{"id":2278,"date":"2010-03-09T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2010-03-09T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2023-08-02T15:16:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T19:16:57","slug":"gift-of-mercy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/gift-of-mercy.htm","title":{"rendered":"I Know Some Servants … with the Spiritual Gift of Mercy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spiritual Gift of Mercy Defined<\/h2>\n

to be sensitive toward those who are suffering, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally, so as to feel genuine sympathy with their misery, speaking words of compassion but more caring for them with deeds of love to help alleviate their distress<\/em><\/p>\n

Examples of God Using People with the Gift of Mercy<\/h2>\n

Servant #1:<\/strong>\u00a0 He was a teenager, one with ADHD.\u00a0 He would often find himself in trouble at school and at church.\u00a0 He could be self-absorbed, self-gratifying, and lacking in self-control.\u00a0 Yet, when he saw someone in need, his heart went out to them and he wanted to do something to help.<\/p>\n

Servant #2: <\/strong>In her eighties, she would visit people in nursing homes.\u00a0 “Those poor old souls,” you could hear her say, as she pondered the conditions some of them were experiencing.\u00a0 Her heart ached over their loneliness and losses and she wanted to be there to comfort them and let them know that someone cared.<\/p>\n

Both of these servants were in a stage of life that presented their own needs, yet when they saw others in need were able to step outside of themselves with the compassion of Christ.\u00a0 These individuals were\u00a0years apart, yet both served the Lord.\u00a0 Gifts are not age specific.\u00a0 Nor are they held back from those with special needs or disabilities.\u00a0 When it comes to having or using spiritual gifts, the issue is if you know the Lord.<\/p>\n

Lesson to be learned:<\/em><\/p>\n

Let’s provide opportunity for all to serve.\u00a0 Children and teens who know the Lord have much to offer right now.\u00a0 They are members of the church of today, not merely the church of tomorrow.\u00a0 We should come alongside of them, mentoring and discipling them to use their gifts.\u00a0 Our senior citizens should not be shelved simply because they are old.\u00a0 They have much to offer.\u00a0 The psalmist wrote “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Ps. 71:18).\u00a0 Proverbs 16:31<\/span> adds, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor.”\u00a0 And, people with special needs often teach us and minister in our lives so much more than we might imagine.\u00a0 Particularly when it comes to spiritual gifts, why wouldn’t we expect God to use believers with special needs?\u00a0 Do we really get that a spiritual gift is a “divine empwerment<\/a> bestowed on each believer”?<\/p>\n

\"Ministry<\/a>Get this example of the spiritual gift of mercy in use, along with 20 other gifts, in the Ministry Handbook: Spiritual Gifts in Use<\/a><\/strong>. In addition, the handbook suggests spiritual gifts most typically used in 16 broad ministry areas and 27 specific tasks that may need to be accomplished in most of those areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know some servants with the gift of mercy. Servant #1: He was a teenager, one with ADHD. He . . . Continue reading I Know Some Servants … with the Spiritual Gift of Mercy<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-gifts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t