Category Archives: Loving / Kind

Grace / Forgiveness, Loving / Kind, Peace / Rest

Our Authority Comes from God, Not Man

Paul was always clear from whom his authority originated as an apostle. It was never from men. It was from God. Having a firm grasp on this is so important for pastors and others in authority within the church. Knowing whom we serve and from whom our authority comes makes it much clearer whom we should seek to please. We should not worry over how many people fill the seats of our church or “like” us on social media. It is not that you can’t use that as a reference for reaching an audience, but be careful not to judge your success that way, lest you be drawn to serve men instead of God by telling them what they want to hear instead of what God wants you to share.

I also appreciate that as Paul opens his letter to Galatians, he puts emphasis on the grace and peace characteristic of a healthy relationship with God. We are drawn immediately to focus on the purpose of the death and resurrection of Christ and to whom the glory is due.

What a wonderful way to launch a letter engaging brothers and sisters in Christ.

Galatians 1:1-5

Introduction

     1Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:

      3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Let us challenge ourselves to remember that authority comes from the Father. He is the one whom we should please. He is the one who brings grace and peace.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Love, Loving / Kind, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

We Only Discipline and Rebuke Those We Love

It may not always be intuitive, but it makes perfect sense if you think about it. Whether we are talking about Yahweh or brothers and sisters in Christ, we only discipline and rebuke the ones we love. Think about your own situation. How often do you reprove or discipline a stranger? It is much more often we will reprove friends or family… brothers and sisters in Christ, or our own spouse or children. It is the same with Yahweh.

Hebrews 12

    6FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”

Revelation 3:19

19‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

There is little point reproving a mocker or a fool. They will not learn.

Proverbs 9:8

     8Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

With this in mind we can certainly appreciate the spirit in which Paul wrote 2 Corinthians. His desire was to help those he loved, brothers and sisters in Christ, who were struggling to hold tightly to correct teaching and application of that teaching in their lives. Paul wished to help them now, by the letter, so he could rejoice with them when he visited… rather than spending his visit rebuking them firmly.

2 Corinthians 13

Examine Yourselves

     1This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 2I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, 3since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

      5Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? 6But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. 7Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. 8For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. 9For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. 10For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

      11Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13All the saints greet you.

      14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

I appreciate that even when Paul was being firm and direct, he did so in a way that demonstrated love. He never changed God’s instructions, but he could identify with the people he was leading and teaching. Even as he reproved them, he encouraged them and reminded them lovingly of the truth of the gospel. I suppose I also appreciate that Paul points to all three members of the trinity in his closing, each playing a crucial role in the life of a believer.

We would do well to pray for the Spirit’s help to reprove others as effectively as Paul did… both firm and loving and never compromising.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

Understanding how much God loves us is best put in perspective in that Jesus Christ died for us, for our sin… so that we could be made right before God. Nothing can separate us from His love except if we choose to reject His offer of salvation through grace and therefore reject a right relationship with God.

Romans 8:31-39

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[o]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Nothing can separate us from the overwhelming love God has for each of us, unless we turn our backs on God and choose not to accept Him. All we have to do is to come before God with humility, ask His forgiveness through grace, repent of our sinful nature, and seek God wholeheartedly as we ask Jesus to be lord of our life.

If you have not done this in your life… now is a great time to do it.  Take a few moments to come humbly before God. He is always available with no waiting required.

Read more about accepting Yeshua as LORD, The Message of the Cross. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Submitted / Servant

Break the Cycle, Remain Focused on God at All Times

God’s people can often get distracted and lose focus on Him. At times, ungodly nations or forces may have power and authority over God’s people, but God is always able to clear them away in His timing. It is good to recall at all times the mercy and lovingkindness of the LORD. When we don’t, even if the LORD delivers us from the nations, we still end up with rebellion against Him. When His people rebel, God is not going to bless them. Rather, He will be against them. Then the people remember Him and all that He has done for them. Then they return.

How awesome if we could adjust this cycle and just remember the goodness of God all the time. It seems very hard to do it as a nation, but perhaps first we each need to seek to do so as individuals.

Isaiah 63

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

1Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

      2Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

      3“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My raiment.

      4“For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.

      5“I looked, and there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.

