“ Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender feelings of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any. As Christ forgave you, so also you do.”

 Colossians 3:12-13 

To be merciful is the first quality that decorates a believer’s profession. To be merciful is to genuinely empathize with others; to be one with a friend or a sister in the rising and falling of her emotions. It is not shallow but genuine. It is not pity that lies cold in the heart, but genuinely expressed, which warms the heart of the receiver of that mercy. A prayer, a pat in the back, a word of kindness, a text or email, an envelop of money for financial needs, are just few of the many ways we can show mercy.

Mercy is on top of the list because God is the father of all mercies. He wants this quality to be evident in His children as well. It is this mercy that draws rebellious people to Himself and saves them from eternal punishment in hell. And so God is pleased when we show mercy and seek to address the needs of others. But sharing the Gospel is the ultimate show of God’s mercy because we see far beyond the miseries of man. Here we are empathizing with the most horrible, and yet unfelt agony of the unconverted. We are extending our hand and trying to prevent them from experiencing that unspeakable suffering when Christ returns to judge the world.

God is the Father of all mercies. We are His children indeed if we are being merciful as well.