Hit the Reset Button

    

Lam 3:22-23

 

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

KJV

 

Yesterday was one of those days.  By four o'clock I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or get under the bed. Nothing I touched seem to work. Several work assignments had left me spending the whole day working and accomplishing nothing.  Over and over my technology failed and frustrated me.   It seemed as if I had wasted an entire day.  I felt ragged, disgusted and used up.  And then it hit me!  I can hit the reset button and switch gears!  I can draw a line at the end of the day and move on.  It was now family time and I could lay aside the stress of work.

 I am so grateful for evenings when I can relax, enjoy my family and recharge my battery.  This got me to thinking about the way that God allows for so many do-over's.  Each morning is a fresh start.   No matter how yesterday went, today is a new opportunity.  Today there is fresh grace and mercy on me to use that day. Each morning it seems that my hope is renewed and I am  able to embrace a good attitude and expectation for that day.

 Each spring reminds us of how beautiful it is again to embrace new life.  All of this points to the new birth, where Christ redeemed us from the curse of sin.  Because of Calvary, we can begin again in Christ.  Just as  we need to approach each new day  as a gift and a new start, we need to see our life in Christ as a brand new beginning.  We have to put aside all the ugliness of our past and begin with a fresh, clean slate.

Our minds  are so  easily overwhelmed, discouraged and burned out.  If you are having more day than you do grace, ask the Lord to multiply mercy and grace to you to meet the demands of your day.

Dear Lord, thank you for a fresh start.  Please help to walk in your grace and mercy today.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

Developing a Compassionate Touch

 

   

 

8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.  Ps 145:8 (KJV)

 

When we are hurting,  what is  it we want from people?  Understanding?  Compassion?   Wise counsel?

 

We all have different ways of responding to our own pain as well as different ways that we respond to the pain of others.  The people that I prefer to confide in are those who most exhibit the attitudes of the Lord listed in this verse.  I want a compassionate listener.  Someone who does not get angry with me because of my feelings.  Someone who has mercy on me and understands that I am struggling.  I try to be that friend.  But of course, we all fall short of the excellence of the Lord. 

 

I am so grateful that even when I am wrong, He understands why I feel like I feel, and He cares.  He doesn't make me clean up my feelings, or immediately tell me how wrong I am.  He just loves and accepts me.  If there are sins, He lovingly points them out.

 

The compassion of Christ is no small feature.  It is almost impossible to receive correction from someone whom you do not feel truly loves and cares about you.  But we know He cares.  He wrote His love in His own blood at Calvary.  I am so grateful for his unconditional love and compassion for my failures and shortcomings.  Because of that, I readily receive His correction.

 

When I think of the Lord's holiness and justice, it is a wonder that He does not spend all of His time just correcting us. But instead, He shows us His love and compassion for what makes us how we are.  He knows that we are dust.  He knows that we are worms.  But He loves us. 

 

We must strive to live as He did- with compassion, tender mercy and understanding.  This "soft touch" will allow us to reach more people than an attitude that requires others to meet our righteous standard.

 

 

  Dear God, thank you for your love, acceptance and compassion. Help me to live that out before others as well.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Sherri

 

 

Is it Morning Yet?

    

 

Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall.

20 My soul still remembers And sinks within me. 21 This I recall to my mind,

  Therefore I have hope.    Through the Lord 's mercies we are not consumed,

  Because His compassions fail not.   They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness. NKJV Lam 3:19-23  (NKJV)

 

There are days, and then there are days!  Some nights, I confess, it is a relief to go to bed. It seems that by 8:00 p.m., I have used up all of the Lord's mercies and grace for that day, and going to sleep is a great escape.  And then blessedly, I wake up the next morning and things usually do look brighter and more hopeful.

 

I have recently fell prey to the internet  game, Candy Crush.  You too?  Anyway, I get so frustrated when I am ready to keep at a level until I get it, but I use up my lives and am put into "candy time out" as I like to call it. I have to wait for my lives to renew or build back up before I can begin again.  (Because I am certainly not going to pay for it!) Thank the Lord, His mercy and compassion never runs dry.  They do not expire. They are there when we need them.  And mercifully, when we awaken in the morning, He is there to give us what we need to meet that day.

