desire mercy

Path Light: Read Hosea 6 and Matthew 9: 9-13

Key Passage: Try to understand what it means that “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” Because I came to call sinful people, not righteous, to turn to me. -Matthew 9:13 *quotations KJV

We desire God’s mercy. Because of the mercy and compassion he shows us, we know that He loves us and wants us to know Him personally. God had pity on us; therefore, He sent His only Son, Jesus to die for us.

Also in Hosea God spoke to the Israelites concerning their form of worship, and God said, For I desire mercy and not sacrifice; and knowledge of God more than ritual offerings (Hosea 6:6). In Matthew Jesus refers to these same words of God, “have mercy.”

Path Application: God wants our hearts to be given to Him more than He wants what we bring to Him. He wants us to first acknowledge Him as the one and only God. A person may do many things in God’s name and may never know Him. Sometimes we do things in God’s name only to satisfy our desire for recognition. Accept His love and forgiveness. Acknowledge Him as Your Savior. Daily through the reading of His Word and prayer seek to learn what He wants.

Let’s show mercy, love, and kindness to everyone as Jesus showed. One example of Jesus’ concern for all people is in this passage when Jesus was eating dinner at Matthew’s house with many sinners. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about his eating with “sinners,” Jesus mentions that He came to save those that were lost. We can in no way segregate ourselves from certain types of people. We cannot place people in categories. Jesus died for us all. We are all sinners until we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. This week be challenged to identify in some way with ALL people. Do not just find yourself encompassed by believers. Look for the lost in your city. Show them mercy and compassion as Jesus did at Matthew’s table.

Eat with the lost. Jesus wants every person to believe in Him. He died for sinners. Give your whole heart and life to him, and do not build for yourself a comfortable zone around you that excludes certain types of people because of race, culture, lifestyle, or habits.

Walk Farther:
1. Do you know God personally? Do you have a strong desire to know Him better?

2. What do you need to do in order to know the Lord? What do you need to do in order to know Him better and know His desires?

3. How can we share Jesus with the lost if we are not around them? How can we tell others about Jesus if we spend all of our time only with believers?
-A Winter's Path, path 35, L. Burch, 2006