      6“I trod down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk in My wrath,
And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled

7I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

      8For He said, “Surely, they are My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their Savior.

      9In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

      10But they rebelled
And grieved His Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.

      11Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

      12Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

      13Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

      14As the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.
So You led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.

“You Are Our Father”

15Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

      16For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O LORD, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

      17Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

      18Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have trodden it down.

      19We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.

Be intentional to reflect on all God has done for His people and specifically for you. Keep on praising God. Stay focused on Him. We don’t have to turn from Him and experience His displeasure in order to find Him again. We can pursue Him now!

Spend a few minutes in prayer thanking God for all He has done for His people and for you. Submit to follow His will and His instruction in your life. Give Him praise.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Love, Loving / Kind, Marriage, Traditions / Holidays

What Is Love?

What is love? This is a very old question with many answers. Context is important. We may “love pizza”, but that is different than when we say we “love our spouse”. Today, the world even steals the word “love” as a replacement for “sex”, which is completely incorrect. These are certainly not the same meaning. Greek, the language in which the New Testament was largely written, had multiple different words for different types of love. In English, we have one word and we must therefore pay close attention to context.

Many put a lot of time and focus into the highly marketed cultural holiday of Valentine’s Day. Candy makers will tell you that you must buy chocolates to show you love your spouse. Greeting card makers insist you must “care to send the very best” and thus spend $5 or more on a card, and send one to everyone you know. Flowers are a must, right? But now they even sell gold dipped flowers. Wow. Of course, not to be outdone, Jewelers insist that you are a buffoon if you don’t buy diamonds for that special someone in your life. Once company even suggests you should buy from them a new luxury car. We do well to remember that this is marketing intended to sell things and get our money. This is not how God tells us to show love to one another.

God calls us to show love to one another daily, not once a year, or on a few annual special occasions!

1 Corinthians 13

The Excellence of Love

      1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

      4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

      8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

If you want to give a gift, and it is wisely within your budget to do so, go ahead. But don’t do so because you “have to” or are “expected to”.  These gifts mean little and will ultimately have a very limited impact if you do not show love the way God tells us to. Often times just giving gifts on designated marketing holidays comes to be expected and not appreciated as much. If you choose to give an expensive gift, don’t do it because it is Valentines Day. Consider intentionally giving it at some other time besides the widely marketed holidays for an even greater impact.

Warning… when you make changes in how you celebrate these marketing holidays, discuss it openly with your spouse ahead of time! Don’t surprise someone by not giving them something they already expect from years of habit.

When you are ready to truly grow in maturity, turn towards God’s definition of love and begin showing it today to those you love. No warning necessary. They will greatly appreciate how you treat them. However, you may consider sharing the scripture with your spouse and helping one another as you both make the effort to shift focus from the world’s definition of love to God’s.

You can also ask yourself, if I am celebrating love, would it not be right to celebrate loving God as well as loving one another? And to come in thanksgiving to Him for all the love He has shown, shows, and will show us? If we are to focus on love in the Biblical sense, Valentine’s Day just does not match up very well at all. If you explore the origins of this celebration you will find that once again the Catholic church embraced this festival, but it was based first on a pagan celebration. As followers of Christ, we are better off not letting these pagan holidays dictate how we show love for our spouse or loved ones. Instead, love people the way God teaches.

(World Religion News: Pagan origin of Valentines day)

One last parting thought… we can love YHWH and love others because He has first shown me love. Yeshua died for us to make a way for us to be forgiven our sins.

John 15:12-13

      12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

The best way to show love for one another is through how we treat one another every day of the year.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Depression / Discouragement, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Psalms

Sing to the LORD, Even in Hard Times

Psalm 13 is a wonderful demonstration of praising God even in our suffering, and calling out to Him for protection and help instead of relying solely on ourselves.

Psalm 13

1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
    Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
    Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
    I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
    because he is good to me.

I strive to live out this example in my personal life. Praising God and trusting in Him even in the midst of difficult times or when things seem to be going wrong.  I am truly inspired by the closing verse  given the context of unresolved suffering.

“I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.”

