Matthew 12:7

But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

Don’t just focus on the programs and the ministries and the hard-core things of the law. Look closely and hear the heart of God. God cares about people, and this is the heartbeat of God. He is so concerned about people that He would sometimes break the external code of the law to touch and heal and bless someone needy. God is not primarily concerned about the system or the public following of external righteousness. God is radically committed to touching lives and blessing people. And that also should be my priority.

Let’s not be quick to condemn the poor and needy because they fail to meet up to the high standards set by the law. Yes, procedures are essential, and we need to follow agreed protocols, mainly if those protocols are meant to aid and improve our spiritual experience. But where men fail, let’s not condemn and cast them off, but instead, allow the heart of mercy lovingly reach out to bind up their wounds and lift them off from the dust of failure. Mercy is the heart of the Law and mercy must never be replaced by cold, heartless sacrifice. Do I have God’s heart of mercy?

“O Father, grant me Your heart of love and mercy. May the religious rules and regulations never overtake my concern for people. Keep my eyes not on the obedience to external regulations, but on the person’s needs. Soften my heart and make it full of Your mercy. This I ask, in Jesus name.”