Learning To Show Mercy

In review of Matthew 5:7 it says, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Bottom Line:

If you show mercy to others, you will be shown mercy.

What this means to me:

As I show mercy to others, I will be shown mercy.

Jesus in the sermon on the mount said, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7, NLT).  In other words, what you give, you’re going to get. God will bless your being a minister of mercy in your life.

I should be merciful because:

1). God has shown me mercy. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved” (TEV). God wants me to pass on the mercy that I’ve received from him.

2). God commands me to be merciful. It summarizes what life is all about? “The LORD has told you what is good. This is what the LORD requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 GW).

3). I’m going to need more mercy in the future. I’m going to make a lot of mistakes between now and when I get to Heaven, and I’m going to need God’s mercy when I do. But I cannot receive what I’m unwilling to give. James 2:13 says, “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” (NCV).

4). Showing mercy brings or causes happiness. Matthew 5:7 says that God blesses those who are merciful. The word “blessed” also means “happy,” so the more I learn and demonstrate this quality, the more blessed and happier I’ll be.

In summary, as I show mercy to others, I’ll be imitating the character of God and will be shown mercy

How To Be Made Right With God

In review of Romans 10:9-10 it says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

Bottom Line:

If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.

What this means to me:

I was saved when I confessed that Jesus is Lord and believed in my heart that God raised him from the dead. It is by faith that I am made right with God; it was my confession of this that save me.

I’m reminded this morning that, it is through the Good News message that I am shown how to be right with God.  Romans 1:17 says, “The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself” (NCV). God does this via these three points.

First, none of us can make ourselves righteous. Heaven is a perfect place. There’s no sin, sadness, evil, or injustice. Unfortunately, I’m imperfect, and God won’t let sinful people like myself into Heaven because then it would be full of sin, too.  Romans 3:20 says, “No one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (NLT).  The only people who think they can keep God’s laws are those that don’t know them, because God’s laws are perfection, and none of us are perfect. We cannot be made right on our own. So God had to come up with a plan.

Second, God sent Jesus to pay for our sins so we could be declared righteous. When I break man’s laws, I would pay man’s penalty. When I break God’s laws, I would pay God’s penalty, which is eternity in Hell. Somebody has to pay for all the things I’ve done in life that hurt other people, myself, and God. God said, “I’ll send my Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty. He will take your place so you don’t have to go to Hell. You can be with me forever.”  The Good News means that everything that I’ve ever done or will do wrong has already been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. I have been made right with God by Jesus action. “God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5a).

Third, in order to obtain this, I need to accept by faith what God did for me. To be made right with God, I just needed to believe and accept by faith that what Jesus did on the cross paid for my sins. When I did, I became part of God’s family. I can live the way he wants me to live now and then go to Heaven in eternity.

Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

The Good News is for everyone, it's not exclusive to me. Anyone can be saved no matter who they are, what they done, or how long they’ve done it.

If you are reading this, today is the day to settle this for yourself. If you are not sure if you are going to Heaven when you die, you can pray this prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you made me, that you have a plan and purpose for my life, and that you made me to know you. Thank you for the choice that you’ve given me to accept or reject your offer of salvation. Today I humbly ask you to save me — not based on what I’ve done but based on what Jesus Christ did for me. I don’t understand it all, but as much as I know how I want to put my trust in your Son. God, I want to get to know you. I want to learn to love you. I want to hunger and thirst for righteousness the rest of my life. I put my trust in your grace and in your forgiveness. I want you to be the Lord of my life. Amen.”

Learning How to Pray Effectively

In review of Nehemiah 1:8-9 it says, 8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’”

Bottom Line:

When the people disobeyed, they were scattered and destroyed, but God had promised that if they returned and obeyed, he would bring them back together.

What this means to me:

God is faithful to his promises. Even after the people were unfaithful and scattered, If they would turn, obey and live by what God had previously commanded, that He would return them back to the place he chose to be worshiped at.

Even though Nehemiah was doing well in his life, he became distraught over what happened to his people. Nehemiah was moved to pray these words as recorded in Nehemiah 1:8-9, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’” (NLT)

What I’m learning is that there are four keys things that lead to Nehemiah’s answered prayer that I can learn from:

First, I should base my request on God’s character. Pray like I know God will answer me: “I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!"

Next, confess the sins of which I’m aware of. After Nehemiah bases his prayer on who God is, he confesses his sins. He says, “I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us” (Nehemiah 1:6b-7 NLT). It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened; he was most likely born in captivity. Yet he’s including himself in the national sins. He says, “I’ve been a part of the problem.”

Then claim the promises of God. Nehemiah prays to the Lord, saying, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:8a). Nehemiah reminds God of a promise he made to the nation of Israel. In effect, he prays, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we repent, you’d give it back to us.” But does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. I should say this because it helps me remember what God has promised.

Lastly I should be very specific in what I ask for. If I want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If my prayers consist of general requests, how will I know if they’re answered?

In summary, Nehemiah made his request to God based on what God had said in the past. He admitted his and his people's wrongdoings. He then claimed the promises of God. Lastly he was specific in what he wanted next.

God Is Always Present, Regardless of How I Feel

In review of Job 1:21 it says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
 

Bottom Line:

I was born with nothing and I will leave with nothing, the Lord has given and he may take it away, regardless, may the name of the Lord be praised.

What this means to me:

I came into this world with nothing, when I leave it I won’t be taking anything with me. The Lord gives and the Lord may take away, regardless, I will praise the name of the Lord at all times.

