Show A Little Mercy

By: Richard Kirkland

 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8). 

            One of the great characteristics of God is mercy (1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:4, 5). Mercy is showing compassion toward or pity on those who are guilty and undeserving. Mercy is the opposite of justice. Justice demands punishment but mercy extends compassion. James convincingly establishes the fact that we are all transgressors of the law who are in need of mercy, and then concludes, “For He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13). Grace is receiving what we don’t deserve, but mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. We desperately need God’s mercy if we are to be saved.

            And if we are to truly represent God to the world, there is hardly a characteristic more important for us to demonstrate toward others than mercy. Jesus declared, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Paul exhorts us to “put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.” (Colossians 3:12).

            If we want the mercy of a compassionate God extended to us, we must be prepared to extend mercy to others also. We have nothing to lose by treating others better than they deserve to be treated and we may have much to gain on the Day of Judgment.    

Way of Life

By: Jeremiah Tatum

             There is an expression sometimes used by people to explain behavior. It goes something like this – “That is just the way I am” or “That is just the way he/she is.” People do have “ways.” Billy Joel even wrote these lyrics, “She’s got a way about her, don’t know what it is, but I know that I can’t live without her.” Everybody is unique, and every person has a certain way they go about living their life.

            But one thing each individual should keep in mind is that we are not locked into a certain lifestyle. The liar doesn’t have to lie just because he has always been a liar. The same could be said for any other sin. The fact is that we choose our way of living. We make a decision about who we are and what we believe every single day.

            Since such is the case, then we can also change the way we practice our Christianity. We don’t have to be Sunday morning only Christians, even if that is all we have ever been. We don’t have to keep from being more involved in the work of the church just because we have never been involved in the past. We don’t have to lack zeal for evangelism just because in our former days we have lacked the nerve necessary to save a lost soul.

            What we need to do is really very simple. We need to pray earnestly that God will change our hearts and make us aware of our spiritual shortcomings. Then we need to follow up by changing our behavior and making a habit of doing the things we have always wanted to do for Christ. We can change our way of life! We can do things differently than we have done them in the past!

            Peter wrote about the importance of no longer living the rest of our time in the flesh for the sake of sin. But instead, living for the will of God (1 Peter 4:2). The point is that God has the power to not only save us from death; He has the power to change our life for today. That is a very exciting proposition! We don’t have to wait until Jesus comes to be blessed. We can be blessed immediately by simply making the choice to live for God today.

            We need to stop making excuses for our lack of involvement in the kingdom. We must stop saying to ourselves that who we are, and what we practice, is good enough. We must stop telling ourselves that the way we live our Christian life is as good as we can do because that is just the way we are.

            Faithfulness is a way of life. Commitment is a way of life. Evangelism is a way of life. Humility is a way of life. Kindness is a way of life. We can do anything we want to do. We can be anything we want to be. Nothing is impossible with God! “For to me to live is Christ…” Philippians 1:21

May We Listen While Others Sing?

By: Garland Robinson 

            Two simple verses answer this question. Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

            What does God desire His people to do when it comes to the music outlined in the New Testament? Does God give us the choice of either listening or participating? The above passages require and demand participation by all present, i.e., congregational singing. Singing teaches and admonishes “one another,” “yourselves.” Each one has a part in fulfilling the demands of these scriptures. The command is for everyone to sing, not listen! Singing is an action that is mutual, reciprocal, shared. The one who sings and the one who hears is the same individual! When some sing and others listen, the injunction of these verses is not followed, it is ignored! No one has the right to ignore God’s Word.

            If I can have a “singing group” sing for me (in my place while I listen), why can’t I have a “praying group” pray in my place while I listen? Why can’t I have a group “give” in my place or partake of the “Lord’s supper” in my place? Obviously, I cannot, for “each one” is to sing, pray, give, and partake of the Lord’s supper. Worship is not a spectator affair. One must participate himself.

            To be honest, the major factor in the use of singing groups is entertainment. The problem is that men seek to do that which pleases their own ears rather than God’s Divine Will. There is no justifiable argument that can be made concerning what sounds better to us; it is what God demands, not what “we” like that counts! We end up serving ourselves and not God when such becomes the authority.

            There is no Scriptures that authorize “specialized singing groups” such as choirs, choruses, quartets, duos and solos. The Lord’s church does not have or use special groups or presentations because there is no authority from God’s Word for them (cf. Colossians 3:17).

            God ordained worship for HIS glory and He alone can define what pleases Him. The question is who will follow His Will? The Word of God will judge us (John 12:48).