God is Ready to Pardon

 Neh 9:17b
.. but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

The children of Israel historically wavered in their faith. Any time things started to get bad, they would turn from trusting God and relying on the gods of the world around them. We find over and over again that God would deal harshly with their sin, but would always make a way to turn back to Him. Nehemiah recalls the days they were set free from Egyptian slavery, and it was not long after they were complaining about the prospects of dying. Because of their unbelief, they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their disobedience. But God did not cast them away, He would not forsake them. We serve a God who is merciful and full of grace. If any man wavers, or falls into sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate to the Father, and be forgiven. Like the story of the prodigal son, God’s arms are wide open, ready to pardon. He is a God of second chances, and extends His mercy to any who will turn to Him with a sincere heart of repentance. God does not tolerate sin and will not abide by it. Through the blood of Christ, He has provided a way of escape. We don’t have to succumb to the temptation of Satan and fall into sin. Our faith does not have to waver in times of temptation. He will not forsake us in our time of need. We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. But it is possible that one could fall from fellowship and communion with God, but one does not have to despair, for God is slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will not forsake His own. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Jesus Came to Save Sinners

 1 Tim 1:15
 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Jesus came to earth for many reasons. He came to show us how to live and love. He was the supreme example, showing us how we should treat our neighbors and even our enemies. His message of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, is a call to a higher righteousness and a life of love, compassion, and selflessness, emphasizing humility, forgiveness, and living according to God's kingdom rather than worldly concerns. Many religious leaders and founders of various religions have also proclaimed this message. There is no doubt the centrality of human desire to those who want to live in peace on this earth is to follow this teaching. But man is born in sin and no amount of good works can alter the fate of man’s condition and ultimate fate.  For all have sinned and are eternally lost without God’s forgiveness. Christ came to earth to be the supreme sacrifice for the sins of humanity. He came into the world to save sinners. We may see ourselves as good people who desire to live in harmony with others. We may have lived respectable lives, keeping the law and doing good.  Surely, this is what it takes to enter eternal life with God after death.  Compared to the “chief of sinners” who surely desire eternal punishment, we would not commit such hideous acts. The reality is that without Christ and His death on the cross we would all be lost and are the “chief of sinners” in the sight of God.  Jesus, the greatest man to ever walk the earth, died to bridge the gap between man and God.  Yes, He came and preached love and forgiveness, but greater than all that, He came to the world to save sinners. I am glad He included me and you!

Getting Old

 Titus 2:2
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

If God allows us to live beyond 3 scores and 10 years, we no doubt will feel the effects of getting old. The body starts to slow down, our balance is not as sure, and our mind is not as sharp as it once was. We do all we can to maintain our youthfulness, but our bodies are not made to last forever. With aging, comes the inability to do the work effectively that we once were able to do. But growing old does mean we lay down our armor and cease from labor. There is no magic year when we wake up and we become aged men or women. But we come to realize as we work that there are some things we are no longer able to do. As we start to feel the effects of aging, we need to start to refocus on things we can do. Titus admonishes those who are getting older to stay alert, keep the faith, keep loving people, and to be patient with others. Teach the younger generation to stay true to the word by teaching sound doctrine. No doubt, to keep true to the teaching of Jesus. In a culture and time when women were expected to be keepers of the home, they were admonished to focus their attention on the children, show the younger women how to love their children and love their husbands. The principles of God’s word still hold today, regardless of the reshaping of our culture. It is God’s desire that we make choices that will keep the structure of the family in harmony with God’s word. What that will look like should be approached with much prayer and understanding of God’s will to keep that structure in place. The point given to us by Titus is to keep doing what is good and reaching out to others who need help, no matter how old we get. We can always pray for others and show kindness by our words of wisdom. Getting old is part of God’s plan, and that plan is to keep on loving and doing good things.

Speaking With Grace

 Col 4:6
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Think before you speak. The words you speak can be hurtful or helpful. They can come across as harsh or gentle. We are admonished to speak with wisdom to those who are non-believers. How and what you say will impact their willingness to listen to what God’s word has to say. There are times when one must speak with authority and firmness, but it should never be done with malice and hate. Speaking with grace is allowing the Holy Spirit to take control and let Him speak through you. Being a follower of Christ is to consider how Jesus would speak. When speaking to the religious leaders that were using their “spirituality” to hide their wicked heart, He uncovered their sin with righteous indignation. His speech was revealing and convicting. Their hearts were exposed to their uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness for power. Yet to the woman who was caught in adultery, He spoke with divine grace, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” We are given the opportunity every day to show the grace of God to a messed up world lost in sin. We must always bear in mind that we may be the vessel God chooses to use to reach someone who is hurting and needs to hear us speak with love and grace.

