Luke 6:36 – Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
This beautiful verse gives us a lesson about having compassion, pity and mercy. Jesus commands us all to be merciful, just as our Heavenly Father is merciful. Our living God is compassionate, has pity on us and is merciful towards us, however we are. He asks us that we imitate Him and create the same compassion for others in our hearts, so that we also will have mercy on others, just like He does. When God Almighty can forgive us humans despite our sinful behavior, then why can we humans not forgive each other and have compassion?
The Hebrew idea behind this concept is covenant-love, or covenant-loyalty. God’s compassion happens in the context of His covenant. For us, we live under the New Covenant, made through Christ, a trade of God total compassion and forgiveness for us in return for our belief in Him, loyalty to Him above all and a commitment to follow Him.
God’s compassion for us is so vast it motivated God to come to earth as a human being and, being found in human form, humbled Himself, even unto death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Christ – God in human form – as a witness to the goodness of God and His compassion for us all.
So, when we are merciful like our Heavenly Father, we will be recognizable as His children. This extends to others in our families, of course, such as our spouse, our little ones and our elders.
If we have not been like this, turn to Christ to repent and ask Him to change our hearts.
For everyone, let us make ourselves humble, polite, forgiving and helpful. Let us help those who are poor and are in need as we are able. If you are blessed by Lord, then share your blessings with others as well, so that more people will give Him, the True and Living God, the glory alone. Amen.