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Thankfulness

Embrace Redemption in the LORD; Give Him Thanks

We all have a past. We have made mistakes. We have been far from God and His ways at times. Perhaps we have even experienced consequences of our sin as a judgment from God. This is also true of Israel as described in Isaiah 62. However, we also see, how dramatic the turnaround is when God brings redemption. He does not hold a grudge. He does not keep you partially forgiven. When He redeems you, you are fully forgiven and fully His. Our slate is wiped clean and He holds us up for His glory.

Isaiah 62

Zion’s Glory and New Name

1For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

      2The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the LORD will designate.

      3You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

      4It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the LORD delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.

      5For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you.

      6On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;

      7And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

      8The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,
“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies;
Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”

      9But those who garner it will eat it and praise the LORD;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

      10Go through, go through the gates,
Clear the way for the people;
Build up, build up the highway,
Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples.

      11Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth,
Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes;
Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”

      12And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the LORD”;
And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”

Think of this passage not only as a message for Israel, but also one for each of us individually when we submit ourselves to God and pursue Him. He can restore each of us to a place of honor and purpose to bring Him glory.

Take a few minutes to reflect on where you are in your life on this journey to pursue God. Give Him thanks that He has made a way for us to be fully redeemed through Jesus.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Comforter, Compassionate, Healer, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness

He Will Turn Mourning Into Gladness

What good news to hear that the Lord binds up the brokenhearted, proclaims liberty to captives, provides comfort to those who mourn, and more. Read through Isaiah 61 and be encouraged if you are following Him. He is more than able to handle any situation in which you are involved.

Isaiah 61

Exaltation of the Afflicted

    1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;

      2To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,

      3To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

      4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

      5Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

      6But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And in their riches you will boast.

      7Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
Everlasting joy will be theirs.

      8For I, the LORD, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their recompense
And make an everlasting covenant with them.

      9Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed.

      10I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

      11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.

Give thanks to God for the blessings He provides and honor Him for who He is, creator of all and father. He cares for us who pursue Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Compassionate, Faithful, Grace / Forgiveness, Humility, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

He Is Ready to Show Grace, if You Are Ready to Repent

Grace is giving someone what they do not deserve. God tells us repeatedly in the Bible that He wants to show us grace, but will wait on us to turn toward Him in genuine repentance.

Isaiah 30 is an impactful scripture about God’s grace following the sin of His people.  I encourage you to click the link and read all of it for full context. The first seven verses reveal how the people of Judah turned away from God and made a treaty with Egypt for protection instead of trusting God. Verses 8-11 reveal how the people have rejected God’s messengers who bring His instruction.  Verses 12-17 tell how futile and worthless is the path the people chose instead of following God’s instructions. It will not serve them well.  And in the center of this outright rebellion toward God, God still offers grace when the people repent starting in verse 18. But they must turn to Him.

Isaiah 30:18-26

18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.

19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. 20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. 22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags,
saying to them, “Good riddance!”

23 Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. 24 The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. 25 In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.

Anyone who expects God to be gracious while still openly rejecting and rebelling against Him will be disappointed. God is willing to extend grace, but we must turn toward Him with genuine repentance.  God is waiting for us to come to Him and His grace is truly wonderful.

Take time in prayer right now and accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Come humbly toward Him with repentance and receive His love and compassion.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Merciful

God Offers Us Mercy, and at No Cost to Us

God offers us mercy at no cost to us. We simply need to accept it and come submit to Him as our Lord. This free offer of mercy from the Lord comes through the person of Jesus (Yeshua, in Hebrew). He is enough for all. When we partake of Jesus, we will never be thirsty again (John 4:10-14). We find life, an everlasting covenant, forgiveness, peace, and joy. Truly, what good reason could anyone have for rejecting such an offer?

Isaiah 55

The Free Offer of Mercy

1“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.

      2“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.

      3“Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.

      4“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.

      5“Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

      6Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.

      7Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the LORD,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

      8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

      9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

      10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

      11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

      12“For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

      13“Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the LORD,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

I am so very grateful that God does not wait for us to deserve or earn His mercy and goodness. He generously offers it to us. Jesus paid the price.

Take time to thank God in prayer. Ask Him to show you any areas in which you still need to fully submit to God and His ways. Let go of any areas in your life where you are doing things your way instead of His way.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.