God Is Kind

 

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:4-7

God is kind.  He does not judge us based on what we do or don't do.  God offers His mercy to us, no questions asked. It is the kindness of God toward us that brings us to Him and to His promise of eternal life.

God's love will appear to you when you seek Him.

More Than A Bunch Of Rules

 

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 5:2-3

The best way to save yourself a lot of grief and get along better with people is to observe the Ten Commandments. We sometimes think the Ten Commandments are a bunch of thou shall not rules, but they are much more than that. The Ten Commandments show us how to honor God and how to treat other people.

When God is in His proper place in our lives and when we treat others with love and respect as God intends for us to do, we are at peace with ourselves and God. Our lives are easier when we follow the Ten Commandments than when we break them.

Check out the Ten Commandments at Exodus 20.

God's Call

 

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.”

“If you consent and obey,

You will eat the best of the land;

But if you refuse and rebel,

You will be devoured by the sword.”

Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah1:18-20

Do you think your sin is too big for God to forgive? Do you think your sin has forever barred you from ministering as a servant of God?

Think again. God says He will forgive you. Jesus came to forgive all sins, not just the small ones. When we confess our sins, repent and ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior, we are new in the eyes of God. As far as God is concerned there is nothing that prohibits us from ministering in His name.

However, we still may face the problem of people and what they think. The barriers caused by our sin might not so easily be reconciled with humans. What can we do?

We can find places to minister where others are not ministering. We can serve the homeless, we can work with refugees, and we can organize neighborhood services to provide lawn care to those who need help. We can create an awareness of the needs in our community. God will provide us will more opportunities to minister than we can humanly do alone, and God will send people to help us.

There is no forgiven sin that is bigger than God’s call.

Prayer and Thanksgiving

 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

When things are going wrong, and sometimes when things are going right, we can be overtaken by anxiety. We can “what if” ourselves into a place where our Christian faith seems to escape us.

We are not called to worry. We are called to prayer and thanksgiving. Taking our concerns and joys to God, lifts us up spiritually to a place where we can survive a rough ride or celebrate a pleasant journey.

Waiting For You

 

“… For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances….”

Ezekiel 36:24-27

The people of Israel went wild and abandoned all they knew to be right in the eyes of God. Perhaps their greatest sin was that they turned away from God and to pagan idols. Even at their worst, God never stopped loving the Israelites. They were God’s people and God wanted them back.

God still changes hearts, and He still wants His people back. And, that means He wants you, because you are made in His image and you are one of His people. 

God is waiting for you.   

What To Do, What To Do

 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

God is so interested in our lives that He will give us the wisdom to make the right decisions. I had a friend who told a story about his brother-in-law, Dow. Dow wanted a new car and thought that he had found the right one. He took a couple days to think about it and prayed that God would help him make the right decision.

Dow drove to the car dealer still debating whether or not to buy a new car. In front of the dealership there was a sign that was supposed to say “No Down Payment,” but some of the lights were burned out so it said, “No Dow.” Dow got the message.

God does not always serve up wisdom so easily, but He is always there to guide us when we ask for help.

 

Under Grace

 

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:14-19

When we ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior, we are no longer under the law and we will not be judged by God according to the law. We are subject to the grace of God.

The Apostle Paul points out that this does not mean that we can sin with impunity. On contrary, it means that we are now the servants of the living God and as such are bound to live in a manner which brings glory to Him. This is not to say that we will never sin, but that if we mess up, we need to repent and not repeat the offense.

Grace means we have a much easier go of it in life because we are no longer burdened with and subject to the consequences of willing sin. We are covered by the grace of God who will direct the paths of our feet so that we can enjoy the good life of a redeemed believer in Christ.

Humbly We Come

 

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself; ‘God I thank You that I am not like other people: Swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast saying, ‘God be merciful to me, the sinner!’

I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

The message here is twofold. First, we should not judge those who are trapped in sin and fighting to get free. Second, a humble sinner is highly regarded by God.

