Tag: mercy

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Throwing Stones

Daily Reading

John 7-8

Daily Thought

A woman committing adultery was caught by the religious leaders and brought before Jesus. How they caught her and where was the man would be interesting questions, but Jesus did not ask. Instead, they challenged Jesus, “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” (John 8:5). Would the one who claimed to be the Son of God execute God’s justice? Jesus bent down and began writing in the dirt. Many have guessed at what he wrote, but it does not matter. He simply took his time and unnerved the accusers, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). The Judge rendered his judgment, and one by one, the prosecution walked away. 

Only one person standing there could throw a stone, but he did not. Jesus freed the sinful woman (for she indeed was guilty) from her accusers. Now he would free her from her sin. “Has no one condemned you?” Jesus asked. She shook her head no. “Neither do I,” said the one who could have, “now stop sinning” (John 8:10-11). 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). The scribes and Pharisees, accusing the woman, were slaves to sin themselves (none picked up a stone). A religion consumed only with sin seeks only to condemn, an effort, I suppose, to make oneself better by comparison. But the One without sin seeks to set you free, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

Daily Prayer

Father of grace and mercy, I have given You every reason to condemn me and cast me away. By Your mercy, you do not give me what I deserve, but You paid the penalty for me. By Your grace, you give me what I do not deserve and call me righteous and holy, a saint.

May I learn from Your grace and mercy and do the same in this world. May I be one who does not condemn, but restores. May I be one who gives grace and shows love to others, no matter what they deserve. May I love my friends and my enemies, my neighbor as myself.

Amen

Daily Question

What have you done that Jesus would condemn?

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The Question

Daily Reading

Luke 17-18

Daily Thought

The Pharisees were held in high regard by the people. They were thought to be very religious and very righteous, and the Pharisees, themselves, agreed with this assessment. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were despised by the Jews, and deservedly so. They sold out to the oppressive Romans, collected taxes from their fellow Jews, and got rich by collecting more than was due. 

Jesus told a parable comparing these two. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector’” (Luke 18:11). 

The question, however, is not, “Am I as good as my neighbor?” The Pharisee was. In fact, he was better, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). So the Pharisee, when he prayed, asked for nothing, and that is what he got. 

Jesus continued, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13). 

The real question is, “Am I as good as God?” The tax collector is not–not even close. Neither, by the way, is the Pharisee–not even close. The tax collector, however, would rather count on God being good than he being good, and when he prayed, asked for something, for mercy, and that is what he got.

Daily Prayer

Jesus, I live in a world that too often competes and compares, rather than love and lift up. Keep me from pride. Give me humility like You. I mean, You are God, and yet You think of others more than Yourself and sacrificed Your life fully for our sake. May I learn to love others like You do, rather than learning to serve self like the world does.

Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. Thank You for Your love, Your salvation.

Amen

Daily Question

What are some of the things you pray about the most?

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The Path of God

Daily Reading

Micah 1-7

Daily Thought

Micah, like ever so many prophets of God before and after him, called out God’s word to God’s people, “Hear, you people, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it” (Micah 1:2). It was a message of judgment, a message repeated as often as needed, which is why there are seventeen books of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible. The prophets rebuked the people and the people rebuked the prophets, “One should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us” (Micah 2:6). 

Actually, it will, and it did–the Assyrians destroyed Israel in 722 BC, the Babylonians took Judah into captivity in 586 BC. “Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight” (Micah 3:9)–you had it coming. 

But every prophet of judgment brings a prospect of hope, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths” (Micah 4:2). Micah urged the people of God to take hold of the heart of God.

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). 

When God considered Christmas, when God thought about entering into our world, sending his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, he made an amazing decision about the home of his birth. It was not to be a palace, fit for a king. It was not to be a mansion, worthy of his glory. It was not to be a temple or a church, a place you might expect to find God. God’s choice of a home for Christmas was a cold manger in a dirty stable in a little town called Bethlehem. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” ~Micah 6:8

To walk with God is to walk in justice and kindness and humility for that is the path he chooses.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, let me never take life for granted. May I never forget that each day is a gift from You and rejoice and be glad in it. May I store up treasures in Your Kingdom, may I be heavenly minded, may my first love always be You and may I always walk humbly, display kindness, pursue justice, fully showing your love to others. 

