As Christians, Jesus said the most important thing we can do is to love God and love people.
Matthew 22:34-40 NIV
[34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Everything else hinges on these two commands. So lets start diving deep into how we go about loving people that are all around us.
This will take quite a few blog entries as the Bible has so much to say about how we love and treat people. We represent Jesus, so we need to learn how to love people. This is a learning process for me too. So, lets learn together as I study. Together we can see what God thinks about the subject and apply it to our lives.
So, let's begin. The key text by which everything branches out from is I. Corinthians 13:4-7.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
[4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
That is a quick look at how love treats people. How we are to treat all mankind.
Today, let's look at patience. Here is the official definition of patience:
Patience-n. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Are you already saying, "Oh crap!!" LOL!
Under the topic of patience, longsuffering is a subtopic. If we are to be patient with people, then we must be longsuffering with people.
Longsuffering means that we show mercy and forgiveness to all people, no matter who they are or what they do. Let's look at scriptures concerning longsuffering:
Matthew 5:40 NIV
[40] And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.
Luke 17:4 NIV
[4] Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Ephesians 4:2 NIV
[2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Colossians 3:12-13 NIV
[12] Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Remember, we are learning how to love and interact with all people. So, within the subtopic of longsuffering, we are going to look at all scripture regarding mercy and forgiveness. Today we'll start with mercy.
Lets look at some examples of mercy.
2 Samuel 19:16-23 NIV
[16] Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. [17] With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul’s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. [18] They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king [19] and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. [20] For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.” [21] Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.” [22] David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” [23] So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.
2 Samuel 21:7 NIV
[7] The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
1 Kings 2:26 NIV
[26] To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”
These are examples of how King David and King Solomon showed mercy to people. Here's 2 more examples:
Jeremiah 38:10 NIV
[10] Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
Luke 10:25-37 NIV
[25] On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” [27] He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” [28] “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” [29] But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. [31] A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. [32] So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. [34] He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. [35] The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ [36] “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” [37] The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise."
We can see and feel the mercy shown to the people in these passages. Now, let's look at all the scriptures where mercy is commanded:
Exodus 22:25-27 NIV
[25] “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. [26] If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, [27] because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Proverbs 3:3 NIV
[3] Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 11:17 NIV
[17] Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
Proverbs 14:21 NIV
[21] It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.
Proverbs 14:31 NIV
[31] Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 20:28 NIV
[28] Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.
Isaiah 16:5a. NIV
[5] In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
Hosea 12:6 NIV
[6] But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
Micah 6:8 NIV
[8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Zechariah 7:9-10 NIV
[9] “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. [10] Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
Matthew 5:7 NIV
[7] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 7:1-2 NIV
[1] “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. [2] For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:36 NIV
[36] Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
James 2:12-13 NIV
[12] Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 3:17 NIV
[17] But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
So being patient with people we will be longsuffering with them. Being longsuffering with them we will be merciful to them.
So that's where we begin. Love is patient which is longsuffering, which is merciful to all people.
God shows us mercy everyday. So, let's show mercy to those around us from now on.
Love you all dear readers,
Jeffrey Post
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