S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

O-bservation:

Jesus was in the very middle of delivering His famous “Sermon on the Mount.” He had instructed His followers concerning the way He wanted them to live on this side of heaven. Earlier in the text, He preached what is known as “The Beatitudes.” When He came to the center of His presentation, He stopped momentarily and said, “Be merciful to people because this is the way your Heavenly Father operates from His throne in heaven.”

A-pplication:

This whole message, preached by Jesus, promotes what is UNNATURAL to all of us who start life as REBELS. Saint Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). It’s not natural for a rebel heart to show mercy to someone who has treated them wrongfully. But Jesus always lived and preached “Against the Tide” of human norm. Jesus had a burning desire not only to deliver everything His father in heaven sent Him to say, but also to promote life to people here on earth the way it is lived in heaven. When your heart has made a knee-jerk decision to judge someone else, showing mercy to that person becomes a HARDSHIP. However, every HARDSHIP experienced and conquered here on earth elevates our faith. That’s why … “The Hardship of Being Merciful” must be lived out with a heart of Gratitude and Joy.

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank You that You have called me to a life of showing MERCY. As I endure this HARDSHIP, I am feeling closer to You every day. Amen