 

I am blessed to have some truly great, God-given friends.  These friends are day-in-day-out true friends. We have been through some stuff together.  I know whether I am on good behavior, or  100% flesh, these friends have my back.  They will encourage me, pray for me, and maybe even rebuke me in the Lord.  But they are faithful.  I have other friends who are the "fair-weather" variety.  When I see them it is good, but I cannot depend on them for slightest thing.  I love people.  But honestly when it comes to friends like that, what good are they?  If you can't be there when I really need you, why be there when I don't?  God is a faithful Friend and Companion.   No matter what, He always loves, always encourages, always refreshes and always carries me through.  Does He do everything in a way I understand?  No.  But I can rely on His faithfulness to do what is best for me, even when I may never understand it this side of heaven.

 

God  is so limitless in His supply of all things loving and helpful.  If your tank is empty, if you have run out of hope and courage, turn to Him.  He will give you what you need. Every time.

 

Dear Lord, you exceed my every  expectation with more of You than I can contain in my limited human container.  Thank you for your faithfulness to stand beside me.  I love you.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Sherri

 

The Best Advice

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”  I John 2:1

 

Is there a more beautiful verse of Scripture written anywhere?  When I think of Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, who never sinned at all, defending me, I am humbled beyond measure!  This passage is such a beautiful illustration of parenting.  “Johnny, get down out of that tree before you fall!”  (Johnny hurtles to the ground, breaking his arm.)  Mama or Daddy runs to him at break-neck speed, grabs him up with loving consolation and rushes him to the ER.  This is that type of thing, only times infinity!

“My dear children” here is the apostle John demonstrating a spiritual Father type of love, sent to several gentile congregations, passed around anywhere there were believers.  With great tenderness he admonishes them to not sin.  In many ways this makes me think of the “birds and the bees” talk given to our adolescent children.  “Sex is for after marriage, etc., etc.  But if you get into trouble, I want you to talk to me.  I am still going to love you and be there for you.”  We tell them what we want for them.  We tell them what is best for them.  We tell them how to avoid heartache, disaster and sickness.  But if for some reason, they do not heed our advice, we do not throw them out.  We try to lovingly restore them.

Jesus does not want us to sin.  Period.  He has given us his Spirit to guide us; a conscience through which to lead us; his Word to direct us; and his grace to empower us.  This is the sin-free power package.  But just as we recognize the humanity and propensity to fail in our little ones, he sees it is in us.  He knows our frame- the very hairs of our head are numbered.  He knows us inside and out.  What love!  What devotion!  He wants us to succeed.  He wants us to be blessed.  He wants us to walk closely with him.  But if we stumble, if we fall, he is there to bring us help.

If he were not mercy; the conversation with the Father would be so much different. It would be more like, “Father, Sherri has gotten angry and lost her temper.  I never did that when I walked this earth.  Punish her.”  He is grace.  Take a moment and thank him for his longsuffering mercy toward you.

I would not be a balanced Bible teacher, if I did not offer up a word of caution at this point.  He tells us not to sin.  We should never purposefully choose to sin and then impose on his mercy.  His mercy is not cheap.  It was purchased with the pure blood of the Lamb!  One day as I was diving into a ridiculously sinful dessert, I jested with friends, “For this sin I am about to commit, please forgive me.”  We laughed about it, because it was just dessert.  But how many Christians live their lives in the same way.  I know what I am doing is wrong; but I am going to keep doing it and get forgiveness later.  Be careful!  You are gambling with your soul.

Dear Lord, thank you for your extravagant mercy and forgiveness.  Forgive me for knowingly sinning against your mercy.  Help me to walk in purity and holiness.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

Hiding in the Shadows

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge.  I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”  Psalm 57:1

 

The mercy of God is without description.  We deserve death, hell and destruction, but in his great mercy, he has paid the price for us.  Rather than judgment, he lays up blessings for the child of God.  Instead of hell, he offers heaven.  Instead of death, he provides eternal life.  His mercy is without limit. When we stumble, when we fall, he is there to pick us up; with tender mercy his heart is always turned toward us.

When we are afraid, when we are disheartened we can run to him for mercy and find refuge for our soul.  A refuge is a sanctuary or place of safety.  Even in the middle of physical warfare we can enjoy spiritual refuge.  Praise God for his provision! 

Some trials of life are so huge, so overwhelming that they loom like a mountain of destruction in our path.  When your enemy is as great as a mountain, you must find a very large rock to hide behind!  In those days, God is the only one large enough to hide every part of you from the enemy. 

Not too long ago our little one was jumped on and bitten by a dog.  When I realized what was happening, our three year old was running toward me as hard as he could run and threw himself into my arms.  He knew that he would find safety from the teeth of that dog if only he could get to Mama.  There are days that I am that child running for all I am worth toward a heavenly Father who is running to me with his arms outstretched. 

