the danger is that we will focus on the world’s recognition and depart from being a servant of God. Whatever the goal, it needs to allow us to keep our focus on Christ.

Choose wisely how you will achieve your success. The old admonition applies here “Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.”

But that’s not enough. I once heard it said that someone was so heavenly-minded they were no earthly good. If we have all this knowledge about Him but don’t put it into action, what use is it? Being a disciple also means we want to put God’s word into action by seeking to live the way Christ wants us to live — with God’s help. He often does this when we are talking with Him in prayer. No matter is too small or too large for prayer.

God is certainly concerned about the big things in our life. And we are right to seek His guidance in those decisions. Several years ago, I registered as a bone marrow donor. It sounded like a good thing to do and was told the chances of being selected were really quite slim. There are a number of factors in obtaining a match, the more factors are present, the better the chances that it will be successful. One day I got a phone call from the bone marrow center. I was told that I was a perfect match for someone needing a transplant. For a non-relative, perfect matches are rare. This patient was a 33-year old father of two, a carpenter by trade. He had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Without a transplant, his life expectancy was very short. The doctor described my part in the donation process and he said it would take a while for me to return to normal as I would feel like a horse kicked me in my rear end. 

I was debating and praying about whether I wanted to do this. One day while praying, James 4;17 came to mind. “To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” That hit me right between the eyes and I knew what I needed to do. Sin is not just what we do, it is what we fail to do.

So I proceeded with the donation. I was on pins and needles because the patient had to undergo preparation and if something happened that I could not give, he had no hope. But all went well. An interesting sidelight to the process was that the marrow was withdrawn at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and I had to stay overnight. Being an adult patient in a children’s hospital meant that all the staff knew why I was there and they did not cease to show their appreciation for what I was doing. A funny thing happened right after I got to my room and woke up from the procedure. The nurse came in to check on me and asked me to sit up. All was well. Then she asked me to stand. She immediately shouted “Sit.” Gloria was there and laughed. She said that when I stood, you could see my face immediately drain and turn white. 

Yes, He is the God of the big things. I have been reminded recently in many ways that God also cares about every aspect of our lives and uses us in small ways. Sometimes we are not even aware of Him leading us.

Pictured above is an Inukshuk. Although they are not Christian symbols they are found in the Arctic, traditionally built by the Intuit. Among their many practical functions, they are used as hunting and navigational aids, coordination points and message centers, perhaps indicating where food was stored. The word Inukshuk means to act in the capacity of a human. I like to think that’s how God comes to us – Immanuel, God with us. God providing through others. None of the incidents I discussed earlier would have come to be if we did not take action to help someone.

We are to follow Him in everything. He cares about the big picture of our lives and he cares about the minutiae.  He cares about everything. He is Lord of ALL of our lives.

Believe in what your heart is saying

Hear the melody that’s playing

There’s no time to waste

There’s so much to celebrate

Believe in what you feel inside

And give your dreams the wings to fly

You have everything you need

If you just believe

If you just believe

If you just believe

If you just believe

Just believe

Just believe

The problem with these lyrics, and much of the talk about believing is that it does not tell us where to place our beliefs. Our feelings can betray us. We are led to think that just believing in something is enough. It’s similar to the motivational statement “if you can dream it, you can do it.” While this may be motivational, it really doesn’t hold the truth. Our dreams, our beliefs, must be grounded in reality. Growing up, I dreamed of being a major league baseball player. I dreamed it but the harsh reality is that I lacked the ability. No amount of dreaming would make me into a professional baseball player.

True hope requires a firm, substantive foundation. Christian hope is our belief in God. It is not a wish or a dream, it is a reality. As the author of Hebrews explains, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Without our belief in the character of God—and our relationship with him—as our foundation, we might as well be hoping in Santa Claus, Alexa, or the latest app designed to solve our problems..

Belief is somewhat of an abstract concept. And abstractions frequently don’t make it in our flesh-and-blood world. When we have bills piling up, physical problems, relationship issues, abstractions may fall short. Maybe belief is not abstract. Maybe it’s the only foundation when everything is shaken. The Apostle Paul put it like this, “we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV). That is a foundation for belief!

Note that Paul outlines a progression from suffering to hope. When we are suffering through hard times, we take God at his Word and believe that he’s still in control, with a specific purpose in mind. So we keep going, relying on him. As we keep going, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week, we become stronger. Our faith grows, our maturity grows, our trust in God grows. As we grow, we believe in God’s goodness, more than our circumstances. We learn to believe in God’s promises. 

The Apostles Creed is a frequently-used statement of Christian belief. I think it summarizes our belief in God. If you recite this weekly in your church or if you have never before seen it, take time now to slowly read it, to absorb the meaning and reality of these words. 

 “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.”  

Belief in God can be your firm foundation.

© Can Stock Photo / McIninch

But we do not have to let the continuation of the pandemic stop us. In fact, we should not let it stop us. No, we cannot move into the new year with a reckless disregard for COVID but we can move forward with our lives. Charles Swindoll once observed that often people will say something to the effect that “I’m doing well under the circumstances.” His response was “What are you doing under your circumstances? Get out from under them and make the most of your situation.” My wife suffered many years from rheumatoid arthritis. But the amazing thing about her was that she fought valiantly against this disease. She resolved that it would not stop her living to the best of her ability. She was always ready for a road trip and could outshop any of us. She moved out from under her circumstances. Despite her adversity, she lived a full life.

We need to remember that God is timeless. Our human minds simply cannot wrap our brains around this concept of timelessness. He created time for us. When we step into 2021 from 2020, that is nothing to God. From God’s eternal perspective, time is meaningless. 

 I am recovering from eye surgery and was discussing my progress and other matters with a friend recently. She commented “You have a terrific ‘can do’ attitude. Keep pushing through. You’ve got this!” I had never thought of it in those terms, but she is right. All my life I have set lofty goals and achieved many of them through my perseverance.  I don’t always see the whole picture but friends, family, and God often help clarify issues for me and keep me on the right track. 

I once was in a doctor’s office and the nurse was placing a band-aid on my shoulder. It was in an awkward position and wasn’t going to stay on. I asked if we could do it better. I loved her reply. She said “We can always do better.” Life won’t get her down.

As I was reflecting on this, Philippians 4:13 came to mind. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” I don’t think this means that we call on God and can do anything we concoct. But it does mean that we can accomplish whatever God calls us to accomplish. I once had an idea for a business. I talked with friends about it and they were encouraging, so I moved toward the formation of this business. It never got off the ground. Circumstances prevented it from happening as I had envisioned it. But I took this as a “teachable moment” and moved forward with a different perspective.

I think this scripture means that Christ will help us through the trials of this life. He gives us the strength to not only endure but to grow during them. We aren’t meant to just slog through the pain; we’re meant to see our faith blossom right in the face of our battles. We don’t name churches “Muddling Through Community Church,” but something like “Victory Church.”

Christ also gives us strength through a change in our perspective. In Philippians 4:12 Paul states “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” I’ll admit that I struggled with this scripture for years. I saw contentment as complacency. As a “Can do” person, I don’t like complacency. But that’s not what Paul is talking about here.  Look at the first part of that scripture “I have learned the secret of being content.” That secret is the change in perspective that Christ brings us.

Finally, we can do all things through Christ because He gives us the victory. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Cor 15:57) Jesus died on the cross and conquered sin. He paid the price and we receive the prize of His victory.

That’s why we can do “All things through Christ.”