Apostle John probably best illustrates the Gift of Mercy. People with the Gift of Mercy are easily able to "Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with those who weep". Wouldn't the world be so much better of a place if we all extended more mercy to each other?
1. Someone with the Gift of Mercy is deeply loyal to friends.
He/She will demonstrate loyalty to a friend even by reacting harshly toward those who attack the friend. When the Apostle John watched the Samaritans reject Jesus, Whom he loved, John wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume them.
....and the Gift of Mercy can easily take up offenses.
The tendancy of one with the gift of mercy is to take up an offense for someone who is being hurt by another person, especially if the one being hurt is a friend.
2. A Mercy needs deep friendships.
The very nature of a person with the gift of mercy usually requires close friendships. These friendships, however, must have mutual commitment, which is often reaffirmed. John enjoyed such a friendship with Christ. He was not only closer to Christ than any other disciple, but he referred to himself as the "disciple whom Jesus loved".
...but a Mercy can become overly possessive.
The deep need for commitment in a close friendsip can cause one with the gift of mercy to monopolize the time and attention of others. As he experiences disappointments in one friendship, the mercy tend to place greater demands on a new friendship.
3. A Mercy empathizes with hurting people.
The person with the gift of mercy is able to sense which individuals are hurting and to share pain with them. Along with the pain, a mercy senses the full scope of emotions. John wrote his first epistle to give joy, fellowship, hope, and confidence and to cast our fear and torment.
...but a Mercy has to be careful not to tolerate evil.
If those with the gift of mercy do not have spiritual discernment as to why people suffer, they may give sympathy adn encouragment to those who are suffering as a direct result of violating God's moral laws. The one with the gift of mercy can learn discernment by seeing people through the eyes of the other spiritual gifts.
4. A Mercy makes decisions based on benefits.
Those with the gift of mercy find it hard to be firm because they do not want to offend people. Therefore, the mercy must see that greater hurt and offenses will occur if he fails to be decisive. When John was faced with denying Jesus, he demonstrated boldness and decisiveness, which caused the Sadducees to marvel.
....but a Mercy can fail to be firm when he should be.
When a person with the gift of mercy is given a position of leadership, he will tend to avoid disciplinary action that is needed. As a result, the person who should have been disciplined is not brought to repentance, prophets react to his leadership, and other mercies react to the prophets.
5. A Mercy is deeply sensitive to loved ones.
The gift of mercy carries with it the ability to sense genuine love. Therefore, it carries a greater vulnerability to deeper and more frequent hurts from those who fail to demonstrate sincere love. In his writings, John used the word 'love' more frequently than any other writer in the New Testament.
....and a Mercy tends to lean on emotions vs. reason.
Because those with the gift of mercy have such sensitive feelings, they tend to base their decisions on emotions rather than on principles. Their subjective reasoning can easily cause them to reject Biblical doctrines that seem too harsh to them.
6. A Mercy attracts people in distress.
One with the gift of mercy has a deep understanding of people who are going through mental or emotional distress. This sensitivity causes those with hurts to be drawn to him and to confide in him. As Christ was dying, He transferred responsibility for His grieving mother to John.
...with that, a Mercy has to guard against defrauding the opposite sex.
A person of the opposite sex tends to be drawn to one who has the gift of mercy. This attraction comes about because of the ability of the mercy to be a sensitive, understanding, and responsive listener. The possibility of defrauding others must be considered in any relationship that a mercy has with a person of the opposite sex.
7. A Mercy desire to remove hurts.
Whereas an exhorter will try to help a person find benefit from his hurts, the one with the gift of mercy will try to remove the source of his hurts. The message of John's first epistle was for Christians to stop hurting and hating each other.
....a Mercy can react to God's purposes.
Unlike exhorters, who look at suffreing as a means of receiving more grace and growing spiritually, those with the gift of mercy tend to react to the idea that God would allow a person to suffer. Unless the person with the gift of mercy maintains a proper perspective, he can easily become bitter toward God.
8. A Mercy measures acceptance by closeness.
A person with the gift of mercy tends to need physical closeness in order to be reassured of acceptance. The closeness includes times of rich fellowship. John sought out the closest place to Christ at the Last Supper and leaned upon the Lord. His need for physical closeness may also have prompted his request to sit next to Christ in glory.
....but a Mercy tends to fail to show deference.
When a mercy demands physical closeness in a friendship, he may fail to consider the desires of other individuals who need that person's time and attention. John was gently reproved for his request to be next to Jesus in His kingdom.
9. A Mercy is attracted to Prophets.
The statement that "opposites attract" is certainly true with the motivational gifts. Those with the gift of mercy are often attracted to those with the gift of prophecy. The firm truth of the prophet is this balanced with the gentle love of the mercy. John spent more time with Peter than with any other disciple.
....but a Mercy can cut off insensitive people.
A person whose words and actions reflect insensitivity to the feelings of other people will be quickly recognized and reacted to by one with the gift of mercy. Rather than trying to help this insensitive person, the mercy will tend to close his spirit and cut off fellowship with him.
Do you have the Gift of Mercy or have you identified the 'Mercys' in your life? The other Gifts can learn a lot from the Mercys and the Mercys need the other gifts as well. I am married to a "Mercy" and I have learned so much from him.
We all need to show mercy to others, and we all need mercy. Look for the "Mercy's" in your life and show them your appreciation. What would life be like without mercy?
And now that we have looked at the seven motivational spiritual gifts, identify yours and move on to develop the other gifts.
Ask God to develop the gifts in you
and then watch for the opportunities
He gives you to exercise those gifts
that keep you dependent on Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment