In this fifth episode of the fifth season of the Loveshaped Life podcast, hosts Nathan and Bob explore the fifth principle of flourishing from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy." They discuss how this beatitude represents a shift from the internal transformation of the heart to the outward expression of God's love. The hosts emphasize that mercy is a fundamental attribute of God, demonstrated throughout the Bible and ultimately through Jesus' life and death.

Nathan and Bob explain that mercy involves treating others with kindness and compassion, especially when one has the power to do otherwise. They highlight that experiencing God's mercy naturally leads to showing mercy to others, creating a cycle of giving and receiving. This principle is not about guilt-driven actions but rather a natural outflow of a heart transformed by God's love. The hosts stress that practicing mercy strengthens one's character and can have profound impacts on others, even through simple acts of kindness.

The podcast concludes by encouraging listeners to reflect on God's mercy in their lives and to imitate it in their interactions with others. Nathan and Bob emphasize that the Christian journey is about seeing God's character and experiencing its life-shaping power, leading to a flourishing life. They clarify that while this doesn't guarantee a life without challenges, it equips individuals to navigate difficulties with grace.

For more, visit loveshaped.life.

Nathan 0:00

Hey, I'm Nathan, and I want to welcome you back to the love shaped life podcast, where we talk about our big dream, which is to see experience and live in the wonder of God's radical love. I'm here today with my good friend Bob.

Bob 0:14

Good to be here with you again, Nathan. We're excited about our topic today, talking about the mercy of God,

Nathan 0:21

Bob 1:48

blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteous. They shall be filled Yes. And righteousness is God, likeness and God is love. So being filled with God likeness is being filled with love of God. So we love like he love loves, and that's what he's promising to kill us with. And the more we receive of His love, the more we hunger and thirst for, because it satisfies us, right? I mean, there's something in life that can satisfy you, and that is being filled with love of God and then sharing it, right? You'll hunger and thirst for more of it. That's the beauty of it. And remember, in our last episode, we talked about this crowd that Jesus was talking to. A lot of their religious leaders were there, the Pharisees and the teachers, they were there. And Jesus said, right after just a few sentences, after Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Accept your righteousness, exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. You're not going to enter the kingdom of heaven, right? So he's he's differentiating the type of righteousness that they had to what he wants to give the people, because the righteousness, remember, of the scribes and Pharisees was something that was outward, and it was just focused on outward behaviors and outward ceremonies. And Jesus is saying, the quality of righteous that I want to give you is on the inside, but it's changing your selfish heart and receiving a heart that can love like mine from an unselfish perspective. That's

Nathan 3:25

right, that's right. I was just looking in Scripture, and you're gonna have to help me, because I'm forgetting the location, but where Paul said that love is carrying out

Bob 3:40

Nathan 3:42

I was in 14. Yeah, there it is. So Revelation, sorry. Romans, 13 writings of Paul here. This is what he says about doing righteousness, or in this case, is he talks about it fulfilling God's law, let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. So we talk about righteousness in the previous episode, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, in Paul's mind and in the biblical story, righteousness, is living out radical love, and

Bob 4:27

that's really what the law of God was all about. That's it is to love God with all of our heart, all of our meaning, all of our being and our neighbor is ourself, right? Yes. So that's really what the law is seeking to teach us exactly, only that love can't be generated from us. That's why we're in need of a Savior. That's why Jesus came to this world and lived the life that He lived and died, the death that he died, and he's offering us that life, a life that has the ability to love from an other centered perspective, right?

