Tag: loving kindness

The Perfect Standard for Forgiveness

Matthew 5:22
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus was absolutely crystal clear in defining His position about forgiving others. He taught that there is no leeway given for those who are unwilling to forgive. Whoever is angry with another without cause is in danger of judgement themselves.

We need to look to Jesus Christ when we consider whether we are justified to be angry with another. He is the essence of perfect love and forgiveness. Jesus’ anger was limited to those who took away from the glory of the Father. He set aside His anger and replaced it with love and forgiveness when any other lesser offense was involved, whether it be directed toward Him or not. His perfect standard is the same standard that we are all called to meet. When we fall short of this standard in our daily lives, we are commanded to right ourselves before we come to Him with our offerings and our prayers. Otherwise, our prayers will be ineffective.

Let us first recognize our shortcomings in reconciling our differences with others. Let us be quick to forgive and just as quick to ask for forgiveness. Let us share the perfect love and forgiveness of Jesus with the world around us as we grow as disciples of Jesus. Let us prepare to receive the fullness of His love and forgiveness in our own lives so that we may be worthy to bring our prayers and offerings to the Father.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You have shown us. We bless the name of Jesus who is the essence of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We pray, Father, that we may become instruments of Your good work and vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. May the world know us by our ability to set aside our anger. We ask all these things in the name of Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord of Our Peace, Jesus Christ.

The One Who Strengthens Us

Isaiah 49:5
And now the LORD speaks–the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The LORD has honored me, and my God has given me strength.

We learn three important things from the prophet Isaiah that pertained not only to him but to all of us:

  • God created us. The entire human race was created to serve and glorify God forever. Through God’s grace we were given life so that we may be one of His servants here on earth. Through God’s mercy we were granted eternal life so that we may praise and glorify Him in His eternal kingdom forever.
  • God commissioned all of us to serve Him. While our calling may be different from the commission of Isaiah, it is just as important in God’s eyes. We have all been uniquely gifted to fulfill the will of Our Heavenly Father and His plan for our lives. Our unique service to Him will be on earth as it will be in heaven.
  • God will give us all we need to fulfill our commission. Through Our Savior, Jesus Christ, we shall have the strength and capability to do the work that we have been called to do. We shall have the protection that we need to overcome our enemies. We shall have the comfort that we need to rise above our discouragements. It will all be fulfilled according to His promises and His indwelling in us. Through it all, He will complete His work in us so that we are prepared for our heavenly duties.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s unique plan for our lives. Let us cling to Our Savior who waits to prepare us, protect us and strengthen us so that our lives may glorify the Father.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You have bestowed on us through Your Son, Jesus. We rejoice in knowing that You have a wonderful plan for our lives that will bring praise and glory to You forever. We pray, Lord, that You will bring us to a place of repentance so that we may turn away from all the things in our lives that displease You and turn toward all the things that Your Holy Spirit reveals to us. May it all be for Your eternal glory. We ask all these things in the name of the One who strengthens us, Jesus Christ.

Mercy and Compassion for the Burdened

Matthew 14:14
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Jesus has great compassion for all people. During His time on earth, He poured out His compassion on all of the people whom He encountered. He did not go out condemning them, even though many deserved His condemnation. No matter what condition He found them in, He offered help. He came to heal them all in mind, body and spirit. In each case, He forgave them of their sins and offered them the hope of an eternal inheritance.

Today He does the very same thing for us. He does not care what condition we are in now or what condition we come from. His offer is always the same. He pours our His loving kindness on us. He offers us the opportunity to be healed in mind, body and spirit and to receive our eternal inheritance through His mercy and grace. His offer is always accompanied by His perfect love and forgiveness.

In turn, He expects us to reflect His love and forgiveness by having compassion on the people that He places in our lives. We should be alert to those around us that are burdened by afflictions, addictions and iniquities.

Let us raise our awareness for the need to show mercy and compassion for those who are burdened. Let us prepare ourselves to provide for the needs of their minds, their bodies and their souls. Let us willingly and purposely serve them in the same manner that Jesus would have served them, compassionately without condemnation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing for our every need and offering us the keys to Your kingdom through Your Son, Jesus. We exalt the name of Jesus for the sacrifice He endured for us to be able to accept His loving kindness and mercy. Remind us, Lord, that we are Jesus’ ambassadors of compassion today. May we be living vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness. We pray that through Your grace we will serve the world around us compassionately without condemnation. We ask all these things in the name of our eternally compassionate king, Jesus Christ.

How Blessings are Dispensed

Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

In this passage we are given the summation of all of our blessings. God the Father is the author and giver of all blessings. Jesus Christ is the medium that God the Father uses to dispense His blessings. The sphere of coverage is every single blessing in heavenly places.

The fullness of everything that we need and the fullness of everything that will satisfy us originates with God the Father. Every iota of these blessings is held in the hands of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. And His Holy Spirit dwells in us as the dispensing fount that we may draw on at any time.

Why should we ever look elsewhere? Man can never be counted on to stand by us through all circumstances. At some point, all men will fail one another. The Lord, Jesus, never fails us. He is with us even under the direst circumstances, even the ones that we have created ourselves.

Let us surrender ourselves to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us prepare to receive all that He can bestow, all that His Son can provide and all that the Holy Spirit can apply in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You provide to us through Your Son. We pray that You show us how to turn to Jesus first in all things. Strengthen us, Lord, so that we may leave behind our reliance on a fallen world. Prepare us, Father, to stand before You one day and receive the fullness of Your kingdom in heaven. We ask all these things in the name of Our Mediator, Jesus Christ.