Kindness that leads to Repentance
(NRSV) Romans 2
1 Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. 2 You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is accordance by with truth.” 3 Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
My aunt used to tell me “Do what I say, not what I do.” I didn’t understand at the time that there was such a disparity between what we say and what we do. But now that I am old, in fact older than I ever thought I would be, I see things differently. I can recognize evil for what it is and instead of ignoring it, I look it straight in the eye and call it what it is.
I do not waste time or compromise what I know to be truth, but nor do I judge those who have possibly never heard the truth. I think of children who hear Bible stories but conflate the people and or events. For example, if asked about the Flood, a child might say Jonah jumped in a boat built by Moses and the flood came because the Prodigal Son wanted a vacation , and St. Francis loved animals so God gave them wind for their sails to find the best place for the doves. Nonsensical? Yes. But if you remember Art Linkletter’s show “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” you will know little minds can get things confused.
So it is with the unchurched. They may hear bits and pieces of the Bible but have no real understanding of its meaning. So, for we who know the Word it is incumbent upon us to live by the Word. We can try to correct another person’s wrong thinking and behavior, but only if are not guilty of the same sins.
May we submit ourselves daily to the One who forgives us and enables us to show kindness toward others, praying that when they see love in us God’s love will shine through.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praising God for His Faithfulness
(NIV) Daniel 2:20 Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Do you remember the story of Daniel and how he rose to prominence in the Babylonian kingdom? Daniel was one of the young men taken captive during the Babylonian defeat of Judah, and God gave him the ability to learn the Persian culture and even to interpret dreams. Today’s scripture is the prayer Daniel lifted to God to praise Him for His faithfulness.
I wanted to point out the nature of this prayer. It is comprised exclusively of praise. King Nebuchadnezzar had given his wise men an impossible task—they were to not only interpret the king’s dream, but to tell him the dream. So, Daniel, along with his companions Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo, prayed that God in His mercy would show them the dream and enable them to interpret it as well. God was faithful and Daniel, before he even approached the king, took the time to praise God.
How many times do we pause, not to ask God for anything, but to praise Him for everything? It is not wrong to bring our requests to God, but oh how sweet it is when we can dedicate some time to worship and thanksgiving.
May we dedicate a portion of our prayer time each day to giving our God all of the praise He deserves.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Comfort only God Can Give
(NIV) Isaiah 43:1 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
(NIV) 1 Cor 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
There is not one among us who has escaped suffering, but there is one thing I know, understand, and believe—the God Who gave His only son to redeem me loves me, He will never forsake me, and He will give me a supernatural peace in all things.
How can that be, you might ask. I am going through the worst time in my life and I feel God has abandoned me. Allow me to remind you we cannot rely on what we feel, but instead on “…every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Matt 4:4.
We used to sing the following chorus:
“God is so good, God is so good. God is so good, He’s so good to me.”
I will tell you my voice is shot and I can no longer sing, yet I still sing praises to my Lord and Savior. Even if you cannot “carry a tune in a bucket” as they used to say, God loves to hear the praises of His children. And, my sisters and brothers in Christ, the more we praise Him, the more we want to praise Him.
May we focus not on the problem but the solution, having the confidence that even if we are not delivered from our present difficulties, God can and will lift our spirits and give us peace. And, we can then share the comfort we have received with others.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Four S’s
(NRSV) Judges 2:1 Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my command. See what you have done! 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
It has been some time since I wrote about the four S’s. This is the cycle that enslaved Israel for more than 300 years. Seven times in the Book of Judges, Israel falls into this destructive pattern.
- Sin: First, the people fall into sin by serving foreign gods.
- Slavery: Second, God allows them to be enslaved by foreign nations.
- Supplication: They cry out to God, begging for deliverance. .
- Salvation: God sends them a judge to save them.
The cycle of sin repeats over and over again, demonstrating that the judges would never be sufficient to make a lasting impact on the people’s lives. What they needed was a Savior.
Have you found yourself making the same mistakes repeatedly and then wondering where is God? May I assure you that the God of Israel is the same yesterday, today and forever? Today we rely not on judges, but instead the Holy Spirit abides within us, leading us to repentance, bringing us redemption found only through Jesus Christ, and reconciling sinful man to a holy God.
May we submit ourselves to Jesus, knowing only He is enough, only He can satisfy, only He can save.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In What Do You Delight?
Psalms 1:1-3 (NRSV) 1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
How many times have you read this psalm? Have you ever noticed the progression of this man’s journey? Initially he was lingering in the presence of the wicked. He was not following their advice YET, but the longer we spend time with those who are absent morals, the less inhibited we are.
Then he was walking the pathway of sinners. I have encouraged people for years to walk on the pathway of holiness. Why? Because God said, “I am holy, be thou holy likewise.” It was not a suggestion.
Finally, the man in question sits with his wicked friends. We are not told how long the man remained in the company of these unjust people, just that he ultimately became comfortable enough to sit with them.
But the psalmist goes on to say that the person who delights in God’s law will be blessed and will even flourish. The person who makes right choices has a source of living water that never dries up.
May we choose to bypass the scoffers and the scorners, sitting instead with those who love the Lord with all of their heart.
In the name of the Father, and of m Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Seeking Holiness 