Manifesting More Mercy in 2024

MERCY:

1. It is tempered justice
2. When an injured person forgives trespasses and injuries, he forbears punishing others.
3. Inflicting less than the law or justice warrants.
4. Having pity and compassion manifested towards a person in distress.
   Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
   • This emphasizes the importance of showing mercy toward others. Some people seem like they are going through the wringer all the time. It could be a result of having an unmerciful spirit toward others.
   • Listen to yourself when you speak—are you complaining about something or somebody all too frequently? Do you perceive others as always doing you or someone else wrong?
   1 Corinthians 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
   • Jesus taught concerning the blessings directly associated with being merciful. You consistently obtain mercy by being merciful.
   • It serves as a reminder and an inspiration for every church member: actively practice mercy in our daily lives throughout the year.
   I thought our theme should be "Manifesting Mercy in 2024" but realized it should be: .
   "Manifesting More Mercy in 2024"
5. To do this, we must understand Mercy
   MER'CY—The tenderness of the heart to overlook injuries or to treat an offender better than he or she deserves. Basically—you are not receiving what you deserve and not dishing out what you perceive as others deserving. We should all have Jacob's attitude:
   Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto t