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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
“Could you talk to Janey? Sarah beat her up again.” The voice on the other end of the line was a concerned mom from one of my kids in youth group. Her daughter, Janey was friends with one of the toughest kids in school. Usually the two got along fine. But Sarah’s family was abusive and full of anger, rage and violence. If Sarah were having a bad day, she was a time-bomb ready to go off on anyone who was near. Most kids in school just left her alone. In fact, she really only had one friend in the entire school-Janey.
Try as we might, we could never keep the two apart. Janey insisted that Sarah needed Jesus. “If I’m not her friend, who will be?” was her constant argument. That was over 30 years ago. Today Sarah is living out east. She’s a grandma and married to a wonderful Christian man!
I often wonder what would have happened if Janey had listened to us and abandoned her friend. Social wisdom says we leave people alone who may hurt us. ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me’ is the rule to live by safely. If you know someone is going to fail you, avoid them. Protect yourself. Don’t trust them. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of and made the fool.
The problem with social wisdom is that it runs contrary to what Jesus taught us while he was here on earth. One night, he knelt at the feet of each of his disciples to wash their feet. He did that knowing that in a few short hours, each of these men would abandon him. One would publicly deny him. Another would sell him to the enemy for a measly 30 pieces of silver. One would run away naked. All of them left him in his time of deepest need.
Even though he knew they would fail him, he forgave them and loved them. He’s doing the same thing today. Jesus knew you’d fail the day he went to the cross for you. He knows the things you struggle with. None of that surprises him. Your sin doesn’t surprise Jesus. Your rebellion doesn’t keep him from loving you and standing by you in your time of need.
In the same way, we are called to love those around us. Don’t be surprised when people fail you. Like you, they are human, and humans naturally sin. Sometimes we may need to be wise and protect ourselves from physical harm, but we should never stop forgiving, never stop loving, never stop lifting those who’ve hurt is in prayer.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why you are so forgiving when we are so rebellious and stubborn. Thank you that you haven’t given up on me. Thank you that even though I’m going to try to keep from sin, you know I’ll fail and you will forgive me when I repent and come to you for healing. Empower me with your Spirit to live for you. Empower me to forgive as you have forgiven. In your name I pray, Amen.
I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. John 13:15 (NLT)
“And Jesus had compassion…”
Those words spring up throughout the ministry of Jesus while he was on earth. He had compassion on the woman caught red-handed in bed with a man she wasn’t married to.
He had compassion on the parent whose child had just died or was very sick.
He had compassion on the rich young ruler who, tried as he might, just couldn’t do what was necessary to receive the gift of eternal life. He just couldn’t let go.
He had compassion on the traitor who sold out to the enemy and, as a result, was a social outcast.
He had compassion on the person so steeped in religion that he couldn’t comprehend the simple steps it took to receive eternal life.
He had compassion on those who were his closest friends and yet were more concerned about their own status than they were their brother.
He had compassion on the guard that beat him nearly to death and then pounded huge spikes into his already pain-filled flesh.
“He had compassion….”
Why did Jesus have compassion on so many people that rejected him, either openly, or unintentionally? What drove him so such lengths to give his very life for the very people who thought they took it from him?
Jesus had compassion because he knew the Father and knew that the Father was, in his very essence, compassion. That is what drove Jesus to reach out to the weak, the frail, the sick and the rebellious. And that’s what drives Jesus to reach out to you. Not a single deserved the touch of Jesus compassion. Not a single person can repay him for what he did. Neither can you.
Jesus says to us, “Follow my example”, and when he does so he is asking…commanding us rather, to show compassion in the same way that he did.
Our reaction to those around us is a reflection of our view of God. If we see a god of revenge we will seek justice rather than mercy. If we see a god of anger we will respond to those who have hurt us in anger. If we see an unforgiving god we will refuse to forgive those who have hurt us. But if we see a God of compassion, we will respond to those around us as Jesus did.
PRAYER: Father, once again I am humbled as I approach your throne today. I confess that it is easy to show compassion to those I don’t know, or those who are like me and who are kind to me. It’s hard to show compassion to the ‘bad people’ around me, yet that is what you would do. Fill me today with the power from your Spirit to show compassion to those who need it the most. Thank you for the example you gave us in Jesus. In his name I pray, Amen.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Here’s a math question for you. If a train leaves Philadelphia traveling east at 55 miles per hour how long will it be until it gets there…to the east that is? Don’t spend too much time thinking on that one. The answer is easy. It won’t make it. East just keeps going.
You can go north but eventually you will reach a point where you are going south. You can go south but, again, only for time and then you are going north. We have a north pole and a south pole to designate the furthest possible point we can go in that direction. We don’t have an east and a west pole because they never, ever meet!
That is the word picture the Psalmist wants each of us to have when it comes to our sin. Some of the sin in our lives is the result of intentional acts against others. We sin in the things we say without thinking. We sin by not doing the things we know we should do. We sin by making well thought out choices and by making flippant choices without thinking of how they will affect others, or ourselves.
Sin happens. And with each sin, each wrong choice, each rebellious act we take, there are consequences to our sin. Some of those consequences are physical ones which will affect us our whole lives. Some affect us relationally and can destroy marriages, friendships and careers. But all sins affect us spiritually.