Just as a chicken gathers her chicks underneath the safety of her wings, God gathers us in, on the day of disaster.  Please know today that no matter how the wind howls outside your door, no matter how the windows rattle and shake, you have a safe room, a safe haven in which to hide.

Dear Lord, thank you for being there for me, offering me mercy and safety.  Help me to feel your protective arms about me.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Sherri

Settling Your Account

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

 

OK- so I know I talked about this passage of Scripture yesterday, but I just cannot move past it.  After I hit the publish button yesterday, the part about “to whom we must give account” leapt off the page at me.  So here we are again revisiting this sobering passage.

So much of the issues in this life feel like it is a matter between us and someone else- our boss, our spouse, our kids, the person who cuts us off in traffic.  But the truth of the matter is, no matter what I am doing, or who is involved, it is about me and God.  He is the one to whom I MUST give account.  Notice the imperative in that.  We do not get to opt in and out of giving an account, it is a must, and therefore will surely happen.  I will answer to him for my choices, my attitudes and my behaviors.  The why behind what I do?  It is all laid bare before Him.  Unvarnished, unembellished, the dirty rotten truth. 

Once the Lord gave me a beautiful “vision” of His grace and mercy.  I saw a person as being dressed in dirty, stained clothing.  The person in my vision wanted desperately to pull something clean on over the clothes.  But that would not do.  First, the dirty and stained garments must be removed.  At that moment, the person is naked and vulnerable before the Lord.  This is the part we often struggle with- being vulnerable and dependent.  We want to cover our shame and nakedness with something.   But then I saw the best part. Just like a toddler we take out of the bathtub and wrap in a large, warm and comfy towel, the Lord stands ready to “throw his mercy” over us.  He wants to remove the garments stained by sin, clean us up and put His robes of righteousness upon us.  Yes, we must face the naked truth.  Yes, it is all laid bare before Him.  Yes, we must give account.  But we could choose instead to have the precious, cleansing blood of Jesus applied.  That will cover and cleanse it all.

Dear Lord, I want to be clean inside and out.  Help me always be mindful of my need to give an account to you.  Help me to be willing to be vulnerable and clean.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

You Be the Judge

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”  Romans 2:1

 

Were more convicting words ever written?  How many among us can truly say that we never pass judgment on others?  We even come up with ways to justify our assessments or our right to judge them.  But do we have that right?  Really?

According to today’s passage, the answer is an emphatic “no!” We do not have that right.  Because as the passage states, we who judge are guilty of the same things for which we judge another.  I can hear you saying right now (or is it me talking to myself?!), but they are selfish, arrogant and mean.  I would never do anything so rotten to someone else!  And yet, out there somewhere, are the people who have said such things about us and our words.

At times, it has been comical to me when people I know pass judgment on someone in an area, and yet they are even guiltier of it than the one they are accusing.  As my grandmother would say, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.” 

I think sometimes we actually judge people more harshly in an area that we know we are weak in.  Perhaps, that is because we resent having to deal with that area so much in our own lives that we cannot tolerate anyone who is not dealing with it like we are.

Either way, God’s challenge to you and me today is to turn our focus inward instead.  Let us examine ourselves and repent and change. At the end of the day, the only person’s behavior we can truly change is our own. 

Dear Lord, forgive me for being guilty of judging. Lord, help me instead to inspect myself.  Help me, O God, to walk in mercy that I may receive mercy.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

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It’s Just Not About Me

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”  Titus 3:3-5

 

Have you ever met someone that thought they were “all that and a bag of chips?”  Someone who felt they could do no wrong?  We have all had the pleasure of those types of acquaintances.  But the truth is, we all do wrong- and quite often. Thanks to the sin nature inherited from Adam’s fall, we all have a tendency to fall short of the glory of God and to do things that separate us from a holy God.

I am so glad it does not depend on my righteous deeds. I do not have enough energy to do enough good to offset the bad I am capable of doing.  “But when the kindness of God our Savior appeared….”  Wow!  What kindness.  His death on Calvary was wretched brutality to the Lord, but kindness by the Lord.  I am so grateful that His kindness extends to me, one who so often fails and is so unworthy of such lavish kindness.