We cannot undo our sins, but we can confess them to God and be forgiven. None of us are without sin and we should remember this when we devalue those who wrestle with what consider to be bigger sins than ours.

God does not judge the sin; God judges the man or woman’s repentant heart.

What To Do? What To Do?

 

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

Romans 12:12

What to do?  This tells us what to do in almost every situation.   We are to rejoice that we have hope in Christ that everything will be alright.  In tribulation we are to be patient, knowing that this too will pass.  And, finally, in all things we are to be constant in prayer.  

We do not live in a perfect world, but we serve a perfect God who is always looking out for us.

Have faith and pray.

Directions

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that the man (and woman) of God may be adequately equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16

One thing I told my children do to help them make better decisions was to ask themselves, “Do I want this on the six o'clock news?"

Once, when my daughter made an error in judgement, I asked her if she asked herself the question. She replied, “Yes, but I didn’t answer it.”

Sometimes, that is the way we are with God’s word. We might not like what it says, but that does not detract from the fact that it is in our best interest to do that which God has commanded us to do.

God’s Word, the Bible, provides us with sound advice to help us have a good life and it is to our benefit to follow its directions.

 

The Hands Of Christian Fellowship

 

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

 

Psalm 82:3-4

 

There are those who believe that poor people deserve to be poor because they have made bad choices.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  We are not told to question how or why poor people are poor.

 

We are told to rescue them.  When we provide for people's physical needs - food, shelter, clothing and medical care - we are helping them to learn they do not have to rely on corruption to get the things they need.

  

Sometimes a rescue takes a long time.  God wants justice for everyone, and our job is to help move things along.  

 

We extend the hands of Christian fellowship to those in need and let God do the rest. 

Pray, Hope And Wait

 

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Romans 8:24-25

I believe God hears and will answer my prayers. Yes, I do see some immediate answers, but for some answers I have waited a long time. I do not lose hope for those people in my life for whom I pray. Even if the hope I have for them is dashed again and again, I know that God is mightier than any device of evil that Satan has or will create, and that God will prevail in the end.

I pray for those who suffer. The world is fraught with evil. People around the world suffer unspeakable horrors at the hands of evil governments, rogue armies, false spiritual leaders and evil people. For those who suffer I pray for deliverance.

And, I hope and wait eagerly.

Spent, But Not Finished

 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left his servant there. 

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."

He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold there was an angel touching him....

1Kings 19:3-5 

This is how Elijah responded to life after he called the fire down from heaven.  If you read I Kings 18 and through I Kings 19, you will see that Elijah was not only a man who achieved a great victory by the power of God but also a man marked for death.  He was a man who exhausted everything within himself, who was reduced to running and hiding.  He was convinced he had somehow failed God.

But what happened?

God did not forget Elijah.  He sent angels to minister to him and God, himself, spoke words of encouragement to Elijah and sent him to minister to the remaining 7000 faithful in Israel, and to find his successor - Elisha.  

What can we learn from this?  That even when we think we are done and there is no hope for our ministry to others, God says, "Wait a minute, I am not through with you."

This being the case, I say to you:  Hang in there God is not done with you.  You have words to speak and blessings to give.  

Unsure What To Do?

 

And, knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

Matthew 12:25

Discomfort and agony come with doing things which violate our fundamental beliefs regarding what is right and wrong. The fancy word for this is cognitive dissonance. When we do wrong, we may fall away from God. 

This brings to asking the question, "Is what I am doing worth the mess it might create?"  Sometimes when we answer a question, we don't like the answer.  But this should not keep us from doing what is right. 

The good news is that we can flee from sin and back to Jesus. He is always waiting to say, “I forgive.”

Always In A Hurry

 

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9

We spend a lot of time trying to move things along.  We want to things to get done and so we can do something different or worry about something different.  We want many things - a better job, a new car, our kids to make better decisions, and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes we get instant results, other times we do not.  We wait because God plays the long game.  He is working for everyone's best interests. 