Christian Moderation

 Phil 4:5 
Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

The modern definition of moderation is to do all things in balance. Within reasonable limits, not to excess. The Greek meaning of the word refers to restraint on the passions, general soberness of living, being free from all excesses. The word also implies that a lifestyle that others who are watching would see Christ. They were to govern their appetites, control their behavior, and to be examples of what was proper living for those who were expecting the Lord to return soon. The exhortation to live in moderation is made possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. A life of moderation is to live in harmony with the fruit of the Spirit. There are those who live with strict adherence to the letter of the law, and their passion to keep the law comes across as harsh and intolerant. Living in moderation does not mean that one compromises their Biblical belief to keep the Lord’s commandment, but understands that the spirit of gentleness and kindness overrules the letter of the law to execute judgment. We who seek to live a balanced Christian life, must understand that love does not condone sin, but love will treat the sinner with kindness and gentleness, showing our moderation to all men.

Not By Our Works

 Titus 3:4,5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

It is a marvel to think that a holy God would consider dwelling with sinful humanity is beyond my comprehension. Man is inherently influenced toward selfishness. There is a part of man that desires to do good and will manifest this goodness through acts of mercy and human compassion. Humanity has the capacity to love, born from being made in the image of God. Civilization has worked to cultivate this goodness, creating laws and statues to help govern the behavior of people to act civilized. The influence of religious organizations has contributed to this influence by teaching us to be kind to each other. Jesus Himself, in the Sermon on the Mount taught us to love your neighbor as yourself. But being good is not enough, for all have sinned and come short of redemption. Our good works come short of meeting the requirement for atonement for sin. But God, in His tender mercy and love sent His Son to pay the price for our redemption. He died on the cross, the sinless One, the lamb of God who is able to take away the sins of the world paid the debt that was ours. Through His death and resurrection we now can have new life, The Holy Spirit is given to us, purifying our hearts by faith. The world is filled with good people doing their best, and only God knows the heart of man, but salvation does not come by good works that we have done, but by faith in the One who is able to save us to the utmost.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Wisdom is knowing God and applying God’s truth with gentleness and mercy. Standing for what is right in a harsh and judgmental spirit is not wisdom from above. Wisdom from above is given without guile or evil intent. It seeks to bring peace to a situation and not division. Wisdom from above is transparent, it does not seek to deceive or manipulate. The danger that faces Christians is that the influence of the world can impair our thinking and attitude toward others and life. The wisdom of the world is to look out for self, depend on human ingenuity, and the arm of flesh. Instead of depending on God to see us through, we try to figure it out ourselves. When we seek first the kingdom of God, we are seeking the wisdom from above. Each day we face situations where we need wisdom in the words we speak and the actions we do. May we pray that God will give us the wisdom from above to do what is right, full of mercy and good fruit.

Speech Season with Salt

 Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Overseers and those who have been charged to rule are given a responsibility to lead with love and grace.  Seasoning your conversation with salt. What does that look like? How we treat and speak to those in our charge is important to the spreading of the gospel and the impact it will have on others who are watching. It is not only important in what we say, but how we say it. We can be caught up in trying to be right, that we lose the purpose of our message. We don’t have time arguing for the sake of being right, people need to know that God is good and desires to show Himself with love and grace to a world that is lost. Adding salt to the words we say. Salt is a flavor enhancer, it brings out sweetness to food. Salt can also counteract bitter flavors in food. Adding words of kindness and being sensitive to others in the words we speak will go a long way showing Christ to others. Salt is also a preservative. Many disease-causing microbes are also simply unable to grow in the presence of salt. Our words and speech can help temper a conversation from turning bad and hateful. Let God be our overseer in our speech and conversations. Words mean things and can be very powerful in influencing others for good or evil. Let our speech be always in harmony with what is pleasing to God and glorifying Him

Put On

 Col 3:12,14
 Put on therefore…mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Putting something on is an intentional action. It is a knowing act of choice. It is not governed by feeling or intimidation. We may put on a front to impress or deceive, and this also is done by choice. We often “Put on” because it is the right thing to do, and not necessarily the most expedient or convenient thing to do. Showing kindness and giving mercy is done with purpose. Patience and longsuffering is normally not an innate response when confronted with trials and difficult situations. We make a deliberate decision to be what God wants us to be. With the choice of doing what is good and kind, asking the Holy Spirit to empower you and work through you to be more like Jesus. Putting on is not acting or pretending, it is choosing to imitate what Christ would do. “What would Jesus Do?” is still a good question to ask before we act or react.