There was a time, early in my walk that God would confirm my emotions and even answer some of my immature and self-centered presence to reveal himself.  However as I have walked with him, he has and continues to wean me from these types of dependencies.

One other thing I have learned is the God is always present, even when I’m unaware of him. While he wants me to sense his presence, he’s probably more concerned that I learn to trust him more than I feel him.  It is my faith, not my feelings that please Him.

It seems that the situations that stretch my faith the most are those in which life seems to be falling apart and God does not seem to be readily available.  A situation such as this, is explained in the book of Job.  We learn that in one single day, Job lost everything, his family, his health and everything he owned.  For a majority of the book, God says nothing to Job.  

I can learn a lot from Job.  Job 1:20b-21 says, “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised’” (NIV).  

In the midst of this issue and not understanding, Job still praised God. Later Job then poured out his heart and told God exactly how he felt. He essentially unloaded every emotion that he was feeling. Job 7:11 say, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak” (TEV). He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).

The good news is that God can handle my doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. God will use whatever happens to me to refine my character and build me. In plenty or in times of desperation, I need to keep my focus on him and praise him.  Everything comes from him, and I should allow him to take it away from me.  In the end, I will not be able to take anything with me, other than my character and my faith.  It will be my faith, not my feelings that will please Him.

I need to remember that when life gets tough, the best one to discuss this with is God.  I also need to remember that my faith in God is on display when I go through any crises. My example can help others who may be or will struggle in the future.

Being Right With God Is About A Relationship And A Lifestyle

In review of Romans 1:17 it says, “The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.”

Bottom Line:

The Good News shows how God puts people right with himself, it begins and ends with faith. As the Scriptures say, those who are right with God will live by faith.

What this means to me:

The Good News shows me how God makes me right with him. It starts and ends with my faith. His word tells me that it is through faith that a righteous person has life.

What does it mean to be righteous? This term is used a lot in scripture. The Bible says that God loves righteousness and that God is righteous. It says that one day God is going to judge the world in righteousness. Psalm 23 says that God leads us in the paths of righteousness.

Rick Warren boils down the definition of righteousness to two words, a relationship and a lifestyle.

What I’m learning is that righteousness simply means being right with God. Romans 1:17a says, “The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself” (NCV). The Good News is that God made us right with himself through Jesus’ death as a payment for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death, I can now have a personal relationship with God.

Righteousness is also a lifestyle. It means living right as God intends. The Bible says in 1 John 2:29, “All who practice righteousness are God’s true children” (MSG).

What I’m learning is that life is not about the acquisition of things or the achievement of goals. Rather, life is about getting to know God, the one who loves and made me for a purpose. I’m not really living until I’m right with God and have a relationship with him.

Gentleness Can Calm Conflict

In review of Proverbs 15:1 it says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Bottom Line:

A gentle answer deflects anger, whereas harsh words will stir them up.

What this means to me:

A gentle answer on my part can help deflect anger or soothe angry feelings. Any harsh words on my part will likely stir up anger and cause quarrels.

I think our natural tendencies are to mimic the emotions of those we interact with. For instance, if somebody gets angry with me, I tend to get angry back. If somebody is really depressed and I end up hanging around them long enough, I end up getting depressed.

In the same way, when someone raises their voice against me, I usually raise my voice back. Then they raise their voice higher. Then I raise mine even higher. Before I know it, it’s escalated, and our emotions are out of control.

This verse reminds me that, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

What I need to learn is to do is instead of mirroring when someone raises their voice to me, I instead lower mine in response. That would be exercising meekness, or using strength under control.  Gentleness on my part will defuses conflict and de-escalates anger.

Also someone rips into you, I need to realize that it may have nothing to do with me. So instead of getting defensive, practice gentleness. Let my gentle answer disarm the other person and diffuse the situation.

In summary,  gentle answer on my part can help deflect anger or soothe angry feelings. Any harsh words or response on my part will likely stir up anger and cause quarrels. This morning I thank you God for the reminder to be gentle in my response to others. Harshness on my part only escalates conflict and does not reflect a spirit of love. I need to remember to respond with calmness and gentleness always. I should strive to be more of a peace maker than one who stirs up anger. I should think about and consider how I’m representing God with my life. I’m likely best Christian someone else knows and I want to represent him well to others. He deserves my best.

Learning To Communicate With Gentleness

In review of Proverbs 16:21 it says, “A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.” (Proverbs 16:21 TEV)

Bottom Line:

A wise person is known for their understanding, the more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.

What this means to me:

A wise person is known by his understanding and common sense. The more pleasant his words are the better is his ability is to cause others to do or believe something.

Gentleness is persuasive. A hard sell no longer works. No one responds well to someone yelling that he’s got this amazing deal we can live without. Typically we may buy because someone recommended it. This approach was likely gentle with no agenda, which in turn was far more persuasive.

Proverbs 25:15 says, “Gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses” (MSG).  If I want to convince someone, being gentle will get their attention better, because gentleness will  break down rigid defenses.

Screaming never really works, even with the most stubborn child. If I have something to say or communicate, I should communicate it in love and with gentleness. The New Century Version translation of Proverbs 25:15 says, “A gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.”

Gentleness is much more persuasive. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:21, “A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is” (TEV).

This is the mark of maturity. Wise, mature people are pleasant. Fools and idiots are rude. I’ll never persuasive when I’m abrasive.