Be patient.  God is working for you.

You Are Not Alone

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

You never see a drowning man reject a life ring when it is thrown to him.  

Why is it that when people are drowning in sin, they reject Jesus?   Is it fear of the unknown?  Is it pride?   On our own, we are ninety-eight pound weaklings in the fight against sin.  We fan the air, while sin destroys our lives.   

The good news is that we don’t have to fight sin alone.  Jesus is the heavy weight champion of our salvation.  All we have to do is ask Him into our hearts.

We do not need fancy words to pray.  We only need to ask God for help. 

You are not alone.  

 

When We Are Sleeping

 

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

I have set the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh will dwell securely.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:7-11

The great thing about God is that He cares about what we care about.  I think that is why sometimes when we are troubled about something and don't know what to do, that we wake up one morning and know exactly what it is that we are to do.  

This is because even when we are sleeping God is ministering to us and revealing to us His purpose.  

We can trust this:  God is always with us and will never abandon us.

In God's hands are pleasures forever.  

 

Easy On The Judgement

 

Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather He who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Romans 8:33-34

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Accepting Jesus as our Lord, Master and Savior washes us clean of all our sins. We need not spend our lives defending ourselves against our past sins, because we are forgiven.

Likewise, we are to view other Christians without condemnation because Jesus died once for all, including those whom we would like to judge as unworthy. We need to be mindful that new Christians are new and may take a while to sort those things out in their lives which do not measure up to God’s word. Rather than judge, it is better that we rejoice with them in their salvation and pray with and for them.

A Little Praise Goes A Long Way

 

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 

Luke 1:33

We are so close to our children that we sometimes do not see what other people see. 

We had a pastor, whose five year old son was quite a handful.  He was not a compliant child and everything was an argument.  If trouble could be found, he would find it. The pastor said they went to his kindergarten conference and the teacher could not say enough good stuff about him.  She said, "He shares, he is studious, he helps others and he is so kind."  To which the parents replied, "We are Tom's parents."  The teacher said. "I know."

Jesus was a baby, when God revealed to Simeon that He was the Messiah. Mary and Joseph were not expecting that. I am sure they knew Jesus was special because the Angel told them so before He was born but they probably thought that this would not be revealed to anyone else until Jesus was an adult.

Let’s all take a minute to watch our kids and catch them doing something good. And, say, “Wow, that sure was nice of you to do that.”

A little praise goes a long way.

Tossed, But 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

Things do not always go as we plan. Things are sometimes downright awful. But in all things God is with us and He promises to keep us and keep us going.

We are tossed around, but our faith is not shaken.

Testing Testing

 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

Nobody likes trials and tribulations. They can be heart wrenching and heart breaking or at the very least frustrating, but they also make us stronger because we gain confidence by overcoming the problems we face. Overcoming may mean victory, or it may mean that we go on serving God, even if things do not workout according to our plans and wishes.

I won’t say shake it off, but I will say keep going for God. Things will get better and you will get stronger.

New Things Have Come

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ; he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

When we ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior, God gives us a new start and new things that are all good.

Knowing this, we as Christians can encourage new Christians to accept that they are forgiven, their past is past, and they can claim a new life in Christ.  And, we too, can acknowledge this and not begrudge anyone of their rightful place in the family of God.

Be ready and be kind. With new Christians, new things have come.

Sidelined

And there arose a dispute among them as to which one of them was the greatest….

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”

And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

Luke 22:24, 31-34

At the last supper the disciples squabbled about who was the greatest. Jesus listened and said that it was not who man thought was the greatest who would lead them, but who God selected.

Peter was always shooting off his mouth. He was overly confident and had what we call good self-esteem. Neither of these are bad characteristics for evangelists, but they can get in the way when trying to minister to people. Jesus did not reject Peter, but He let him know that as much faith as he had, it would not be enough to overcome the trial that was coming.

