Blessed are...

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7

The prophet Hosea warned his listeners that God requires mercy, not sacrifice;[1] that God is more interested in being acknowledged than in receiving burnt-offerings. Some have understood these words to mean that God places a higher value upon compassion than upon acts of worship. But this is to create a false dichotomy. Certainly, God values acts of compassion far higher than the superficial, unthinking worship that we sometimes offer. When an offering does not represent the worship of our hearts then it is counterfeit. Compassion is always more valuable than counterfeit faith.

On the other hand, acts of mercy cannot be valued higher than worship because true compassion always emerges from a worshipful heart. I serve others, at least in part, because my heart has been melted by God’s mercy. Like Scrooge, granted a vision of his spiritual poverty, generosity grows in the heart that acknowledges the riches that we have all received in Christ. Which raises a point: if I am not compassionate towards those in need, if I am not exhibiting mercy in my daily walk with God, then I need to question the authenticity of that walk. And if, as a community of faith, we are failing to look beyond ourselves to those in need, if we are not known to be reaching out with the cup of compassion,[2] then we need to ask serious questions about our priorities.

God did not save us in order that we might sit in a corner and congratulate one another. He saved us in order that we might serve. His hands are our hands. We cannot raise them in worship without also offering them to others.



Merciful Father,
May my worship honor You above all, but let it not be self-serving.
Praise and prayer may be worthy tasks,
but may they never become substitutes for mercy.
Teach me, not only to worship You in spirit and in truth,
but also to serve You through serving others.
For the sake of Christ my Lord.
Amen.



[1] Hosea 6:6
[2] Matthew 10:42