7 Ways to Show Mercy

March 8, 2023

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does

the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk

humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV).

This is a command to all Christians. Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly.

What does it mean to 'love mercy?" How does mercy play into the everyday life of a follower of Jesus?

Mercy is like a diamond; it is multi-faceted. Today we’re going to look at seven facets of mercy.

1. Mercy means being patient with people’s quirks.

How do you get more patience for your kids, spouse, or friends? The Bible says in James 3:17, “The

wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle

at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy” (NLT).

The wiser you become, the more patient and merciful you become.

1. Mercy means helping anyone around you who is hurting.

You cannot love your neighbor as yourself without being merciful. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it” (GNT). But God is not simply watching what you do. He’s watching your attitude: “[When you] show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:8 NIV).

1. Mercy means giving people a second chance.

When somebody hurts us, we normally want to get even or write that person off. But the Bible says, “Stop

being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or

curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and

forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ” (Ephesians 4:31-32 CEV). 

1. Mercy means doing good to those who hurt you.

Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve. Why should we do it? Because that’s what God does with us: “Love

your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to

get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be

children of the Most High, because [God] is kind to the ungrateful and

wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 NIV).

1. Mercy means being kind to those who offend you.

You’ve got to be more interested in winning people to Christ than in winning an argument. Jude 1:22-23 says, “Show

mercy to those who have doubts. Save others by snatching them from the

fire of hell. Show mercy to others, even though you are afraid that you

might be stained by their sinful lives” (GW).

1. Mercy means building bridges of love to the unpopular.

This is what I call premeditated mercy, because you intentionally

build friendships with people who don’t have friends or who are not

accepted at work or in society.

When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other unpopular people, Jesus said, “‘I

want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call

not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are

sinners” (Matthew 9:13 NLT).

1. Mercy means valuing relationships over rules.

Romans 13:10 says, “Love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (NLT).

If you want to show mercy, put people before policies. Put their needs

before procedures. Put relationships before regulations. Choose love

over law.