Uncommon Love

Although God causes the sun to rise on the evil as well as the good, and although He waters the land belonging both to the righteous and the unrighteous, it does not mean that God approves of their evil or unrighteous behavior.

If unconverted people would really pay attention, they would recognize that the whole earth is actually full of the lovingkindness of the Lord (Psalm 33:5).

At times, evil people advance in this world quicker than the righteous, which seems totally unfair to us. As humans, we would take a totally different approach. We would zap our enemies and annihilate them.

Yet, God often makes sure that unbelievers experience the same joys and benefits from His love that Believers do. He draws them by His love, just as He drew us by His love, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

At times, we are frustrated by the sinner's blindness to the goodness of God, and we lament that they do not praise Him for His love and kindness (Psalm 107:8).

They know about God; yet, most of them reject Him or even accuse Him for everything that goes wrong in their life. Their foolish hearts get darker and darker in the midst of God's obvious wonders (Romans 1:21).

Nevertheless, God pours out His blessings on the unjust as well as the just (Matthew 5:45). Then, He calls us to mirror His love to our unsaved friends, relatives, associates and neighbors by laying our life down for them (Romans 5:7). 

Prayer:

Father God, give us the same mercy and grace toward sinners that You showed to us. Keep us from expressing the frustration we often feel towards their resistance to Your love. Help us not to judge them, but to accept them right where they are; knowing that You will convict them in your timing and way.

Remind us often that we are no better than the sinner, because the only difference is that we are already saved by Your grace. Let us lay down our life for them. Give us the chance to prove to them that our motivation for serving them is nothing more than Your love for them in us.

Thought for the Day:

God desires that we continually pray for the salvation of the sinner; and that we utilize every opportunity to take as many of them to heaven with us as will have the humility to surrender to God's love.

The Presence of God

God is present within us, and in our world through the lives of His Saints. His Holy Spirit takes up residence in us and we are His temple. We live, move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28).

His supernatural power supplies all of our needs through His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). He abundantly meets our needs in ways we never have imagined.

Our Father rarely uses signs and wonders to accomplish His will. He works through ordinary people and often by ordinary means (John 4:48). His quiet presence is always in our midst (John 14:16; Matthew 28:20).

The fleshly desires, of our Adamic sin nature will decrease, as Christ in us increases (Ephesians 2:1-3). He replaces our carnality with His divine nature (Romans 8:8-9; 2 Peter 1:4).

Christ set us free from the bondage to sin, and He is showering us with His forgiveness, holiness, peace and joy through His Spirit (Romans 6:18, 14:17). Through His forgiveness, we can forgive our self and those who hurt us.

We have the choice now to walk in the Spirit or the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25). We are no longer deceived by the allure of the world, for we recognize it as empty and devastating. 

As we put Christ as our first priority in our life, and eliminate our attachment to the world, we enjoy real devotion at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:41-42). We organize our life and reduce the excesses until we have more time for worship and service.

The faith of Christ brightens our day and His mercy and grace fuel our desire to walk only in His will. We submit to Christ as He does the works of our Father in and through us (John 5:19).

Prayer:

Father God, we please You by our willingness and obedience to Your Word. With Christ in us, we are enough - good enough, strong enough, obedient enough, anointed enough to serve You with our life (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

We serve You with joy in our heart, and we dwell in Your presence with gratitude and praise. We bless Your name, for You are good, and Your everlasting mercy and truth endure throughout ever generation (Psalm 100:2-5).

Thought for the Day:

God shows us the path of life, as well as continual delights at His right hand; and we find complete joy in His presence. 

- Psalm 16:11

Thanking Deb Campbell for the use of her photo.

Growing in Faith

Do you ever question God’s reasons for the events in your life? Do you ever wonder if God is angry with you, or if you quenched the Spirit in your life? The accounts in the book of Psalms are full of men crying out to God in times of distress.

"I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help. You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray” (Psalm 77: 1-4, NLV).

Their words allow us to see that we are not alone, but that others over the ages felt as we do now. They also show us how other people question God’s reasoning for the agony in their lives, and that God always responds to them with kindness and love. Their poetic words often express our exact sentiments and give us hope.

“I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now” (Psalm 77: 1-4, NLV). The writer thinks of times in the past, much as we do, when we compare our present affliction with the glory of yesteryears. We wonder what happened for God to turn His back on us.

The author even questions God’s motives for his current situation. "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" (Psalm 77:7-9 NLV)

Questions such as these are on our lips as well. Cries of despair such as these come from someone who truly knows the ways of the Lord, because they always turn to exclamations of praise to God for His faithfulness. “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord! I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph” (Psalm 77:11-15 NLV).

All of the psalmists intimately knew the faithfulness of God in their lives. Our Heavenly Father saw them through every moment of trial and blessing alike. They had no doubt that God would hear their prayers for help, and that He would also faithfully answer their questions. The psalmists all showed their willingness to learn from their suffering and to move toward faith in God’s wisdom and purpose for everything He allowed in their lives. We can draw comfort from their grief and learn from their faith. We also join them in rejoicing as we grow in faith.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I often have times where I do not understand the trials and grief that shroud my life. I call out to You during these times with honest questions and a grieving heart. You always answer me and show me how these situations are working out for my good, according to Your will. You also teach me how to use each condition for my benefit. You teach me things I otherwise would never learn. You give me the strength to endure suffering and to look to You for grace to rejoice in them as Paul did. You flood my soul with Your peace, which goes beyond my human understanding.

Thought for the Day:

In our darkest hour, God works the greatest miracle.