Pastoral Resource Ministries, Inc.
An Outreach Resource Ministry
A Ministry for the Millennium
Words of Inspiration for the Week of May 2, 2004
To contact
Pastor Thelma Gilbert

For more information write or call us at:
Pastoral Resource Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 7232, Bloomfield, CT 06002
Phone (860) 243-2168 - Fax: (860) 242-1838
email: prministrie@snet.net
"Mercy - Part I1"
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

In our message late week we defined the word mercy as 1) a power to forgive or be kind; 2)
pity; 3) compassionate; 4) a blessing; or 5) harmless.  We talked about the story of the "Good
Samaritan" recorded in Luke 10:30-35 and how he rendered acts of mercy to a wounded man on
the road to Jericho.

In I Samuel 26:1-12 and II Samuel 1:1-12 we find recorded a story about one of the Old
Testament characters, David, who also shown mercy and sympathy towards his enemy Saul.  
Saul hated David and was jealous of him.  David knew how Saul felt about him.  He had an
opportunity to take vengeance out on Saul and kill him when he was in a deep sleep along with
3,000 of his men camped in the Hills of Hakilah.  But David shown mercy and refrained from
killing Saul, for he knew that vengeance belonged to the Lord, saying, "Who can stretch forth
his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless." For as the Lord liveth the Lord shall
smite him; or, his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle and perish.  But the
LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug
that are near his head, and let's go."
(I Samuel 26:9-11).

The Scriptures tells us more of David's mercy toward Saul.  When David learned about Saul's
death he rent his clothes and mourned, wept, and fasted for Saul, the Israelites and for Saul's
son who died in the war (I Samuel 1:11-12).

In Matthew 23:37-39, we read about Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem when he said, "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have
longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you
were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me
again until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."  Jesus wept, because of
the imminent and threatening punishment that was coming over Jerusalem because they
rejected Jesus' invitation to accept him as their Savior.

Mercy will call out tears from our eyes. When a love one's body is invested with cancer, mercy
calls out tears from our eyes.  When we meet someone who lost their eyesight, mercy calls out
tears from our eyes.  When some one close to us departs this life, mercy calls out tears from
our eyes.  When a parent is struggling with a difficult child, mercy calls out tears from our
eyes.  There are times in all of our lives that mercy calls out tears from our eyes.

Let us show mercy towards one another when we feel people's needs, hurts, pains, sufferings,
and anxieties.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Thelma Gilbert

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God..." (I John 4:7)