Nathan 4:56

So today's principle, this is principle number four. Five, the first three prepare our hearts. That fourth principle is the filling up of the heart with God's radical love. This fourth, fifth principle represents a shift in the Beatitudes, in these seven principles of flourishing again, the first three, opening the heart, acknowledging that I'm hungry, that I don't have what it takes to live a life of radical love, number four being filled up. Number five is a life now of living out that love the first three and the fourth is something I experience. And then the fifth is the change now coming to the outside and showing up in how I treat the people around me. Here's how the English reads for this fifth flourishing principle, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Bob 6:03

Nathan 8:42

What an act of mercy. You know you mentioned how mercy, and I think what I'm hearing is that mercy is the act of treating those over whom I have power, treating them with goodness. So So mercy is when I'm in a position of being able to inflict pain or someone's hurt me, whatever it is I'm in a position, though, to do something to somebody else. I can do. In some ways, I have, I have latitude, maybe not do whatever I want, but I but I have latitude to do something. Mercy is when I have that power, it's using that power for good,

Bob 9:31

not treating people the way they deserve to be true, right? So God is not treating us the way we deserve to be treated. In fact, Lamentations in the third chapter, in verse 23 lamentations, says this. It says, because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, Great is thy faithfulness. Yes, in other translations, says, for His mercies never fail, compassion, mercy, very similar, right? So, God's mercies are renewed to us every day. If you look at the human race and the mess that the human race is in, God has not allowed us to self destruct. He's He's sustaining us and sustaining the human race in mercy to bring us to awareness that we might have forgiveness of our sins, that we might have this new heart and new life

and experience flourishing and experience

flourishing. So God is like holding back his power, that because he's, he's sustains the world by His power, but and he's demonstrating compassion and mercy to fallen human beings. So sorry, go ahead. Well, Blessed are the merciful right, for they should obtain mercy. So just as we see how God is treating us, God wants us then to how we see him, to then treat others the same way, right? You see? So how we see God is how we're going to treat others. Well, that's how we see God is how we're going to see ourselves and how we're going to treat others. So when we get the right picture of God, the true picture of God, we're going to treat others with mercy and compassion, right, not just those who've harmed us or done us wrong, but the less fortunate right, and people who maybe aren't demonstrating real kindness being kind to them, because we don't know what they're going through. We don't know what other human beings are going through. We might see their outward behaviors, but just a simple kind act, a kind word, just showing some sympathy for somebody is demonstrating, you know, some mercy that can turn their whole life around.

Yes, and, and what I want to highlight, as you're talking about this again, is the idea here that this is a forming process. So rather than me trying to drum up compassion for my neighbor or being guilted into it by, you know, we've all seen commercials that show the hungry child and try to guilt us into donating some of our funds, right? We may have been in a religious circle, or even a non religious circle where somebody tries to guilt us into doing something, some act of compassion, right? But here Jesus is actually holding up for us, a forming process that when we lean into the process, naturally progresses to where this this living a life of mercy toward others, is the natural next step. I'm not having to drum something up. I don't have to watch a tear jerker commercial. I don't have to be beat down by a neighbor scolding me for whatever my my spouse doesn't have to nag me whatever it is. I don't need to be sort of compelled to do something kind the process of Jesus is a forming process that as I'm as I'm emptied, or come to terms with my emptiness, I'm filled up with his love, and as a next step in that process, I begin to live out that love in how I relate to the people around me. Yeah, that's

beautiful, because, you know, again, God is changing the heart and right and and like Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind. So he's opening our eyes to not only see him more clearly, but to see life and see others the way he sees them. Yes? So we're now not just looking on the person who perhaps is holding up a sign on the side of the road, you know, and saying, oh, later for those guys, perhaps now we're seeing them having compassion, right, seeking, hey, what can I do to help them? Yes, or somebody else, right? Yeah, a co worker can be anybody, but we're seeing them differently. Yes. In fact, in one of the interviews that we did with Abby's story, Abby who came from abusive relationships,

that's season two, right? Season Two of the podcast, has Abby story.

Has Abby story. So she comes from this abusive background, but as she came out of it, as God was restoring her now, she was actually having sympathy with her abuser. She wasn't going back into the relationship, but she was looking at him from a different perspective. Do you see what I'm saying? So it was mercy. So God is changing our heart instead of wanting to get back at the person who abused now, there was empathy and sympathy, wondering what made that person like that?

Yes, that's, that's beautiful.

