Key Ideas
Faith Fact
Jesus rewards His people.
Faith Verse
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Question of the Day: What does mercy mean and when was the last time you showed mercy to someone?
Read about It
Read: James 2:8–13
The word mercy shows up many times in the Bible, so we need to know what it means. Mercy is the kindness we show to others when they do something wrong to us. Mercy means not getting back at people. If someone pushes us down and we don’t push back, we are showing mercy. If someone steals our school supplies and we don’t steal their things, that’s mercy.
Do you know why the Bible talks about mercy so often? It’s because God showed mercy to us—and to everyone on earth! Our Scripture today starts out by telling us one of God’s oldest laws: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8; Leviticus 19:18). That means to treat other people as we wanted to be treated. When someone hurts us and we hurt them back, we’re actually breaking God’s law!
Everybody has broken God’s law. But God showed mercy by offering us another chance at life. He knew that our wrongs deserve punishment, but instead of punishing us right then, Jesus came to our world and died for us! That is the most mercy anyone can ever give. When we show mercy, God rewards us by showing us more mercy. So, let’s show mercy today.
Talk about It
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Question 1. When has someone shown you mercy (not punished you for something wrong you did)? How did that make you feel? Answer 1. Answers will vary.
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| Question 2. Is it hard for you to show mercy to others?
Answer 2. Answers will vary.
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| Question 3. How have we already received mercy from God?
Answer 3. Jesus died for our sins.
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| Question 4. What does James 2:13 say God will do if we have been merciful to someone else?
Answer 4. “But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”
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| Question 5. Who can you show mercy to today?
Answer 5. Answers will vary. |
Pray about It
Dear God, thank You for showing me and the whole world so much mercy. Please help me to show mercy to others. I could never show anyone as much mercy as You have shown me! I pray that more people will accept Your mercy and will love their neighbors as themselves—just like You have told us to do in the Bible. I love You. Amen.