It's Not Karma, It's Mercy

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Give and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

Luke 6:36-38

This is one of principles of Christianity – what we give is what we get.  We do not necessarily get back what we give from those to whom we give it, but it will come back.  For example, did you ever notice that mean people sometimes stay mean?  We extend mercy to them by being nice to them and they return our kindness with meanness.  Then sometimes someone who we hardly know will do something kind for us. 

And, even if our mercy is not returned here on earth, we know when we stand before God, that He is merciful, and will extend to us love and mercy and forgiveness, and that we will forever dwell with Him. 

It’s not karma.  It’s mercy.

Stirred, Not Shaken

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

Let us not be paralyzed by fear, let us be stirred to action. 

Amen.

Liberated

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

2 Corinthians 3:17

The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus came to set us free from the quest to achieve salvation through our own means or religious rituals. 

God loves us just the way we are.  Jesus says, “Come.”  And, when we come Jesus washes us white as snow and we stand in the presence of the living God, who loves us.  We are changed.  We pray because we want to pray and we serve because we want to serve. 

We are liberated.

Boldly Stated

This the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Psalm 118:24

I opened a box of eggs and inside of the lid these words were printed.  While many companies are stealth about their faith in God for fear of offending customers, the egg company boldly states “this is the day the Lord has made…”

May we be so bold in sharing the Gospel. 

Never Too Lost For God To Fine

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 

“What do you think?  If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” 

“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.  So, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

Matthew 18:11-14

Notice that it does not say that the shepherd only searches for prize winning sheep.  It says that the shepherd searches for the one that is straying.

We should not be surprised when God plucks a despicable character from the worldly mob and transforms him, because that is what God does:  He seeks and finds the lost. 

God values all people.  He does not choose one person over another; He chooses all of us. 

We are never too lost for God to Find.

Be Patient In Tribulation

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  

Romans 12:12

It is difficult to patiently trust God when things go wrong.  I don’t know about you, but my impatience shows as a scowl on my face and snapping at people who have nothing to do with my situation. 

Then like a slap in the face, I remember God’s promise to take care of me.  There is nothing like a few minutes in prayer to help me get a grip on my emotions, and focus on behaving in a Christ-like manner and showing the love of God to others. 

No matter what happens, we have this hope: God is on our side.