It is beautiful because it's, it's, it's a supernatural work. Yes, on the heart. This is how God. Changes our heart. He changes how we see people now so and then he asks us as we've experienced mercy from him, and what I read in lamentation that's on a daily basis, right? His compassions are renewed to us every day. His mercies are renewed to us every day, because he doesn't treat us the way that we deserve. Right, you know, he treats us better than we deserve, right? And he's offering us something better, not just throwing us a few crumbs, right? He's talking about filling us with all of his fullness. And now he's saying, as a result of that, go and do that likewise. Yes. And

here's what I want to emphasize again, I've mentioned it. We've mentioned it before, but this is the forming process Jesus is laying out in these seven principles of flourishing, the core process for experiencing a life transformed, where we become lovers who love like God loves. It's the process. Just let the process have its work. Whatever you've heard about religion, whatever somebody's told you, etc, whatever you've thought, just put that aside and lean into this process. Jesus lays out, and you're going to find out as you lean into the process, that to your surprise, perhaps you begin to relate to others, to the world around you in ways you never dreamed possible. Because God works in this way, kind of outlining to us the way he works, how to open our hearts to his work. As we just lean into this process, we experience beautiful reforming into beautiful people. Yeah, and

to add to that, Nathan and well said to add to that, as God is changing the heart, you know, he's changing the way we think. You know, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ, Jesus, Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing of your mind. God wants to renew our mind. And like we've talked about in previous episodes, that oftentimes our thought patterns have been so much in a certain way for so long that it's difficult for us to see like, yes, you shared about experiences that you've had at a pastor and with people and somebody had been in an abusive relationship, and now They're not in an abusive relationship anymore, right? So let's picture that, that perhaps we've been in an abusive relationship of the picture that we had of God, right? What? This is not God's fault. It was just a picture that's been shared. We're experiencing the result of that, right? Because perhaps we were believing it, and we were guilt into it, and it was pounded into us, and so now we're seeing this new picture of God. Yeah, you know the whole picture of God? Yes. So, so let me get to my thoughts. So the girl was asking you, How do I relate in this new relationship with somebody who's treating me kindly, right? Because he didn't know how to relate, because she's been used to an abusive relationship. Well, so likewise, when we're seeing how God is treating us in this beautiful way, we still have these hesitations and these negative thought thought processes that we have to learn to let go of and embrace this beautiful God who just wants to wrap his arms around right and heal us. So there is this process, as you say, of perhaps identifying negative thought patterns, yes, and embracing the new thought patterns, which is what God is saying to us. You are my child. You are forgiven. I'm going to fill you up with righteousness, with the ability to love like I am. I'm going to fill you with meekness, and you, you are blessed because I'm giving mercy to you. Give mercy to somebody else. That's right.

And you know, just, I guess, a little plug we have developed. We're developing a course, a couple of courses that include spiritual wellness coaching, as well as engaging with a group that walk with you, where we walk with you, where others walk with you, in experiencing these principles, practicing these principles, experiencing a flourishing life, and that's available at loveshape dot life. So again, we're not just here as talking heads to say dadadada. We want you to be able to take the ideas and experience them. That's what the spiritual wellness coaching is, is moving from an idea into experiencing the impact of that idea in your life. Which

the booklet that we have written that has those four principles? Yes, right in that right, which is the name of it? It's called,

let's see keys. I think it's called keys for secret, secrets for a love shaped life. Yeah, no, it's

hard some, sometimes you get so many things going on, we can't even remember secrets for a love shape like that. We wrote booklet that we wrote secrets for a love shaped life. And that's. Available at love shape, dot life, yeah, and that is would be very helpful if you're looking at seeking to see how to change your thought patterns. Again, right? What God is saying, but just as God has been merciful to us, and I think it's healthy to reflect upon that, and God is changing our hearts, then all of a sudden, he we're seeing people differently, and he wants us to exercise that mercy, because exercising strengthens our muscles, right? So exercising compassion, kindness, generosity to people strengthens the attributes of God in us.

