Tag: mercy

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What Would James Do

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to spend my time in Gatlinburg with over 11,000 teenagers and their chaperons at a fantastic conference. During on the sessions, there was a fantastic comedian named Michael Jr.  This is a very funny man who has a great love for his creator.

Anyway, during his show, one of his joke sets is about the whole WWJD thing.  But he talks about Jesus’ brother – James, and spins a few very funny stories about James growing up with Jesus asking the question What Would James Do?

So, I thought I would take a look myself.  However, at first I had to find a bible that still had the book of James in it – as I have been known to tear those pages out of the bible since they are so difficult and penetrating.

Take a look at this.

12 In everything you say and do, remember that you will be judged by the law that makes people free.13 So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment. James 2:12-13 New Century Version (NCV)

Taking nothing from Michael Jr’s comedy, which is outstanding, I think we have found what James would do – and it is to live a life that reflects the mercy we have been given from the Creator of the world through the forgiveness of our mistakes.  James reminds us to show mercy to others in the same way we have been shown mercy.  That’s whats James would do – ’nuff said…..

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Depth of Mercy

I stumbled across some older videos last night, and rediscovered a short clip that really delves in to the history of God’s mercy.  It was a great reminder to me about the depth and riches of the mercy of God.

So in view of God’s mercy take a look:

The message of the video, which I have shared before in the past is always a good reminder of our position with our Christ, when we choose him (for he already has chosen us!) – and that position is – forgiven, free and family.

1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

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Straight Day

Here in America where we use the middle endian date format, today is a straight.  Well, a small straight, 8-9-10.  Just to go with that fun calendar theme, that doesn’t happen very often, I decided to just gamble a little with my verse of the day. So I headed over to the 8th book of the New Testament, the 9th chapter and the 10 verse to see what I would fine.  ( I know pretty risky right!)
And look what I found there:

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness 2 Corinthians 9:10 (New International Version)

The message looked pretty interested, so it was probably worth stepping back for some context:

8-11God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10, The Message)

Wow, God is promising that he will give to you in abundance grace and mercy, that you will ready to serve and give to others.  It’s a great promise, and provides a great deal of strength to tackle anything that is in front of you.

Take the gamble today, and give away what you have been given.  Watch how it will grow!

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Paid in Full

I dunno about you but I hate paying bills.  It’s not so much about getting rid of the money ( although that part is stinky), is more about the accounting and making sure it’s paid on the correct date and getting the right amount and all of that stuff.  For those things that I don’t have automatically paid, it’s a struggle every month.  Usually there is a frantic middle of the night rush on the due date to pay the bill.  What a blessing on line bill pay is.

So isn’t it good to know that as followers of the Christ, there is no due date.  Well, there will be a judgement day, and for those not follower the Christ, that will be quite a problem.  But for those who have put on the grace and mercy of Christ, your sins will have been paid in full, and on the due date, your balance due will be a big fat zero!

23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (New International Version)

So, doesn’t knowing that you owe nothing and that its been paid for you provide some relief from the anxiety of the day and create a desire to repay that through your actions?  Get out there and impact those around you today.

Its freeeeeeeeeeeee!

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One Word – “Intense”

“Intense”.

Several years ago that was the word that a co worker of mine used when asked to describe me in one word.

“Intense”.

At the time I thought that was cool.  I thought it was great – even awesome. And that’s how I was – “intense” – focused on the goal. Come hell or high water, I was getting the job done, not paying attention to the human carnage I left along the way.  The crying in the office – weak.  Calling people on the weekend and demanding they fix the problem – of course, they should be in here working as well.  Get it Done!  Deliver. Destroy.  That’s good.  Right!

Over the past week I watched my son’s basketball team beat two opponents by the combined score of 106 – 6.  Yes, that’s correct.  49-3 in the first game and 57-3 in the second.  The boys kept the half court man to man press going the entire game – pressuring the opponents into mistakes.  Some of the starters were always on the floor. They pushed the ball, fast break after fast break, up and down the court.  They destroyed the other teams.  Destroyed!  That’s good! Right??

No, its not.

I have learned that relationships are more important than the work, and the way you win is just as important as the win.  I have lived and played with intensity and I have seen the pain and carnage it brings.  I have worked with such intensity and disregard for others, that my job has hung by a thread, only saved by the good will of others.  Sometime,  in some way, that intensity must give way to mercy.  It must give way to grace.  We are called to give our very best to God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:23 (New International Version)

23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

We are called to play as hard as we can.  Give 100 percent – always.  But sometimes 100 percent means playing with control.  Whether on the court, in school, or at work we must know that doling out mercy and compassion and grace are equally as important as pushing and driving and forcing.

And that’s why my heart is heavy.  I sat at the scorers table for both games.  I saw the angst and brokenness of the players.  I saw the overwhelming helplessness and frustration of the coach, and the exasperation of the parents.   Did we have to run a half court man to man press when we were winning by 25, and it was obvious this team was not coming back even if we played with 3 players?  One of the teams only had 5 players.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (New American Standard Bible)

24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

25Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

There is a time to push it and to go right to the edge, and even more. But there is to be something different about those followers of the Christ.  There is also a time to be in control and to pull back, and to show restraint.  Both of these games demonstrated one of those great teaching opportunities, where we could taught our children the importance of  displaying control and restraint and modeling Christ is all that we do.

I still am a very intense person, a driven person, but I hope that if my current coworkers where asked to describe me in one word that they would pick something other than “intense”.  Maybe something closer to  “servant”, or “merciful”. (Most would probably just say “Jerk!”)

It maybe that I am so sensitive to this because I am in such need of mercy and grace myself.  Well, who isn’t?  And that is why I want to teach our children that control, and extending grace, and extending mercy, are a very important part of giving 100 percent to God.

So, I write about this to use the opportunity to teach, I hope that as you read on, you consider your life.  Is there a place where you still are running the full court press, where maybe you should drop back into a 2-3 soft zone and reach out to that person and provide the mercy that you have been all so freely given.

36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:36 (New International Version)

Also, what word would people us to describe you?