The Gift of Mercy

The gift of showing mercy is the divinely enabled ability to show compassionate support and love through practical actions to those within the body of Christ who are suffering.

That's quite a statement if you think about it. While this is something most of us Christians strive to do, it is the divinely enabled ones who do it rather instinctively (being given a Holy Spirit instinct) and who do it the best, usually before it has even occurred to the rest of us to do anything at all.

Romans 12:8 "….he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."

The definition of having mercy is: to console, to spare, to take pity on, to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched. The Greek word for cheerfulness is rendered "cheerfulness" or "having readiness of mind." I suspect that means holding nothing back or having no hesitation to act. Such is exactly as one gifted with mercy would do. Those with the gift of mercy who minister in hospitals or nursing homes or prisons are like rays of sunshine in these often dark places of confinement.

The one gifted with mercy wants to "spare" others the very things that they might deserve. Isn't that what we call God's mercy towards us? Not giving us what we deserve? While His grace is giving us what we don't deserve to have. One with the gift of Spirit-enabled mercy will have both of those attributes, in fact. They are gracious above and beyond the norm, and mercy towards others runs deep in them, as a never-ending flow from a (super-)natural spring.

Those gifted with mercy will continue to be merciful when others have walked away. Those gifted in mercy have high regard for another's feelings (unlike the prophet or the teacher – remember Paul and Barnabas concerning Mark)? Mercy and exhortation are similar and yet mercy also goes beyond the practical limitations of the exhorter.

As we watch the news about the recent events in Haiti, we all are moved with compassion towards those suffering. But those gifted in mercy take God-inspired action towards those in great need and they do so immediately. They cannot sit still, they do not think to take action a week later. They see a need and they move on it, to alleviate suffering in others by whatever means God gives them opportunity to utilize, and all is done with the object of glorifying God.

One with this gift does not cringe and squirm in the face of great suffering or need in a brother or sister; one with this gift moves closer to that one in suffering, as though they are drawn to them. They do not just encourage by speaking scripture (as the prophet will do, because he is geared to do that and it has its place in the body), but they will go even further, just as Jesus did, and take action appropriate to the need, action that will alleviate immediate suffering first of all; action that keeps them with those suffering to the bitter end, when all others have already forgotten them and moved on to other areas in which to minister.

When those gifted with mercy see a brother or sister suffering under a burden of some sort, they cannot rest until that burden has been removed, and it is because they empathize so greatly with them that it is as though they themselves are suffering, too. Those with the gift of mercy don't have to be taught what that scripture means that says "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15) for they do so by their God-given instincts already.

There are those, however, who are born with a natural compassion, which while often useful, does not glorify God, and which can, in fact, be harmful both to them and to others, as these often operate from their "emotions" rather than from the "wisdom" of the Holy Spirit. They are often overwhelmed by emotions in their empathy towards others and find no practical outlet to ease either their own suffering or those for whom they suffer pangs of "sympathy."

But those who are supernaturally enabled by the Holy Spirit, will not be bogged down by their emotions, even though they "feel" another's pain more than others of us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they will find immediate practical application and direction in which to make full use of their giftedness to the benefit of others, and in so doing, will draw not only those they minister to, but those who witness such mercy being administered, to Christ.

Some biblical examples of those with the gift of mercy include:

1. The Philippian jailer, having just been converted, showed mercy to Paul and Silas by washing the blood off their backs from the stripes they had been given, and then bringing them into his own home and feeding them (Acts 16:33-34);
   
2. Dorcas was a woman "full of good works and alms-deeds (acts of mercy)"; when she died suddenly, the church at Joppa was so bereft, as she had done so much for the saints in need, especially by sewing "coats and garments" for them, that Peter was sent for asking that he bring her back to life which, by the power of the Holy Spirit within him, he did (Acts 9:36-43);
   
3. Onesiphorous, whose name means "help-bringer," visited Paul in his Roman cell when others were "ashamed of his chains": "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorous; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well." (2 Timothy 1:16-18);
   
4. The saints who sold their property in order to meet the needs of fellow Christians (Acts 2:44-45).
   

Now let's go back to cheerfulness for a moment. This is one of the characteristics that distinguish those having the "primary" gift of mercy from those who have it as a secondary gift instead. As in the other gifts, when we are functioning primarily in the gift that the Holy Spirit has selected specifically for us, we will find joy in all that we do in that gift's ministries; cheerfulness will not be an issue. For the rest of us, we need that reminder, because we might have a tendency to say, "Well, I'll help you this time, but…." – thus giving our act of mercy a sour note rather than a cheerful one. Truly gifted-by-the-Spirit merciful people do things for others whether they deserve to have them or not; they do not hesitate to help, no matter how much help has been given before.

The gift of mercy, as with the other gifts, is given primarily for the edification of the body of Christ, and finds its primary outlet in ministering to those in the faith. While each of us needs to show compassionate, practical love one to another within the body of Christ, those with this primary gift will especially be ministering in it....and it is a gift that is greatly needed.