Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘mercy’

Why NOT Forgiving Michael Vick is a Good Thing

Posted in Bible, Christianity, discipleship, tagged , , , , , , , on March 26, 2014| 5 Comments »

Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name. Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts. Psalm 119:132-134

When Unforgiveness is a Good Thing

mvLet me be clear about one thing – being an unforgiving person is not a good thing, it’s a bad thing. However, it’s a bad thing from which we can discover a couple or three good things. What redeeming trait can come from evil, you ask? First, the recognition that you might be merciless. Are you a Christian who hates Michael Vick for what he did to animals?

Good.

We can fix that.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

Of course when I say ‘we’ I mean Jesus. Did your read the Bible passage above? Jesus said it and He wasn’t just waxing poetic; He was laying down doctrine for believers to learn and employ. There’s no getting around Christ’s instructions to His church; there’s either obedience or disobedience.

But it’s hard!

If you think the Christian walk is hard, you’re not doing it correctly. More accurately, you’re probably walking out your Christian faith in your flesh rather than the Spirit (click on those terms if you’re not familiar with them). Believe it or not, this is a good thing too! It’s good because you just recognized why you can’t forgive Michael Vick and why your walk with Jesus seems difficult at times! Jesus said that His teachings are easy and that the burdens we are to carry are light. Was He lying to us? Of course not! Jesus set into motion a practical way by which the children of God can easily identify a hitch in their giddy-up.

Still not seeing it?

Good!

Do you know what that means? Your flesh, or more precisely, your fleshy heart, is hindering you.

Consider this truth:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart, that emotionally driven component of our flesh, is deceptive, but emotions in themselves are not evil. They are the God-given vehicles that bring us to places of decision. Sadness, anger, happiness, they all eventually lead to a choice, but what choice? In the teachings of Jesus, we have been given the right responses for every circumstance, but left to ourselves we have sin. It really is just that simple. The Christian must recognize that only God effectively searches the heart and tests the mind, otherwise our emotional paths will misguide us. Hopefully it’s clear by now: Christian folks who harbor hatred towards Michael Vick are being driven by their emotions rather than Jesus.

But I’m Not a Christian!

Good!

Let’s fix that! Hatred and sin eat people alive, and ultimately destroy, but thankfully there is a cure: salvation found in Christ Jesus. God the Father is the Mastermind behind absolute forgiveness! Through His Son Jesus He provided a way by which all humanity can be saved.

Are you human?

Good, than you qualify.

The Bible teaches the following: all mankind has sinned (Romans 3:23) and that sin separates us from God.  The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God demonstrated His love toward us while we were still sinners, by sending Christ to die and pay the penalty of our sin (Romans 5:8).  If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). If you believe by faith, you have been justified through faith, and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1 ). There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

You can pray right now to acknowledge and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The prayer does not save you; Jesus saves you. Believe that by faith.

Pray

“God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Help me to die to my flesh each day and to walk in Your ways. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness – the gift of eternal life! Amen!”

It’s time to let hatred and unforgiveness go. It has been reported that Michael Vick is a Christian. If this is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), then Jesus has already forgiven him, so it’s time you did too. Do you want to know something else? It doesn’t matter if Michael Vick is a Christian or not; our Lord’s directive to the church was to forgive all men, not just Christian men.

Let hatred go

“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.” Exodus 6:6b-7a

Did you pray to receive Jesus today? Please leave a comment below and let me know. I’d like to help you get moving in the right direction.

If you enjoyed the post please like it, share it, subscribe to the blog, or leave a comment below. Have a blessed day in Christ Jesus!

Read Full Post »

Mercy You

Posted in Abject Poverty, Bible, Bible Prophecy, church, health, history, investment, Jesus, peace, prayer, religion, social justice, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be.” Job 7:20-21

Here’s the scene: a painfully tormented Job is sitting in the dust scraping at his crusty, worm-infested, oozing flesh with a piece of broken glass, while simultaneously mourning the loss of ten children, his wealth, and his business. Months have gone by and in come his three good friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to cheer him up.

Eliphaz speaks first and mercilessly charges him with unspecified offenses against God that brought about all his suffering. Somehow Job musters up a response, but then wisely (and still in the company of his three friends) turns to God in prayer. No sooner does the Amen cross his crackled lips, friend number two chimes in.

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “How long will you speak these things, And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice? Job 8:1-3

Job’s loving friend just called him a windbag. If that weren’t enough, Bildad would go on to tell Job that his sons and daughters were dead because they were sinners, that he (Bildad) always knew his empire was on the verge of collapse, and that when he (Job) was gone ‘nobody’ was going to miss him.

How does that expression go, “With friends like these who needs enemies?”

Defending God

To make matters worse, Bildad implied by way of his comments that God was on his side. The fact is the only thing Bildad got right is that God is just; everything else he got wrong. The reality is neither Bildad nor Job had a clue what was going on. In their darkness Job’s friends turned on him, but to his credit Job turned to God. Bildad, having heard Job’s prayer, erred in two ways in his response: supposing his need to defend God’s sovereignty, and disposing of an opportunity to exhibit mercy.

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Matthew 9:13

There are only three times in the Bible that Jesus tells His disciples to go and learn something. In addition to the lesson of Matthew 9:13, He tells us to take His yoke and learn from Him in order that we may find our rest (Matthew 11:29) and to learn the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32), an admonishment to be cognizant of the times.

In that regard, Bildad struck out on three pitches—he was oblivious to what was going on around him, he had no serenity, and worst of all, he was merciless. Why–because he placed his entire weight upon justice; that is to say that he set mercy aside so he might insure the justice of God was intact (as if He needed us to do that).

Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. 1 Samuel 6:19

Nowhere in the Bible is that better illustrated then in the account above. The Philistines had just returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and the first thing they do is pop off the cover to see if the Ten Commandments are still inside. Did you catch that? The removed the ‘Mercy Seat’ to see if the Law was still intact.

Where does God choose to meet His people–at the seat of mercy, that’s where! Enter Jesus. Here’s the truth: those who bypass mercy and rely upon the law for their salvation, die–God used the death of fifty seven thousand Israeli men to emphasize that point very clearly.

Don’t misinterpret what’s being said, the Law has its place; it is the road sign that brings us to His mercy and grace. Know the Law, embrace the Law, use the Law to bring lost souls to a place of redemption, then swiftly allow it to be covered-over by the gracious blood of Christ Jesus at the Mercy Seat. Bildad forsook that opportunity and God forever made him an example of what not to do. Let us endeavor to bring every conversation back around to the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21


 

These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson and with my pastor at my home church, Calvary Chapel Coastlands

Read Full Post »

Flying Solo with Social Justice

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, Holy Spirit, investment, Jesus, social justice, tagged , , , , , , , on August 11, 2010| 3 Comments »

God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations. Psalm 82:1-8

Justice in Generally

According to Merriam-Webster, justice is the maintenance or administration of what is believed to be fair and equitable as it pertains to reward or punishment. Realize that the definition implies that appropriate justice goes beyond the particular issue for which we are seeking justice. So, when we want justice for that guy who cuts us off in traffic and flips us the bird, a righteous arbitrator must consider each and every time you [and he] have done similarly and chastise all parties. That’s what real justice looks like and anything short of that is a perversion of what justice is–justice for one, by definition, must be just for all. That should compel us to ponder, as justice is being doled out, do we really want to be held accountable too? It is for this reason a wise person should pursue mercy over justice.

Social Justice

As we think in terms of justice beyond that which affects us personally, the waters begin muddy. Social justice is hard to define and harder still to execute primarily because as a global society we cannot agree what the words ‘just’ or ‘fair’ or ‘equal’ mean. To make matters worse, the further one travels down the social-justice road, the more it begins to resemble the social-ism road. Should property and wealth be shared equitably with the whole world? You should find comfort in knowing that that decision is not yours to make.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own…For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Colossians 1:16

Answer this simple question, “Can a person borrow his neighbor’s lawnmower and then legally give it away?”

The answer is of course, ‘No,’ he can’t. Therefore, since everything belongs to God; including our own bodies, is it not selfishly presumptuous to suppose we can give away that which does not rightfully belong to us unless the Owner directs us to do so? The very truth of the matter is that the maintenance and administration of social justice is God’s concern. Our concern is to be in agreement with the Creator and to be compliant to His directives. We give as His Holy Spirit guides us to give.

“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Hopefully that gives you peace. Our calling is to be obedient—period.

The Social Justice Problem

The question for the church is not whether or not we mete out social justice; the Father in His word is precise in His mandate to care for the poor and the needy. Therefore the issue, as it pertains to the Christian, is one of priority over practice. Lest we forget, every believer’s first calling is to share the Gospel message and facilitate the making of Christian disciples. Social justice always takes a back seat to the Good News.

Don’t Freak Out

Understand what I am saying. It’s true in my car (and probably yours as well), that wherever the front seat goes, the back seat goes too. Do you get the picture? Where the Gospel goes, so goes justice! But we should never, ever fail to remember that one has priority over the other. When social justice travels alone, we promote the task of making folks more comfortable over God’s will, which is to keep them from unknowingly waltzing into hell. When that occurs it’s not love, nor is it the Good News.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Read the verse again. What’s God’s will? That none should perish.