Peter denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62) but Jesus did not deny Peter rather He called Him again. We see this in Luke 16:7 when the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb told Mary and Mary Magdalene to “… go tell His disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him….”

What does this tell us about being a Christian? It tells us that even when we fail that God still loves us and that we are still called to minister to others for Him. We may be temporarily sidelined, but with God we are not out of the game.

If you think you have somehow failed the test for being a Christian, think again. God loves you and Jesus loves you and they have work for you to do. 

Get busy. 

Because We Care

 

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

What do we do when we encounter someone who is suffering? Do we run away or do we stand beside them and pray?

Because we care, we pray and share words of encouragement. Even if they reject our words and make light of our prayers, we know that God hears and will answer. Sometimes it is God’s answer which turns a hurting lost soul to Him.

If you are suffering, I pray God will shower you with His mercy.

Not Who They Expected

 

For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present. For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

1 Corinthians 10:10-13

In his travels the Apostle Paul was often preceded by his letters to the churches. Paul’s writing was strong and direct. The people who heard his letters read anticipated a big man with grand gestures. But Paul was a small man and perhaps not the world’s greatest public speaker.

Paul’s answer was to make it clear that they were men of integrity who lived what they preached, and that his physical appearance and his public speaking style, were not important. What was important was his message.

We can apply this to our lives. It is not how we look; it is what we do when we set out to take the Gospel to the world. So, stop worrying that you have bad hair or old clothes or are overweight or underweight or have no money and start preaching the Gospel right where you are.

Keep Talking

 

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

What do we do when people laugh at us when we deliver the message of the Gospel? Do we stop telling people that God loves them and Christ died for their sins and we are forgiven when we ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior?

No. We keep on extending the love of God to everyone. Those who deny the power of God do not negate the power of God. They negate their ability to receive it at that moment, but they do not negate God’s ability to reach them, because God does not give up on anyone. 

They laugh and we keep talking. 

A Pep Talk

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His Might….

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparations of the Gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:10, 13-16

I love it when the scripture gives us a pep talk!

We are not defenseless in the face of evil; we are well armed by God to carry His message of truth and justice to the world.

Stand up, speak up and be bold for what is true and right. God is on your side.

In God We Trust

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

My God in whom I trust!”

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper

And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

Psalm 91:1-4

These are some of the most comforting words found in the Bible.  It is God's pledge to us, that no matter what He will care for us.  We are not left adrift with no hope, we always have this hope:  God is on our side. 

And, that is why in God we trust.

 

Let Them Know God Loves Them

Let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Galatians 6:9

When we are doing the work of Jesus there are always critics. I have heard people criticize a church for sharing the Gospel and praying with people who come for free food. Do people really believe that we can fulfill our mission to take the Gospel to the world, without talking and praying?

Would a big corporation go handout free stuff to poor people and not have the company name and logo splashed all over the place? I don’t think so.

Therefore, we should be bold in our proclamation of Jesus as the Savior of every man, woman and child. We are not forcing people to agree with what we say; we are saying it so that they will know that God loves them.

We do good because we love God and we love people and that is all there is to it.

Keep doing good

Strong In Body And Spirit

 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1

We work hard to build our bodily strength. We want to be physically fit and look good.

The grace of God builds our spiritual and emotional strength without which our physical strength would amount to nothing more than a soulless mess of muscle.

We are strong in body and spirit in the grace of God.

Not Smooth Sailing

 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.”

Acts 28:16-17

The Apostle Paul traveled the Mediterranean area preaching the gospel, but what he really wanted was to go to Rome. He did get to go to Rome, but not as he had planned – he went as a prisoner, arrested for preaching the gospel. It was not smooth sailing; the journey included a shipwreck. 

Paul got his wish. He preached as a prisoner. He was released when his jailers could find no grounds to hold him, and he preached to large crowds in Rome.

Sometimes God’s plan for our success is not what we plan. We need not lose heart, but we can be confident that the best plan is God’s plan.