Is Mercy For The Weak?

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:7-8

Ephesians 2:1-10

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My oldest two kids recently watched "The Karate Kid" with Ralph Macchio.  In the movie there were some boys that were always trying to get Ralph's Character Daniel.  In one of the scenes you here the other boy's karate instructor telling them that mercy is for the weak.  Not to show any mercy...

Too many times we are given the impression that God is a vengeful God.  That He is an angry God just waiting to smite those who disobey him.   In these moments I can picture Him as  the karate instructor from the movie, spiteful, angry and full of wrath.  That couldn't be any further from the truth than the East is from the West.  True God does get angry and His wrath will come.  What makes the difference?  Why is God not vengeful or wrathful?  He is a just God dealing out justice to all.

So why can we walk through life without the burden of guilt?  There is a simple answer for us, Grace.  God is a merciful God and if we cast our cares upon Jesus He will take our place when justice is served.  He already has.  The price was paid when He hung from the cross.  Romans 8:1 "¹Therefore there is now no ^(A)condemnation for those who are ^(B)in ^(C)Christ Jesus."  

When you feel you are being overwhelmed and your burdens are heavy.  Remember God is not a wrathful God reigning down his vengeance or justice.  In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus tells us to cast our cares upon him.  "²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Remember God isn't out to punish but to save. John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. "

Always remember you do not have to walk through life alone.  God is merciful and loving.  He is always with us and will never forsake us.  He also gave us one another in fellowship...

Bread of Life...

Scripture:

John 5:24-26

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Yesterday evening I could feel myself going down hill fast.  I usually tell myself that it is only allergies.  Truth be told I felt as if I head cold was coming on.  My sinuses grew more and more congested.  My head started hurting and I felt overall tired and run down.  I made myself a cup of hot tea, which felt good to drink.  Nancy gave me a bit of garlic to eat along with vitamin D, to help boost the immune system.  I took some nasal decongestant, which also seemed to help some.  I woke up this morning feeling better but still had a stuffy nose.  I took more sudafed and more vitamins.  

There are times in our lives when we are spiritually drained or not well.  Sometimes we cannot even tell we are feeling so bad.  Several years ago Nancy and I left a certain church we were members of.  It wasn't until we started attending another church that I realized I was spiritually dying inside.  How did this happen?  How can we prevent it from happening?  John 6:50 "But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die."  We must eat the bread of life.  

Nancy filled me with different things to boost my immune system to help curb my head cold.  We can do the same spiritually.  We must read our scripture daily, dive into the word of God, the bread of life.  Christian fellowship is another wonderful source for keeping a health spirit.  Most important, in my opinion, is communication with God.  We must keep ourselves in constant communion with Christ our Lord and Saviour.  This doesn't mean we will not face hardships, trials and tribulations of our own.  It does mean we will have strength and companionship to get through it.  

God has blessed me more than I could ever deserve.  I have a wonderful wife that puts up with me.  I have several good friends, and pastors, who encourage me spiritually.  They are there to help me when I have fallen spiritually ill... 

A Muddy Mess

Scripture:

Matthew 15:7-20

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After a good rain fall our yard is usually one big muddy mess.  My oldest daughter,and youngest, loves to go out and muck in the mud.  For her birthday Megan got a new bike.  Our driveway had huge mud puddles going down toward the street.  Megan wanted to ride her bike down the driveway.  We told her no, that would mess up her bike and it would no longer be clean.

After a large amount of rain in a short span our yard was flooded.  Cora just had to go running through the puddles and mud.  At one point Nancy told me that she fell and was covered in mud.  She just loves to splash around in water and mud.  She quickly becomes full of that wonderful Georgia red clay.  At one point I had to hose her off outside before we could take her in and give her a bath.

What is unclean?  what do we consider clean?  Jesus says that what we eat doesn't make you clean or unclean.  He teaches us that what makes you unclean is what comes out of the heart.  Jewish law gives a list of food that is considered clean.  Jesus tells us it is not what we eat that makes us unclean.  

How do we have a clean heart?  How do we ensure that what comes out is considered clean?  We have to feed our souls spiritual food.  What we take into our heart is what it will be filled with.  If you allow yourself to be swayed by worldly things that is what will fill your heart.  If you fill yourself with Godly things you will have a clean heart.  We need to dig into scripture, pray continually, and seek Godly fellowship with Christians.  Then we will fill our heart with Godly things and have a clean heart...

 

The Wise Old Owl

Scripture:2 Corinthians 4:16-18

James 1:4-6

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 We tend to think with age comes wisdom and experience.  we are given references over and over of the young seeking the wisdom from the wise old owl.  This reminds me of Winnie The Pooh.  When our older two were young we use to watch a lot of Winnie the Pooh.  Owl always seemed to have the answer.  He was smart and wise.  and when anyone in the 100 acre wood needed advice or know something they went to Owl.  The funny thing is that he didn't always have the right or best answer, most of the time he didn't.

As I grow older I find that my body doesn't rebound as quickly or well as it use to when I was younger.  In high school or even in my early 20s I could easily run five or more miles, even out of shape.  I could get myself in decent shape fairly quickly.  Today, 20 plus years later, I am lucky if I can jog / walk one and half to two miles.  I then feel it for the next three days.  I find myself longing for that younger stronger body.  The me that could bounce back from injuries and exercise easily and quickly.  

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 tells us that as Christians Christ renews us inwardly on a daily basis.  As we grow older and our bodies break down inside we are growing, maturing, and becoming stronger.  The young look to the older for guidance and instruction.  We often seek the counsel of our elders.  Growing old is not all bad.  If we hold the right attitude aging can be a wonderful thing. (OK someone forgot to tell me that one...)

However, just because we are old we are not necessarily wise.  James 1:4-6 tells us to ask for wisdom if we lack it.  However, we cannot just ask we must believe.  "⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Last night at InDepth in our small group meeting I commented on the fact I cannot seem to get it right.  It appears to me that every time I turn around I am failing. Even though I tend to make mistakes in my life I can learn and grow from them.  Through my life's experience God is granting me wisdom.  If we ask and believe God will grant each of us wisdom.  We just have to be open to receive it...