Does This Mean…?

Does this mean that a Christian can’t simply give a homeless guy on the street a few bucks without sharing a Gospel message with him? After all, in those situations, it’s not practical to do more. Can’t my Christian deed stand alone; won’t my actions serve to draw this person closer to Christ?

A Good Deed Only Draws People to Christ if They Know You Are a Christian

Is it really asking too much to hand a person a Gospel tract with your gift? Is it really to difficult to tell a soul that Jesus loves them or to ask to pray over them? Is it really unreasonable to inquire if the recipient knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? The most awful thing they could do is decline your offer.


Read Full Post »

Do YOU Know What It’s There For?

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, Christmas, exercise and fitness, investment, Jesus, literature, love, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 14, 2009| 1 Comment »

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Therefore…

Has your pastor ever said, “When you see the word ‘therefore’ in the Bible, you must always inquire, ‘What is it there for?’ ” Mine says it every single time it appears in a Bible teaching; so it’s been drilled into me, therefore the Romans 12:1 verse is no exception to the rule.

Total sacrificial submission is a strong tenet and it necessitates thoughtful consideration as to why Paul proposes it, otherwise we might regard it as mere legalistic compliance to a seemingly over demanding God. It’s for this reason that the Apostle Paul took the previous eleven chapters of this awesome Book to present the doctrine that would support such a radical application. If I could be so bold as to summarize: it is because of our Father’s ceaseless love, evident in His perfect grace and mercy, providing His Son Jesus as a propitiation for our sins, resulting in our being seen as if we have never transgressed, securing by faith our salvation and eternal position with Him in His Heavenly realm we therefore might present ourselves as living sacrifices. In consideration of these truths, it is only reasonable.

Metamorphosis

Anybody ever told you that as a Christian you are being brainwashed? You know how I reply to that? I say, “I needed my brain washed!” After years of conforming to a corrupt and selfish world, I needed the Lord to come in and scrub away the filth. Believers can say with full confidence that they are not giving up anything worthwhile when they willingly commit to Christian service.

The actual word ‘transformed’ is only used in three places in the Bible: here in Romans and in Matthew 17 where Jesus was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration and again 2 Corinthians 3. The Greek root of the word is where we get our modern day word metamorphosis. In these passages it essentially means the same thing every time: to be changed from one thing to another; like a caterpillar is changed into a butterfly. What are we being changed into? The glory of the Lord; living reflections of our Savior!

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

How Are We Transformed?

The answer to that question is multifaceted, but suffice it to say, it is by pouring ourselves into God’s word—His love letter to His children. Does it not make perfect sense? John 1:1 records that the Word and Jesus are the same therefore it is only reasonable that if we desire to know Him for the purpose of becoming like Him, that we go to Him in His Word. Jesus said of Himself…

’Behold, I have come– In the volume of the book it is written of Me– To do Your will, O God.’ Hebrews 10:7


Read Full Post »

Of Divine Importance

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, investment, Jesus, peace, religion, world news, tagged , , , , , , on April 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious. Exodus 22:22-27Why the Law of Moses?

Saying that post-exodus Israel was a lawless society might be overstating the situation, but regardless, God set forth to establish regulations for His people where before none had officially existed. Prior to these institutions, there were no official policies regarding victim’s rights and restitution and every man was simply doing what they considered to be proper in their own eyes—sometimes justice was fair and sometimes it was not. By the establishment of and adherence to these laws, a certain degree of equity could be guaranteed.

But There is More

While the implementation of these devices served a specific legal purpose, they also were the vehicle by which God could begin to establish biblical models on a grander scale. Prior to this, concepts such as mercy, grace, and restitution were left up to individual interpretation. God was laying down the ground work for what these things looked like from a heavenly perspective.

Perhaps the most significant lesson being taught here is that the compensation we remit for the offenses we commit tender only partial restitution at best. The ideal that is being sketched-out by God is that full restitution can only come from one source ultimately, His Son Jesus Christ. By introducing His people to this notion now, when Jesus is offered as the propitiation for our sins the concept would not be unfamiliar.

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2

God’s Priority

As I was going through Exodus 22, one particular passage jumped out at me—the one I featured at the beginning of this blog. It leapt off the page because it is the first of these regulations that God shifts gears, so to speak. Prior to verse twenty-two, the guidelines focused upon how victims were to deal with offenders interpersonally and visa versa, but when the victims are orphans and widows, God will take exceptional interest. God declares in their affliction, “(His) wrath will become hot, and (He) will kill you with the sword…”. Looking around the world today, it would appear that the Christian community has not taken this pronouncement of the Lord very seriously.

