Leading The Way - Devotional for February 23
February 23, 2025
Blessed Are the Conduits of Mercy
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
It is no more natural today to exercise mercy than 2,000 years ago when Jesus pronounced these magnificent words: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). In Roman society, mercy indicated weakness—that you didn’t have the strength of a real Roman citizen. Today, our culture disdains mercy and glorifies brutality—or it takes the other extreme, promoting a cheap version of mercy that glosses over sin.
Jesus’ mercy is neither weak nor cheap. It doesn’t wink at sin or refuse to deal with wrongdoing. Jesus’ mercy flows from love and produces forgiveness. It does not ignore justice but is itself justice. It is not grounded upon sentimentality but upon His blood poured out on the cross as payment for our sin. Because of God’s grace, mercy and justice meet at the cross.
Jesus is calling us to be conduits of His mercy to others. When you show mercy, when you reach out to others to meet their needs in compassion and with generosity and to build relationship in humility, you open your heart to receive mercy from the hand of God day after day. When you exercise mercy, you break the spiritual bondage that is stopping you from growing in grace, for when you show mercy, God’s Spirit is mercifully at work, transforming you into Christ’s likeness and making you fruitful for the Kingdom of God. Thus, it truly is the merciful who receive mercy.
Prayer: Lord, may I remember the mercy I have received and give thanks every day. May the mercy I have been given make me merciful in turn—eager to forgive and bearing the cost of that forgiveness. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon The Master’s Manifesto, Part 5: LISTEN NOW
Understand the Bible like never before with MY Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef — emailed directly to your inbox and easily sharable with others. Sign up today!
PARTNER WITH US
We are Leading The Way for people living in spiritual darkness, at home and around the world, to discover the light of Christ as we passionately proclaim uncompromising Truth. Visit us today at ltw.org.
Listen to Dr. Michael Youssef on today's broadcast of Leading The Way at OnePlace.com.
Watch Dr. Michael Youssef on this week's broadcast of Leading The Way at LightSource.com.
