Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.- Matthew 5:7

Matthew 18:21-35 from The Berean Bible
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!
23 Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.
25 Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
26 Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and
I will pay back everything.’
27 His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.
28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe
me!’
29 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master.
32 Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me.
33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’
34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
35 That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.

Our mercy needs to be larger than just obtaining it…. it needs to be large enough that we also give it to other people. If we are truly walking in the example that Jesus, our MERCIFUL SAVIOR, has given us to walk in, then we will be merciful to others.

God speaks a lot in his word about getting back what we put out there…like with the law of sowing and reaping. God also tells us to overcome evil with good..in Romans 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. When someone harms us, this is a chance to overcome this evil or bad situation with love and mercy….and we’re also acknowledging our own need for mercy. There is power in this that has the potential to change a persons life. It’s up to the person who receives the mercy whether they will walk away in gratitude, determined to pay it forward or if they walk away to find someone who owes them something so they can treat them without the same mercy they received. A changed and redeemed heart embraces mercy, both for himself and for others.