My friend, it is a joy to see you in November. Let us look forward to this month's blessing in Matthew 5:7:  “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

It is not easy to show mercy to somebody when we are thinking about ourselves all the time. How can I be happy? How can my career prosper? How will I have so many friends? How will I be liked by everybody? We are thinking about ourselves the whole time. Our hearts have no place for mercy towards others. But God desires us to have this quality and gives us a merciful heart so that we can receive His mercy.

1. The Lord wants us to be merciful to those who are ‘in great need and suffering’ around us: Maybe it is someone in our hostel block, a person next to us in our company, someone who comes to get business from us, one of our customers, someone who comes to our ministry, or someone right next to us at home, such as a loved one. How open are our hearts to showing mercy to them in their time of need? They might be suffering so much, but our eyes and ears must be open to their needs.

When Jesus was walking into a city, there was a man who shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” When Jesus heard that, He could have easily ignored him because He was a great and powerful person. So many people were searching for Him and shouting for Him. He was in demand, and so many people were following Him. He did not need to hear the shouting of one small person. Even the disciples around Him said, “Be quiet. Don't disturb Jesus. Don't you know how great He is? He has no time for you.” But the more they tried to silence him, the louder he shouted. Jesus stopped and looked back at Bartimaeus. The blind man, who had nothing in his hands, was begging, and the heart of Jesus was moved to stop, come to him, touch him, and heal him. The power of God moved through Jesus, healed his eyes, and restored his sight.

When our hearts are moved with compassion to show mercy to others, mighty things happen through us. Through caring for people, the love we show them, and the help, mentoring, and teaching we provide, the power of Jesus moves to transform their lives. They see God’s love through us as His sons and daughters, and our stature rises. Most importantly, God will be more merciful to us in our time of need.

2. Let us be determined to be merciful and ‘forgive others’: It is so hard to forgive somebody who does wrong to us, betrays our trust, cheats us, slanders us before others, obstructs our progress, or harasses us. It is so hard to even imagine forgiving them. Our hearts burn with anger and a desire for vengeance. That is the human heart. But today, let us surrender to the merciful heart of God, and He will put the gift of forgiveness in us.

Mr. Graham Staines, an Australian missionary, came to Odisha, India, to serve the lepers who were abandoned by their own families and by society. He and his family sacrificed their lives to come to this place and serve these people. A mob in that community burned Mr. Graham Staines alive along with his two sons, who were just 10 and 6 years old. What mother's heart would not break at such an unbearable sight? When Mrs. Gladys Staines was asked about those who were convicted of her husband's and sons' deaths, she said, “I will forgive them, and it is the only way to inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

What a powerful story of Christ's love and mercy! It is only when we forgive others that we receive God's forgiveness and an open way to heaven. With hatred, we cannot reach heaven. We need a merciful heart. Even as young people, we need to have this spirit, and that is why we still talk about Mrs. Gladys Staines today. She continued to serve in the same community, among the same people. Nothing could stop her, not even the loss of her dear family members. This was the love of God in her heart. We cannot show mercy by ourselves. Our hearts are hard and cruel; that is why the Lord gives us a heart that comes through the Holy Spirit.

In Galatians 5:22, we find the fruit of the Spirit, and one of its characteristics is ‘mercy and good fruit’. Mercy comes only from the Spirit of God. Today, ask the Lord for a godly heart and a merciful spirit to display His love, so that you will receive mercy, be forgiven, have answers to your prayers, and receive miracles in your time of need. The Lord will heal the person who has wronged you, help them see Jesus through you, and honour you.

May you see God's mercy flowing through you this month.