I know people who come to meetings where I preach
and spend their entire time criticizing what I have on and
miss what I say. I am not saying you should not dress well.
I think you should represent Jesus Christ in a right way by
looking your best with what you have. If you are faithful
over little, He will make you master over much. However,
we need to put our emphasis in the right places. Many
times we have done just the opposite.

Another minor that we have majored in is sacrifice. It
seems like everyone has wanted to give up something for
God. God desires mercy rather than sacrifice. Mercy is the
major. Mercy is when you give to people out of your heart
because you love them and want to see them prosper.

Please do not misunderstand me. Sacrifice is necessary
in an obedient Christian’s life and needs to be studied. If you
will learn mercy while you are learning how to sacrifice,
then your sacrifice will count. The Apostle Paul said that
even if he gave his body to be burned and gave everything
he had to the poor and did not have love, he would gain
nothing. So, if you major in the sacrifice without the mercy,
it doesn’t do any good. You do not impress God.

When you give from a mercy motive, it starts flowing
toward you. As I begin to give, it is given to me again.
The more I give, the more I receive and vice versa.
It then becomes a continuous cycle of reaching out to
others. This is the way mercy works.

Gloria Copeland