Our Father in Heaven loves us dearly. But much as he’d like to, he can’t have a relationship with us if there is sin in our lives. It drives a wedge between us. That’s why he sent Jesus. Jesus came to remove our sin as far as the east is from the west. But the east and the west can never meet. They are forever the same distance from each other. In the same way our sins and their punishment are removed to an eternal distance by his mercy and grace. We may carry some of the consequences of wrong choices with us, but our punishment has been forever removed!
Fly as far as the wings of your imagination can take you. You can never find the place where a trace of your sin in God’s mind. It’s gone! Since your sin is so far removed you need never fear that it will be brought back to haunt you. You are free!
Don’t let the enemy try to get you to think differently. Don’t let others drag the memory of your sin before you to accuse you. Don’t let your own mind feel defeated because of your past. Live in the freedom of Christ’s eternal forgiveness.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I make so many mistakes. It seems like every time I turn around I’m hurting someone by my words or actions or doubting your promises to provide or taking matters into my own hands and making bad situations worse. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that my sin is eternally removed from your mind. You are a great and wonderful Savior. Amen.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Moses and the Israelites were trapped. Ahead of them lay the Red Sea. Behind them, the Egyptian army was closing in fast. It was a hopeless and fearful situation. The Bible says that they cried out to the Lord in their fear. The answer they got was (my paraphrase) “Why are you standing here crying and whining to me about such a small matter? Put your staff up, split the sea and cross! Then turn around and watch how I will deliver you.”
They did just that, and, as we know, the sea parted, the Israelites crossed, and the elite Egyptian army was destroyed! The prayers of God’s people were answered but only after THEY took action. Sometimes it’s not enough just to pray, we need to act.
If God is speaking to you about an enemy that you need to stop hating and start loving, don’t just pray about it, pray sincerely asking God to show you ways to mend the relationship. Then…DO SOMETHING! That something may just mean forgiving them and moving on. That something may mean doing some tangible act to mend the relationship. Sincere prayer often requires action on our part to see God act.
There are times, of course when God will provide answers without a physical action on our part, but even then we must be openly seeking guidance from our Father to know how to act. Do we wait, or is he giving us direction? The closer we are to him in relationship the easier it will be to discern his plan for our lives.
Many times, when Jesus healed someone it required some action on their part to be healed. For example, was there something magical in the mud that Jesus put on the blind man’s eyes so he could see? No, but the act of faith to go to the pool and wash was proof of his sincerity! Was Jesus’ robe ‘magic’ when the woman touched it? No. It was her act of faith the provided the avenue of Jesus’ power to heal her.
What are you seeking God for today? Have you come to him with a pure and sincere heart? Have you come believing that he is willing and able to save? Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and do something ‘spiritually risky’ in order to open and avenue for his power to flow through you?
When you come before your Heavenly Father with a sincere and pure heart he draws close to you as well. He crosses the room to meet you as you enter. He gives you his full attention. He may not give you the answer you were hoping for, but he always gives you the answer you need.
PRAYER: Father God, there are so many times I’ve prayed and felt like you didn’t answer. So many times my prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and fall harmlessly to the floor. Help me to pray with a sincere heart and a willingness to take any action that you may ask of me so that your power can flow freely through me. Forgive me for my doubt, rebellion and selfishness. Help me grow in relationship to you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
A master potter knows clay. He knows how to mix the clay to just the right consistency. A master potter never begins forming the piece of clay and thinking “Hm, I wonder how this will turn out? Will it be a large vase, or a plate, or a mug? Let’s just throw it out here and see what happens!” Nope. Not going to happen. Not for master potter.
The master potter sets out to make a clay vessel that is practical, beautiful and flawless. Yep, flawless. Because one small flaw in the vessel can make it weak and completely useless. The master potter goes into the project knowing exactly what the end result will be. He knows there will be flaws, but he’ll work them out. Flaws don’t bother him because they are expected and can be solved even if it means starting over again.
The master potter knows that a good vessel takes time and he’s willing to take all the time necessary to make sure this project before him turns out as planned. He’s not willing to leave the work undone or done poorly because his name is on the vessel. Everyone in town looks for his vessels because they know his time consuming work.
Our Heavenly Father is referred to as the potter and we as the clay. As master potter, our Father knows what he wants us to look like. He wants us to look exactly like Jesus. He knows it will take time. He knows there will be flaws that need to be worked out. Worry, addictions, guilt, rebellion, anger, hatred, judgmental attitudes…all flaws that can be worked out with time and the strong fingers of his mercy, grace and love.
People that don’t understand the art of molding clay into useful vessels don’t understand. They see imperfections in the clay and think it’s worthless and that it needs to be thrown out. Our Father knows that no clay is worthless. He knows that with time and passion he can work out any flaw. From the clays perspective it will be painful, but the potter knows that the end result will be worth his time and worth the clay’s pain.
One more thing about the master potter. His hands are on the work from start to finish. He never leaves a project to start another one. You are always in God’s hands. He is always forming you and shaping you. He is always using the events of your life to work out the flaws. He’s willing to take the time. He wants you to look just like Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for your great love. I thank you that your love is willing to take the time to work out the flaws in my life. I look at myself and can’t imagine these flaws ever being gone. Thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for your love and grace. Give me the strength to endure the working out of the flaws in my life. Help me to look more and more like Jesus every day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 