I raise that issue not so much as a rebuke towards the Church, but rather as a reminder for her. God is very adamant about His position regarding how believers are to respond to those who are unable to help themselves. Griping about our obligation to the poor or debating the issue of why some find themselves mired in poverty is not a part of God’s solution. The Law of Moses should serve to put each of us in the position of the victim and then ponder how it is we would want to be treated. Mercy and grace ought to be the two attributes that always rise to the top.


Read Full Post »

A Change We Can Live With

Posted in Abject Poverty, Bible, investment, Jesus, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Genesis 35:1-2I cannot help but stroll back to yesterday’s blog where we scrutinized Jacob’s dreadful performance regarding his daughter’s assault and his handling of the horrific deeds perpetrated by two sons. Now we learn in today’s Bible passage that Jacob tolerated idols in his house! How could this possibly happen? This is what occurs when as parents (like Jacob) we are indifferent to the seemingly innocuous proceedings going on around us.

God’s Grace

Jacob knew he messed up. He knew he should not have moved his family to Heathenville, he knew he should have taken charge of the Dinah incident, and he knew he should have reeled-in his boys prior to their becoming mass-murders. Jacob also knew God’s grace when he saw it, for when God told him, “Arise, ” and go back to Bethel, he understood the wonderful implication—God forgives me. God fundamentally is saying to Jacob, “Go back to the place you last felt My presence.” It has always been His message to us as well.

Jacob is so bowled over by God’s mercy; so appreciative; so grateful, as a devotional response he removes every trace of evil from his home. His family had to be thankful too, for there is not one objection to Jacob’s request. If you don’t think that’s noteworthy, just imagine the mayhem that would ensue if we as parents suddenly decided to remove all the ‘idolized’ things from our dwelling places.

God is in the House

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel… Genesis 35:6-7a

While it was true there was gratefulness and jubilation galore, there was also reckonable spiritual growth. We would recall that when Jacob first arrived at Luz he renamed the place ‘Bethel’; i.e. he changed the name from ‘separated’ to ‘House of God’–a wise and notable deed at the time. However, Jacob recognizes now that it is not the house, but the God in the house and renames the place appropriately El Bethel, or ‘The God of the House of God.”

That is huge spiritual development and the application for us is similarly gargantuan! It’s not the church; it’s the God of the church and it’s not the Bible; it’s the God of the Bible and it is not the ministry, but it is the God in the ministry. Oh how we need to remember that.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2


Read Full Post »

*Viva La Difference

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jesus, religion, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 13, 2008| 2 Comments »

To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Timothy 1:2
What’s the Difference

Have you ever asked yourself what the difference is between grace and mercy? My pastor gave an illustration a few months ago that enlightened truly me.

“Imagine,” he began, “that you are pulled over for speeding. If the officer lets you off with a warning, that’s mercy. If he then gives you an envelope with ten thousand dollars and tells you to have a nice day, that’s grace.”

The difference between the two words is subtle and can be summarized by saying that mercy is not getting what you deserve and grace is receiving what you do not deserve.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:22

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

I Want Justice!

I laugh when I hear someone scream that. I want to yell back, “No you don’t. What you want is mercy!” God demanded justice, but by His grace He positioned our guilt on His Son and He paid the penalty. In light of that truth, only a fool would demand to be held accountable, for if you demand it for others, you are demanding it for yourself.

A Most Precious Commodity

”Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:47

These articles may or may not relate to this blog:

Read Full Post »

National Day Calendar

Fun, unusual and forgotten designations on our calendar.

Overcoming The Times

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Girl Behind the Makeup

Dedicated 2 Jesus

The Motherhood Marathon

Finding the humor, beauty, and purpose in the mess of motherhood

Greater Cause

Addressing Daily Issues From a Biblical Worldview

adamvilliers.wordpress.com/

Disciples of hope

Living the hope that comes from Christ

thriftcycler

Thrift Store Tripping and Frugal Living at its Best

In the Little Things

Finding Meaning in the Madness and the Mundane

claytonzeimet

//writer

The Perfect Dad

Every man dies. Not every man truly parents.

WORLDWIDE INTERNET EVANGELISM

Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Let's Talk Gospel

Christian Encouragement and Entertainment

John Walters

Kendall Lyons

Writer, Cartoonist, Minister

God charts the road

A road that represents the course of those who desire to follow God

The Master's Meadow

Lush pasture, living springs, and marked paths

Servants' Journal

A blog about Christian life and Biblical teaching.

Don Charisma

because anything is possible with Charisma