This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another." --Zechariah 7:9
In 1935, Fiorello LaGuardia, the mayor of New York, arrived at night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. Brought before him was a disheveled older woman charged with stealing a loaf of bread.
She defended herself saying, "My daughter's husband has left her. She is sick, and her children are starving."
The shopkeeper from which she stole refused to drop the charges saying, "It's a bad neighborhood, your honor, and she's got to be punished to teach other people a lesson."
LaGuardia pronounced to the woman, "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions. Your sentence is a ten-dollar fine or ten days in jail."
However, he immediately pulled from his pocket a ten dollar bill, threw it into his hat, and said, "Here's payment for the ten-dollar fine. Furthermore, I'm going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."
The following day, a newspaper reported that $47.50 had been collected from a red-faced storekeeper, 70 petty criminals, and a few New York policemen!
As Christians, it should always be our goal to show mercy to those in need. Jesus once said that those who show mercy to the others will receive mercy in return (see Matt. 5:7).
It may be that you can visit a lonely friend, take baked goods to someone less fortunate, or pick up groceries for a neighbor in need. God was once merciful to you (Eph. 2:4-5), so begin showing the same compassion to others (1 Pet. 2:10).
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray that God would give you a merciful heart, so that you can minister to those who are in need of compassion.
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