Then truly will I have life and life to the full. Then truly will I eat, drink, and be glad.

Amen

Daily Question

In what ways has God made you into a different and better person?

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The Image of God

Daily Reading

Obadiah 1; Jonah 1-4

Daily Thought

Of Ninevah had been written, “Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder–dead bodies without end–who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms” (Nahum 3:1, 3-4). Ninevah was an evil nation, hated by Israel, and God called the prophet Jonah to “arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). 

Ninevah was 500 miles east. Jonah immediately boarded a ship for Tarshish, two thousand miles west–the opposite direction. Jonah hated evil Ninevah, so he did not want God to be “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah wanted Ninevah to burn so he disobeyed God and set sail to remove God’s mercy as far from Ninevah as possible.

It did not work, of course. God sent a storm to get Jonah tossed from the ship, “so they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging” (Jonah 1:15); and God sent a great fish to swallow him up and deliver him back to Israel, “and the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). 

“Let’s start over,” God said. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you’” (Jonah 3:1-2). Jonah obeyed this time, “and the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5), and God relented, just as Jonah feared, “when God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry” (Jonah 3:10-4:1). 

Jonah would prefer a god made in his own image, a god who would hate the same people he hated. But that is not God.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:43-45

It turns out, the way you can tell God has made you in his image is how much you love the same people he loves.

Daily Prayer

Savior God, You are full of mercy and grace. My love for You is displayed as I love people. In fact, You said it will be apparent that I am Your disciple by my love for others. God, help me improve at love. Teach me Your ways. May I be a servant like Your Son.

Thank You for Your salvation. It has changed my heart. If You can show that kind of love for me, can I not love others the same?

Amen

Daily Question

Is it possible to love your enemies? What would that look like?

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God’s Love Never Ends

Daily Reading

Joel 1-3

Daily Thought

God’s promise to Israel had two parts. If you obey, God will shower you with blessing, 

“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” ~Leviticus 26:3-4

If you disobey, judgment. 

“But if you will not listen to me…  then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache.” `Leviticus 26:14, 16

We like the first part. 

The book of Joel begins with the second. 

What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten. ~Joel 1:4

Locust, locust, and more locust follows disobedience, disobedience, and more disobedience. God was patient, but Israel’s disobedience persisted and then came the locust. Israel had tested God’s patience, over and over, until it ran out. 

Now, God says, test my love. 

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. ~Joel 2:12-13

Beware, God’s patience has its limit. Ah, but be glad, his love does not. 

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, You have given me Your commandments, not as a burden, rather, they are a blessing. They give life and show me the way to live. Even the littlest commandment. Every Word You speak, God, is valuable and true. May I learn Your Word and keep it in my heart, so that it will guide my steps. 

You are a gracious and compassionate God. Thank You for so great a salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Daily Question

How difficult is it for you to bless people who don’t deserve it?

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More Than Justice

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 18-20

Daily Thought

Justice is matter-of-fact: “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), or if “he is righteous; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:9). Plain and simple, and just. 

This is a problem, however–a problem for us. 

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. ~Psalm 14:2-3

Do we really want justice? Ezekiel began listing Israel’s sins, “defiles his neighbor’s wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, lends at interest, and takes profit” (Ezekiel 18:11-13). He could keep going, and he is listing our sins, as well.

