Have you wondered what God desires of you? Do you wonder what it is he wants you to do? Do you want to know how he wants you to behave or act? Have you spent time looking at Jesus’ very own words?
I have often heard people asking what God wants them to do. I have asked that myself. Typically, we want to know what actions, jobs, relationships, or decisions he wants of us. Our seeking is mostly personal in nature.
Perhaps we should first understand God’s general desires before we start digging into specifics. We might want to first understand God’s point of view, take on his attitude. It is from the general outlook on life that the specifics will become clearer.
In today’s passage, Jesus tells us we need to learn, understand what it means that God desires mercy rather than sacrifice. For the Jews, sacrifice was a means of obtaining forgiveness for their sins. But God wants them to be merciful more than their sacrifices.
We may think mercy is forgiveness only. However, it is far more than that. If we are merciful in the same way God is, we will not only forgive but sacrifice ourselves as well. Acts of mercy require something from us. We must give up our time, possessions, financial resources, and even our own desires.
God shows us mercy in that he does not destroy us. He does not punish us as we deserve. Instead, he has rescued us from punishment through His Son, Jesus Christ. He desires that we do the same. That we show mercy to others.
I pray we all change our outlook on life. I pray we decide to emulate the mercy God has shown to us. I pray each one of us will show mercy to others. Understand God’s mercy. Know that God has been merciful to you. Be merciful to others. Be willing to sacrifice to be merciful.
Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Marty Pressey 