Yes, that's right, that's right. So I want to read something from First Corinthians. This is known as the love chapter. It's used in lots of circles around weddings, First Corinthians, 13. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the Truth Wins Out. Love, never gives up, never loses faith. Is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. And in some ways, this is the living out of mercy. In a big way, this is kind of the multifaceted result of a life filled up with God's love that then becomes who we are and how we relate to the people around us. I mean, can you imagine I was thinking earlier? Can you imagine allowing mercy into relationships. I mean, can you imagine allowing mercy to define the way you relate, it to your coworkers, to your spouse, to your kids? What does that do if everybody in that circle leans into mercy, how does that change the dynamics when we're talking about relationships coming alive and being enjoyable again, when we lean into mercy, remember,

Blessed are the merciful. So they they shall obtain mercy. You know, we reap what we sow. Yes, we do Yes. As as we demonstrate mercy to other people, people are more inclined to give it back. I'm not saying they're always going to give it back. Give it back, but they're more inclined to give it back, but that's still what God would have us to do. Follow his pattern, right? Yes, he's kind to the unthankful. Yes, the Bible tells he's kind to the unthankful, right? So, demonstrating mercy, not looking for anything in return, just demonstrating and being part of who God is, right? So that's that's our privilege.

I got a text for that, Luke, six, give away your life. You'll find life given back, but not merely given back, given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting is the way generosity begets generosity. So Jesus is really, truly introducing to us the secret of a sustainable civilization, a sustainable relational environment. As we give away mercy, we set in motion this reciprocal, interactive, relational framework where mercy flows back again. We don't give mercy so we can get it. But when we live lives of giving away mercy, we set in motion a giving and receiving cycle, where we receive back more than we've given out this. This is the mind blowing thing that we don't get it, but once we get it, as we lean into the love shaped life, as we lean, lean into these flourishing principles, God is leading us into a sustainable way of living that is way more than just surviving. It's thriving and flourishing. That's

beautiful. Again, it's difficult for our minds to grasp, Give and it shall be given, right? Then we're not just talking about giving financially. It's giving our time and our energy, exactly, caring for somebody, right, Give, and it shall be given thee as we give. Because this is the principle of God. This is the heart of God, other centered living we gain back and gain back more

than we ever gave away, more than

we ever have even imagined. And that may be just in the joy of giving, the satisfaction of giving, whatever the case may be, but we're giving back. We're receiving back, right? So it's interesting again, you had mentioned that all of a sudden in the principles that Jesus is laying out, this one is a big shift. Big shift, right? Because the first, you know, four right was not was, you know, seeing our need of God. Blessed are those that mourn. And meekness and being filled right, hungry and thirsting. Now it's now. He's saying, I want you to take what I'm filling you with and exercise. Yes,

and I would say it's not even, we don't even need to be told now go do this. The love of God in the life is an active principle. It's like the yeast in the bread. If the yeast is in the dough, the dough is going to rise. There is a principle inherent in this process, that when we open the heart and allow God to come in, he's going to shine out. It's an inevitable next step. Once we lean into the journey, one step follows the other, and in this reciprocal interaction of these principles of flourishing, we become a person of mercy, because we've received the mercy of God. So the filling up necessarily and naturally becomes a giving away a serving, because that's what God's love does. It's an active principle or agency or process that naturally brings us and forms us into loving people. That's

beautiful. You know, I had mentioned to you we were talking last night, because we were hanging out a little bit, and we were talking about, I was sharing with you that it appears, as you look at the Bible and you're looking at God, that God is love and mercy is just an attribute of God, but yet, because of the results of sin in our world, it seems like that attribute is used a lot, right? Because of, as you look at again, the storyline in the Bible, and all the messes that human beings have created for themselves and for God, that God is continually seeking to step in and and do as best as he can, when I say as best as he can, because human beings still have to cooperate, but in offering mercy, and just because God offers mercy doesn't mean people take it true, right? So not everybody is taking that mercy, and that's why, if you're listening today, and when you're listening and you're talking about receiving God's mercy, and God is being merciful to you, you have to make a choice to receive that mercy, and then you have to make a choice to want to give that mercy to people, right? So I want to encourage you that you know, as you see, the compassion and kindness of God towards you to don't wait till tomorrow. Respond to that. Respond to that, as you would say, and we would say, Love shape life. Lean into them, right, right. Lean into that so that God can can heal you and restore you and Exactly. And life becomes a joy as you live in harmony with the rhythm of God, right, right, receiving life from God, right, being filled and then giving that life, right? It's just the cycle of life right on a daily basis. It's a beautiful experience. It is.