Show Kindness

 Ruth 2:20

 …Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead…

Showing kindness is one of God’s many attributes of who He is. As children of God, it is only natural that we do the same. Boaz saw a widow and daughter in need of extra help, and made sure that they were taken care of. In his case, such kindness led to a close relationship with Ruth the Moabite. There are many applications that can be derived from this story, but it is evident that kindness is a sure take away. Moabites were enemies of the Israelites. Jesus teaches us to love your enemies. One of the core values of being a Christian is to love others, not just those who befriend you, but even those who despise you for what you believe. It was through this kindness shown by Boaz that Christ was born. God chose kindness to bring salvation. We live in a needing world, and many people are in need of love and respect. May you and I be the agent of kindness that brings more love in the world we live in.

Add To Your Faith

 2 Peter 1: 5-7

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

 

Living for God with intentionality, There are some behaviors that are done by setting our will to make choices that lead to godly living. There are some things that just don’t happen just because we have given our lives to Christ and have surrendered our heart to God in sanctification. There are virtues of Christian living that are works in progress. The end goal is to have our lives demonstrate love and kindness to everyone that crosses our path. Knowing the will of God, we seek to control our impulses and desires. Having the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to make the right choices is to live a holy life, and blameless in this present generation. 

His Loving Kindness

 Psalm 104:17, 18

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him,...To those who honor and keep His covenant, and remember to do His commandments.

God is good to all of His creation. His loving kindness extends to all, but He especially shows favor to those who fear and respect Him. The children of God who desires to know Him, He draws close and His love is special.  Those who put their trust in Him, can claim the promises of His word. All who not only read His word, but imprint His word in their hearts will see the loving kindness of God. Even in difficult times, they see God’s love. They may not see at the time of their emotional distress, but trusting in His providence, and staying true to His word, He never fails to show His lovingkindness. God is good, God is kind, God cares for His own.

Through the Eyes of Grace

 1 Thess 5:15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

The old saying, “I don’t get mad, I get even” is what Paul was referring to when he wrote down the word, see that none renders evil for evil. The human reaction to being wrong is to strike back. That is the carnal and natural man's response, but the spiritual man sees people through the eyes of grace, and follows that which is good. “Do good to those who persecute you.” The words of Christ, as He preached on the Sermon on the Mount. Turning the cheek towards those that despise and hate you because you stand for truth and seek to live as Christ lives is made possible because the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to love and forgive. This is not to say that we should not defend ourselves and our family from being hurt, but when situations are out of our control, we trust God to take care of us. Most people render evil because they have hate in their heart and sin causes them to hurt others. It is the grace of God that is able to change this heart, and we are the light of the world to show others there is another way to live. We can live to show love and kindness to all men, even in times when evil is being rendered to us.

Do All in The Name of Jesus

Col 3:17 -And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…

The life style of a Christian matters. The things you do and say each day reflect your character. The Character of a Christian is built on doing what is right. Keeping your word, doing acts of kindness to those around you, speaking words that uplift the human spirit, considering others before yourself, and many other ways that could be mention. Paul wraps it up in one sentence. Live your life every day to represent the name of Jesus. That is reason enough to be careful in the words we use to express our feelings, thoughts, and emotions. The world finds it acceptable to use profanity and other unclean words to express how they feel, but a Christian lives a higher standard. Their words are guarded by the Holy Spirit who leads them into righteousness, truth, and holy living. Learning to live in the name of Jesus is a daily walk and old habits may take time to break. Let us walk in the newness of life, and live our lives each day to bring glory to God and honor His Name.

Brotherly Love

Hebrews 13:1.2  Let brotherly love continue…Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Showing love is a continuous act of kindness. The measure of our love is not determine by how many good deeds we have done, but by the spirit in which we show it. Love is an attribute that never stops flowing, and yes, it is manifested in our words and deeds, but its true essence is born in the heart and makes its way out through actions and reactions. Showing love goes beyond the circle of our family and close friends, it crosses the boundaries of those who are close to us and reaches to everyone we come into contact. May our love reach beyond our comfort zone and entertain even those we don’t know.