Mercy

Definition: An extraordinary ability to empathize with the hurting and provide compassionate, cheerful comfort to those in distress

What it means

Mercy desires to answer the immediate needs of others and alleviate suffering, loneliness, and grief. Those with the motivational gift of mercy are the “heart” of the body. They easily sense the joy or distress in other people and are sensitive to feelings and needs. They are attracted to and patient with people in need, motivated by a desire to see people healed of hurts. Those who have this as their dominant gift have a much stronger sense of compassion and a motivation to help individuals who are hurting or in trouble. This gift equips them to reach out to people who are suffering but who would likely be reluctant to tell others about their needs.

Purpose in the Body

To contribute to the emotional and mental well-being of others

(Psalm 31:7)

To help the Body be sensitive to the needs and concerns of others

To release the compassion of Christ in and for others

(Ephesians 2:4)

To help bear the pain of others

To stimulate joy in others

Practical Example

There was a teacher in an elementary school setting who was very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Like many with this gift she could walk into a room and know instantly if someone was hurting. While the prophecy person primarily knows through intuitive seeing, the mercy gift primarily knows through intuitive feelings.

She had learned to manage her classroom, a task that typically is more difficult for the mercy gifted teachers and to read the behavioral patterns for a group of students. Typically a mercy gifted person would tend to lose control and find it difficult to confront and correct disruptive behaviors.

However, she lead the way to process hurts, issues, differences of opinion, injustices until every aspect of a situation was clear. To this day she continues to seek counsel to sort through issues appropriately and effectively with others.

Profile of Motivational Gifts

"…we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us…" - Romans 12:6

Speaking Gifts (I Peter 4:11) Serving Gifts (I Peter 4:11)

Living Out Your Gift

Understanding your motivational gift is only the beginning. The functions, qualities, and actions below paint a picture of how this gift naturally shows up in your life, and where grace can sharpen it further. Read through each section prayerfully and consider how these patterns reflect your own experience.

Functions of the Gift

Able to sense the atmosphere of joy or distress in an individual or group
Greater concern for mental distress than physical distress (Philippians 2:25-30)
Sensitive to words and actions that can hurt others
Able to discern true motives of other people that come from their hearts
Represents those in distress in order for their need to be completely met and them totally cared for
Reaches out with genuine, heart felt love and caring (Philippians 1:8)

Personal Qualities

Accepts others
Attracted by people in distress (Luke 10:33)
Desires to remove hurts from others (Luke 10:34)
Able to project themselves into another person's problems; feel what they feel (Phil. 2:17-18)
Very open to emotional appeals to meet a need
May react harshly when words or reject or hurt people who are important to them
Needs to sense protective care from family and congregational leaders
Physical closeness, intimacy, and time are especially important to refresh them emotionally (John 13:23)

Positive Actions

Recognize that love is firm too, and cultivate ability to be firm in order to help certain individuals (James 3:17)
Allow some people to hurt without removing the hurt when a person is experiencing God's discipline and correction
Show support without taking up the offense of a hurting person against leadership or others in authority over them
Take initiative to show love to those who may even be insincere in their requests for help
Do not defraud or mislead those of the opposite sex when ministering mercy

How to Use This in Your Small Group

Small Group Questions

Motivational Gift Discussion & Application Guide

Meeting #1

Action:
Have everyone has complete the assessment. Now have group members share their three highest motivations. With each motivation they should share a practical example of how they see this motivation appearing in their lives.

Prayer Point:
Pray for each other appreciating how God has made each one and for the maximizing of the gifts that are the highest for them.

Meeting #2

Action:
This meeting have group members share their three lowest motivations. Get ready to laugh. With each motivation they should share an example from their life that demonstrates a deficit in each area.

Prayer Point:
Pray for each other asking God to add people around them that are strong in the areas they exhibit weakness.

Meeting #3

Action:
The motivational gifts are often compared to parts of the human body as follows:

Prophecy – eyes
Service – hands
Teaching – mind
Giving – arms
Exhortation – mouth
Administration – head
Mercy – heart

Question One: Have the group members pick one of these comparisons and describe how it is true or maybe not a good comparison.

Question Two: Have the group members describe how a person who is motivated by one gift (the eye) could easily misunderstand a person who is motivated by another gift (the heart). They can use any two motivations.

Prayer Point:
Pray for each other asking for God’s help us to appreciate others who do not have like motivations as our own. Perhaps people could give specific names for prayer.

Meeting #4

Action:
Pick a particular scenario like for example visiting someone in the hospital and have group members each pick and describe how a person with one motivation might behave in this scenario. The group should cover all seven motivations. Other possible scenarios might be coming upon a traffic accident or helping someone prepare for an exam.

Prayer Point:
For this time just take prayer requests that might or might not be related to the motivational gifts.

Meeting #5 (allow extra time)

Action:
We want to demonstrate the strengths of each gift. Have everyone pick a motivation in which they are high and come prepared to demonstrate it in 5-7 minutes. Some suggestions follow:

Prophesy – share something that is prophetic for some individuals or the whole group.
Teacher – do a short teaching
Exhortation – share an encouragement for some individuals or the whole group.
Leadership – lead the group through a brief team building exercise.
Serving – do something to serve the group (bring food or wash feet, etc.)
Giving – bring a gift along for everyone.
Mercy – pray for each person to be lifted out of any hardship they are experiencing.

Prayer Point:
To close this study, have each individual sit in the middle of the room and all pray for blessing on them as they go forth and use the spiritual gifts they have been given. Specific scriptures can be prepared ahead of time and shared as well with each group member.

Your Next Step Starts Here

One assessment is a great start. Use the resources below to go deeper into your God-given design, discover additional gifts, and begin living with greater purpose and clarity.

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