God saw Israel’s sin and ruled rightly, “I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them” (Ezekiel 20:8, 13, 21), yet, time and again, God gave mercy, “I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name” (Ezekiel 20:22). When Moses asked God his name, God told him, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). God defines justice but justice does not define God. God is who he is, and while he is just, he is far beyond. When God looks down from heaven and sees our sin, justice is due, but God came down from heaven and, for the sake of his name, brought more than justice, and that is the Gospel, that is Jesus, that is “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

In Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Jean Valjean took shelter in the Bishop’s home. He also took the silver. When he was caught by the Constable, Valjean was returned to the Bishop for justice. “He claimed that you gave the silver to him,” mocked the Constable. “Yes, of course I gave him the silverware,” replied the Bishop. “Thank you for bringing him back. Release him.” Then turning to Valjean, the Bishop handed him more, “You forgot the candlesticks, Jean Valjean. They are worth 2,000 francs. Why did you leave them?”

“You shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.” ~Ezekiel 20:44

The Bishop glared with terrifying love, “Jean Valjean, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.” More than justice, this is mercy. This is love.

Daily Prayer

My Lord, my God, You have shown a love unimaginable. You bought me with Your love, a love that sacrificed what is most precious to You. You made Your Son sin, not sin of His own doing, but my sin and the world’s sin. He bore it all, sin and the just consequence. He died, separated and forsaken by You, because You cannot look upon sin. But sin could not hold Him, and He rose again, the first of more to come, of which I am one, I will be raised again to eternity.

I am Yours, God, bought fully by the blood of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I welcome the rain of justice upon me because I have the reign of Jesus over me. I am, therefore, a living sacrifice to You, showing the world Your good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Amen

Daily Question

Which do you prefer to receive: justice or mercy? Which do you prefer to give: justice or mercy?

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The Question

Daily Reading

Luke 17-18

Daily Thought

The Pharisees were held in high regard by the people. They were thought to be very religious and very righteous, and the Pharisees, themselves, agreed with this assessment. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were despised by the Jews, and deservedly so. They sold out to the oppressive Romans, collected taxes from their fellow Jews, and got rich by collecting more than was due. Jesus told a parable comparing these two. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector’” (Luke 18:11). The question, however, is not, “Am I as good as my neighbor?” The Pharisee was. In fact, he was better, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). So the Pharisee, when he prayed, asked for nothing, and that is what he got. 

Jesus continued, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13). The question is, “Am I as good as God?” The tax collector is not, not even close. Neither, by the way, is the Pharisee, not even close. The tax collector would rather count on God being good than he being good, and when he prayed, asked for something, for mercy, and that is what he got.

Daily Prayer

Jesus, I live in a world that too often competes and compares, rather than love and lift up. Keep me from pride. Give me humility like You. I mean, You are God, and yet You think of others more than Yourself and sacrificed Your life fully for our sake. May I learn to love others like You do, rather than learning to serve self like the world does.

Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. Thank You for Your love, Your salvation.

Amen

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The Image of God

Daily Reading

Obadiah 1; Jonah 1-4

Daily Thought

Of Ninevah had been written, “Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder–dead bodies without end–who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms” (Nahum 3:1, 3-4). Ninevah was an evil nation, hated by Israel, and God called the prophet Jonah to “arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). Ninevah was 500 miles east. Jonah immediately boarded a ship for Tarshish, two thousand miles west, the opposite direction. Jonah hated evil Ninevah, so he also hated a good God who is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah disobeyed God and set sail to remove God’s mercy as far from Ninevah as possible.

It did not work, of course. God sent a storm to get Jonah tossed from the ship, “so they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging” (Jonah 1:15); and God sent a great fish to swallow him up and deliver him back to Israel, “and the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). “Let’s start over,” God said. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you’” (Jonah 3:1-2). Jonah obeyed this time, “and the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5), and God relented, just as Jonah had predicted, “when God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry” (Jonah 3:10-4:1). Jonah would prefer a god made in his own image, a god who would hate the same people he hated. But that is not God.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45). It turns out, the way you can tell God has made you in his image is how much you love the same people he loves.

Daily Prayer

Savior God, You are full of mercy and grace. My love for You is displayed as I love people. In fact, You said it will be apparent that I am Your disciple by my love for others. God, help me improve at love. Teach me Your ways. May I be a servant like Your Son.