But in this passage, the description of Christ goes beyond kindness and on to mercy.  Mercy is when I do not get what I deserve.  When God extended His kindness and mercy to save me, the enemy of my soul shouted “No fair!”  And he would be right.  It is not fair, but it is mercy.  My salvation rests solely on the kindness and mercy of a loving Father. 

A Christian who has experienced this type of generous outpouring of mercy is inspired to do good and righteous works.  When someone does something that marvelous for you, it makes you want to return the favor.  Thus, Christian deeds become a part of our life.  Not because it purchases our forgiveness, but because it honors The Forgiver.

Dear Lord, I am humbled by your mercy and grace to me.  Thank you for your loving kindness and beautiful sacrifice.  Help me to always remember that it is about You and You only.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

It’s Just According

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”  Psalm 51:1

What a beautiful verse to begin such a beautiful chapter.  I am so grateful that His mercy is according to His unfailing love.  His rich, deep, unconditional, unmoving, unfailing love.  There is no telling how many times a day I need His mercy.  He is rich in mercy and His heart is tender toward us.  What a precious gift!

Whether I succeed or fail, stand or fall, his love does not fail!  In life, some people will leave you behind if you do not meet their expectation.  But God’s love never depends on our ability to do right, but on His character, which is love.

“According to your great compassion….”  Based on His compassion, His tender heart, His great kindness. According to that, blot out my transgressions.  This is good news because my transgressions are enormous!  I have a God-sized sin problem. How about you?

I urge you today to take time to reflect on this indescribable gift of His love, His compassion and His ability to blot out your sin.  When He cleanses you, you are as clean as if you were never dirty.  He removes your sin never to look at it again.  Not because of your works, but according to His compassion.

Dear Lord, thank you!  Your gifts are beyond my ability to fathom them. Help me to always recall your great compassion and unfailing love.  Wash me of my sin, and help me to put it behind me just as you put it behind you.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Check out the View

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of service.”  Romans 12:1

This is such a power-packed verse!  To just stop and take in the “view of God’s mercy” is enough to leave my mind boggled through eternity.  His mercy is rich, vast, and unending.  He has multiplied such mercy to me!  Every day I deserve judgment, punishment, death, but every day He keeps doling out His mercy on my behalf!  Selah- pause and calmly think about that.  Think of every failure, sin and shortcoming and recall the depth of mercy you have received.  And then…

Because of that- offer your body as a living sacrifice.  I once heard it said:  “The problem with a living sacrifice is that they keep crawling off the altar.”  This is so true!  I want to live- or die- for Jesus.  Until it gets rough and I am tempted to get up and move away from the fire.  Can you relate?  To offer my body as a living sacrifice means that my mouth is used only for his purpose (oh my!).  My hands work for His glory.  My feet carry forth His Word.  My mind reflects upon His principles and His Word.  My ears hear His voice.  My eyes behold His beauty.  Quite a tall order.  But in view of His mercy, a small thing for Him to ask or expect.

“Holy and pleasing to God”- To be holy is to be set apart.  It means that the particular item is no longer used for common purposes, but rather it is devoted to good and noble purposes.  I cannot tell you how often, with a house full of boys, my decorative towels have been used to wipe mud, grim and grease off of little hands.  The whole time I’m whining- “Why didn’t you use the hand towel hanging by the sink rather than the pretty towel on the rack!?”  Set apart for a special purpose, but made common by misuse. 

How many times have I set aside my mouth for His purpose, only to spew impatient words at motorists who sit and look at a green light as if it is a tourist attraction?  How many times have I set aside my mind to meditate on the Word of God, only to find myself rehearsing my anxieties or unforgiveness toward another?

The King James Version of this verse says “which is your reasonable service.”  Living in a way that is holy and pleasing to God is our reasonable service.  It is not asking too much.  It is the right amount of responsibility for us.  This is my spiritual worship or act of service to Him.  Because of that, I have to raise the standard and become the right kind of sacrifice.

In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was needed they looked for a pure, unblemished, unspotted lamb.  They knew better than to bring to God a substandard sacrifice.  But sadly, in this day of grace, we have become accustomed to feeling that God will take any old thing from us.  How many times have I brought a sacrifice of praise half-heartedly?  How many times have I yielded my hands for His use, only to get tired and quit without finishing the task?  How many times have I brought a lame, one-eyed sacrifice to give to Almighty God?

Dear Lord, help me to be a living sacrifice for you.  One that is holy and pleasing to you.  Help me to rid myself of everything that defiles.  And thank you, thank you, Father, for your rich grace and mercy.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri