Bible League: Living His Word "Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy."— Luke 6:36 ERV This verse has been weighing heavily upon my heart recently. Jesus admonishes us to give the same level of mercy we have been given. According to most Biblical definitions of mercy, it is our Lord withholding the punishment we deserve. Hopefully we all can agree that without Christ in our life, we sinners are doomed. Unless we receive Him into our hearts as our personal Lord and Savior, we stand guilty before the judgment seat of Christ. So here are a few questions we must wrestle with and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us about, regarding divine mercy. Do we apply a divine level of mercy to people we encounter in our daily lives? Do we remain angry? Do we think of getting even? Do we think sometimes that our Lord is not fair, according to our standard of fairness? This is what has been weighing heavily upon my heart: do I apply the same level of mercy to others, even those I do not know, as the Lord gives me? I realize we are human and that our memories work exceedingly well. But we do have a resource that is higher and more powerful than all other resources, the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will remind us of the level of mercy applied to us, complete and without fail. Remember, all of this is possible only because of the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I think sometimes we just go along in life and forget that we are to love and apply mercy in the same way that Jesus gives it to us. Have you had someone hurt you and be unfair with you? Maybe to get a peace in our heart we need to apply grace, God's unmerited favor, and mercy toward that person. I can testify that when I have prayed and settled in my heart to allow God's mercy and grace flow through me, my life is different. Remember Galatians 2:20, "So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave Himself to save me." We can only be merciful as we realize the Holy Spirit must live the life of Christ through us. We are weak and unable to control this or master living in the mercy of Jesus Christ. It is only possible as Jesus Christ lives His life through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. By Dr. Jim D. Prock, Bible League International staff, Oklahoma U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Chronicles 28, 29 1 Chronicles 28 -- David's Assembly about the Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Chronicles 29 -- Gifts for the Temple; David's Prayer and Death; Solomon King NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 11:47-57 John 11 -- Jesus Comforts Martha and Mary, Raises Lazarus; The Plot to Kill Jesus NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.Insight John the Baptist called people to more than words or ritual; he told them to change their behavior. “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins” means that God looks beyond our words and religious activities to see if our conduct backs up what we say, and he judges our words by the actions that accompany them. Challenge Do your actions match your words? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Romans 6:6 That henceforth we should not serve sin.Christian, what hast thou to do with sin? Hath it not cost thee enough already? Burnt child, wilt thou play with the fire? What! when thou hast already been between the jaws of the lion, wilt thou step a second time into his den? Hast thou not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all thy veins once, and wilt thou play upon the hole of the asp, and put thy hand upon the cockatrice's den a second time? Oh, be not so mad! so foolish! Did sin ever yield thee real pleasure? Didst thou find solid satisfaction in it? If so, go back to thine old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delight thee. But inasmuch as sin did never give thee what it promised to bestow, but deluded thee with lies, be not a second time snared by the old fowler--be free, and let the remembrance of thy ancient bondage forbid thee to enter the net again! It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which all have an eye to thy purity and holiness; therefore run not counter to the purposes of thy Lord. Another thought should restrain thee from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore be not the serf and bondman of sin. There is yet a higher argument: each time you "serve sin" you have "Crucified the Lord afresh, and put him to an open shame." Can you bear that thought? Oh! if you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be my Master has sent this admonition this evening, to bring you back before you have backslidden very far. Turn thee to Jesus anew; he has not forgotten his love to thee; his grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come thou to his footstool, and thou shalt be once more received into his heart; thou shalt be set upon a rock again, and thy goings shall be established. Daily Light on the Daily Path John 11:42 "I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me."John 11:41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. John 12:28 "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." Hebrews 10:7 "THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'" Luke 22:42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." 1 John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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