Here's a line from Jesus, be merciful. Just as your Father in heaven is merciful, so as we love like God loves, we are becoming and being like him. It's

beautiful, very simple, right, Be merciful, just as your Father in heaven is merciful. So imitate what you see. Right? We see God as being merciful to us and to other people. So imitate that as well. God treats us in a way we don't deserve, right? It's true. So God is also asking us to do the same,

right? And as our hearts are formed in the shape of his love, we start doing that.

We start doing that. Yeah, so

I think we can wrap up this episode. Did you have anything you wanted to add before we talk about what we see, experience and live?

Just you know, like I mentioned, many people are hurting, simple acts of kindness and sympathy can change a whole direction of people. You know, there was a story of of young man who was walking down to the river, and his intention was to commit suicide, and as he was walking down to the river, somebody passed him on the other side and said, Good morning to him. And when he got down to the river, do they just pass? Somebody just said, Good morning when he got down to the river to commit suicide, the person's smile on their face kept coming to his mind, and just the words of good morning to him kept coming to his mind, and that led him away from committing suicide. He went on to become a medical doctor and to serve. You know, a lot give a life of service, but it was just that simple act of saying good morning with a smile that changed the whole direction of a person's life. The the person who gave the smile never knew it, hmm, so we may never know the result of a simple act of kindness and compassion and sympathy, yes, people around us. Mm. So exercise it, exercise it, exercise it, and you will grow and grow and grow more in the love of God. That's right.

That's right. So see, I think here, seeing as you mentioned God in the life of Jesus, reveals the radical mercy of God. So I think that's the C for me. That's the c that we see in Christ, the radical

love of God. I think we need to remember again, the whole plan to save us from this sin, cursed world and our own sin is an act of mercy, right? So, sending Jesus into this world to become one of us to live a life we couldn't live, which was an unselfish other centered life, right to conquer selfishness for us, and that's really what he did, and then to die on the cross for our sins was all an act of mercy, because God could have just started over. He could have Yes, right? Yes, but that's not what he did. So this is the ultimate mercy, and we need to reflect on that and process that, and again, accept that, and so we can share that with others,

yes, and then the experience, and I think you're kind of getting to that sort of in your in what you just shared with us is, as we reflect on God's love, we begin to experience it and then living it out, as your story mentioned in those simple ways we live out that love, whether again, it's that smile, that Good morning, or something more of an investment, taking care of family, working at a difficult relationship. That's how we live out this mercy principle. Again, it's natural as we allow God's love to fill our hearts, the process works just like the yeast or the seed works inside of us and cannot do anything but come out in a life of mercy. Yeah.

And I just want to say to those that are listening today, the Christian journey is very simple, seeing God and imitating what you see. That's it. This isn't that simple. Exactly so. And again, we had mentioned before, and you mentioned several times, that let's take perhaps, perceptions that we've had of God, and being willing to put it aside and just take a look at God again and be open to see the true beauty of who God is, by seeing that he'll transform your life, and You'll live that flourishing life that you always dreamed about. That's right? That doesn't mean life is going to be perfectly smooth, no. Doesn't mean you're not going to have trials and obstacles, because God allows those to refine us, to build us. So this is we're not talking about flourishing life, no trials, no obstacles. But when you have the grace of God, when you have the love of God in you, you can go through those things just like water on a duck's back, right? You know, it's the water on the duck's back is not holding him from flying. Yeah, you can still fly in the midst of the troubles of

life. That's right. That's right. So we'd invite you to share with a friend, to like and subscribe, that helps get the word out about the love shaped flourishing life. We'd also love to connect, and you can do that at love shaped dot life. You can connect with Bob and I. You can connect with our with us as spiritual wellness coaches. You can also engage our course material and other resources, again, all available at love shaped dot life until Next time lean in to The Love shaped life and

Transcribed by https://otter.ai