“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 During His earthly ministry, Jesus often used stories to teach His disciples about His kingdom. One such story is recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. A king was going over his accounts and noticed that one of his servants owed him a considerable sum of money. He summoned him and said that he needed payment immediately. The servant did not have the money to repay him, so the king ordered that he and his family were to be sold into bondage. Falling to his knees, the servant asked for time to repay his debt. The king was moved with compassion towards him, and in mercy forgave the debt entirely. Rejoicing, the servant left the king’s presence. But he met a friend who owed him a small amount of money and demanded payment. Instead of listening to his plea for time, he had him cast into prison. When news of this reached the king, he was incredibly angry and withdrew his earlier forgiveness. The original debt must be paid in full. We owed a debt we could never pay. But Jesus went to Calvary, paid the price for all our sins, and…

“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15 The third attribute of God that David mentioned in this Psalm is “longsuffering.” As we read the Old Testament, we know that this word certainly describes God’s patience in His dealings with the Nation of Israel. Repeatedly, they went against His commandments and walked in their own way. He sent prophets to warn them of the consequences, but they refused to listen and turn from their sin. When Jesus began His ministry on earth, the Jewish leaders did not accept Him as the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” In the Gospels, we read about all the ways He tried to show them that He was the Son of God, sent to earth to redeem people from sin. We see His long suffering demonstrated with His disciples as He taught them the things they needed to know so that they could proclaim His kingdom when…

“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15 Oxford Dictionary defines compassion as: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. During the last few weeks, many parts of the world have been devastated by hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and other life-threatening events. People have lost everything that they owned. There is a scarcity of food, shelter, and medical supplies. Charitable organizations have made a plea for compassion, and donations have been pouring in. People have seen the need and given of their finances to help those suffering. David, in his prayer in Psalm 86, describes God as being full of compassion. When Jesus was here on earth, everything demonstrated this attribute in His ministry: Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 15:32 “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way”…

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.” Ephesians 5:1-2 Our pastor usually walks around the church praying before the service, and often, we see his grandson walking in his footsteps. The pastor also makes a unique gesture with his hand when he is preaching or worshiping. Recently, I noticed the grandson doing the same thing when the children were on the platform singing on Family Sunday, Children imitate the actions of those they love. In this verse in Ephesians, Paul admonishes the church to walk in love and in the footsteps of Jesus. I like how the Amplified Bible expresses it: “Therefore be imitators of God – copy Him and follow His example – as well-beloved children (imitate their father).” When Jesus was here on earth, He spent time teaching His disciples. By spoken word and by His example, He showed them what it meant to love God. He was preparing them for their ministry after He was gone. John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one…