Word for the Day December 6 By:
Evang. Cascille Hammack
"I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as We are one. I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that
you sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved Me." John 17:22,23
This
is the prayer Jesus prayed for all believers right before He was crucified. What is going on today where believers are
watching to celebrate the fall of other believers? Where is the mercy? Where is the love? Mt. 5:7 instructs "Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Look
at how David showed mercy even after great offense (Saul had been trying desperately to kill him) in 1 Sam. 24:4-6. "And
the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine
hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. [And to show mercy is what seemed good to David!] Then David
arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily, And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him,
because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master,
the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD."
The Lord had delivered Saul into his hand. He did not slay Saul even though he could have.
What seemed good to David? Mercy seemed good to David. In 1 Sam. 24:17, Saul told David, "And he said to David,
Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil."
"Be
merciful and you will obtain mercy." Show mercy now because you will need it next week. People look upon
others suffering and want to judge and say why they are going through it, not seeing that their trial is right around
the corner. People love to talk and to judge, not remembering, Matthew 7:1-5, "Do
not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,
and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from
your brother’s eye."
What people do not realize when they are talking, "Did you hear what happened
to.........", and "That happened to them because......." is that they are next. If you have
no problems you should say, "For the things that are about to happen to me-- pray, that my faith fail not!" because the trial
is coming. It is common. Be careful what you say, because you are next. Go through your
trial and after strengthen your brother or sister. As Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as
wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen
your brothers." In Luke 22:31 God knows the end from the beginning and as you are talking about others, God
sees the trial that is waiting for you right around the next bend. And what is in your "mercy account"?
Be merciful and you will obtain mercy.
Jesus instructs us not to "become one" but to "be
one". When this happens Jesus said that then the world would know God sent Him and that God loves them
even as He loves Jesus. How grievous for those who profess to be His disciples to look for and take pleasure in the
suffering of a brother or sister. Galatians 5:15 says, "If you bite and devour each other watch out or you
will be destroyed by each other."
Being "one" is a spiritual unity based on Christ living in you (John 17:26), knowing
the love of the father and the fellowship of Christ (John 17:26), separation from the world (John 17:14-16), sanctification
in truth (John 17: 17, 19), receiving and believing the truth of the Word (John 17:6,8,17) obedience to the Word (John 17:6) and
the desire to bring salvation to the lost (John 17:21,23).
1 John
1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, His Son purifies us from all sin." We are to pray for those we one in spirit with. Ephesians 6:18 instructs, And
pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Mark 11:25 says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them,
so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” If you do not forgive, He will not forgive you.
Be merciful to others, and when you need it (and
everyone will) the Lord will be merciful to you.