Thank You for Your salvation. It has changed my heart. If You can show that kind of love for me, can I not love others the same?

Amen

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More Than Justice

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 18-20

Daily Thought

Justice is matter-of-fact, “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), or if “he is righteous; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:9). Plain and simple, and just. There is a problem with this, though, a problem for us. 

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. ~Psalm 14:2-3

Do we really want justice? Ezekiel began listing Israel’s sins, “defiles his neighbor’s wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, lends at interest, and takes profit” (Ezekiel 18:11-13). He could keep going, and he could have been listing ours.

God saw Israel’s sin and ruled rightly, “I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them” (Ezekiel 20:8, 13, 21), yet, time and again, God gave mercy, “I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name” (Ezekiel 20:22). When Moses asked God his name, God told him, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). God defines justice but justice does not define God. God is who he is, and while he is just, he is far beyond. When God looks down from heaven and sees our sin, justice is due, but God came down from heaven and, for the sake of his name, brought more than justice, and that is the Gospel, that is Jesus, that is “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

In Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Jean Valjean took shelter in the Bishop’s home. He also took the silver. When he was caught by the Constable, Valjean was returned to the Bishop for justice. “He claimed that you gave the silver to him,” mocked the Constable. “Yes, of course I gave him the silverware,” replied the Bishop. “Thank you for bringing him back. Release him.” Then turning to Valjean, the Bishop handed him more, “You forgot the candlesticks, Jean Valjean. They are worth 2,000 francs. Why did you leave them?”

“You shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.” ~Ezekiel 20:44

The Bishop glared with terrifying love, “Jean Valjean, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.”

Daily Prayer

My Lord, my God, You have shown a love unimaginable. You bought me with Your love, a love that sacrificed what is most precious to You. You made Your Son sin, not sin of His own doing, but my sin and the world’s sin. He bore it all, sin and the just consequence. He died, separated and forsaken by You, because You cannot look upon sin. But sin could not hold Him, and He rose again, the first of more to come, of which I am one, I will be raised again to eternity.

I am Yours, God, bought fully by the blood of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I welcome the rain of justice upon me because I have the reign of Jesus over me. I am, therefore, a living sacrifice to You, showing the world Your good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Amen

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Oh Mercy!

Daily Reading

Exodus 25-27

Daily Thought

I. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me. II. You shall not make for yourself an idol. III. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. IV. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. V. Honor your father and your mother. VI. You shall not murder. VII. You shall not commit adultery. VIII. You shall not steal. IX. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. X. You shall not covet.

These are the Ten Commandments of life given to a people in covenant with the holy God. “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:7), but there was no way the people could hold up their end. The Law does not make us holy; it exposes our sin. “I’ve lived a good life,” does not stand up before a holy God, and the Law opens our eyes to it.

Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain, etched by God on two stone tablets, and they were placed in the Ark of the Covenant (think Indiana Jones). The Ark containing the Commandments would, therefore, speak of our hopelessness if God had not covered it with the mercy seat; “You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you” (Exodus 25:21-22). I cannot meet God through the Law, for I cannot keep the Law, so I meet him at his mercy. We meet God not through our goodness, but through his grace. The blood of Jesus Christ paid the penalty of my sin. His death is my mercy, lifting the burden of the Law, and lifting me to my feet to stand in his righteousness before my God. 

The Law of God shows how not very good I am, and the cross of Christ, how very good God is.

Daily Prayer

Holy God, You made this world and You planned from the beginning to display the glory of Your love, Your mercy, and Your grace in it. It is displayed on the cross. Even while we are sinners, You died for us. What an amazing grace, what a wonderful salvation.  

I live in a continuous state of thankfulness. It fills me with joy, knowing I am loved unconditionally by so great a God. How can I not say “Yes” to the life You set before me. I will follow You, walk in Your ways, and display Your love to others.  

Amen