Compassion

On August 11, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 54: 9 – 10

“For this is like the days of Noah to Me; when I swore that the waters of Noah should not flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Jesus was often moved by compassion. Often we think of this as simply and emotion that Jesus experienced but in truth it was so much more. You may hear people talk of the angry God of the Old Testament. Well, here is irrefutable evidence that God is not angry with you. He loves you and is compassionate.  And this is from the Old Testament.

This is the compassion that moved Jesus to heal and bless people. He was moved by the compassion of his father. Through the prophet Isaiah God delivered a promise of compassion and lovingkindness. By the time Jesus graced the earth God’s heart of compassion was well established. God, the Father, gave us a covenant of peace, not of anger. This is why Jesus is the Prince of peace. He is an extension and expression of his father.

God certainly had every reason to be angry with His people. He would be completely justified in being angry with us as well but He chose love, compassion and peace instead. It wasn’t an angry God that sent His only son here to die for us. Love nailed Jesus to that cross.

You are encapsulated in a covenant of peace with the creator. Let this be your revelation. Peace surrounds you and even if the mountains shake still God’s lovingkindness will remain with you. His love will never forsake you.

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All Paths

On June 24, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 25: 10


All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. 
You may notice that many of God’s promises have a condition precedent or a prerequisite. Let me help you understand this. God isn’t really conditioning His promises. He is actually explaining to you how the Kingdom of God works. If I wanted to teach a person how to do something I might say something like, “If you do this, you will get this result.” That is what God is attempting to explain to us; He is teaching us how to operate Kingdom Principles in order to get everything we need and want. 
 
When you apply this insight to today’s verse you perhaps come away with a deeper understanding of how to work with God to find your way to His paths of truth and lovingkindness. And think of it, for those who keep His covenant, all paths lead to truth and lovingkindness. Isn’t that exciting?
Now you may be asking yourself what His covenant and testimonies are so that you can be sure you are walking in them. Well, here is some good news. That is what I give you daily. My job is to show you God’s principles, His ways and even His covenant. You just apply them and reap the rewards.
One small caveat though, don’t try to do any of this on your own. As you see a principle, immediately go to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to walk you through it. That is His job. We all have our part to do. You are not on your own.
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The Architecture of Prayer

On May 9, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 13: 5

But I have trusted in Thy lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.
This is a psalm of David described as a prayer for help in trouble. This part of the psalm certainly does not sound like he is praying for help though. The structure of this prayer is so insightful. David begins with his woes but by verse three is makes his petition to the Lord. Then by verse 5 of this six verse psalm, he has shifted into trust, thanksgiving and praise. David knows that despite the appearance of some problems in his life, his God will rise up and save him. He confesses that his trust is in the Lord and that ends his troubles. He knows what the end of the story is going to be and he sings his praises to the Lord.

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The Original Premise

On March 10, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 103: 8

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

This is a song written by David. David was (and is) a friend of God. He walked and talked with God and because of that he knew Him better than most people. David certainly put God to the test but he also learned to trust God for his every need. The importance of this is that we can feel assured that David is a very good candidate to speak about the nature of God. He experienced God’s forgiveness even before Jesus paid for the sin of the world. He witnessed God’s strength and power. When it comes to describing God, though, David leads off with compassion. Jesus was compassionate. There are no less than thirteen places in the gospels where Jesus either teaches about compassion or is moved by it.

What does this really mean to our lives though? The bottom line is that God is love. His way of interacting with the world and with each of us is through love. It’s who He is. As you listen to church people you sometimes hear discussion of a wrathful God or a vengeful God. However, when He is discussed by the people that have known Him best, like Jesus and David, He is always described in terms of love. That is God’s essential nature. He abounds in lovingkindness and is slow to anger. What we sometimes do, though, is to super-impose our scar tissue onto Him. When we believe ourselves to be vile creatures then we create an image of God that is angry and prosecutorial. In contrast, when we are able to look at God outside of our own filters and lenses then we see Him as He is, loving and kind. And believe me, when a person begins to see the Lord, our God and Father, by His true nature, all things in that person’s life change. A critical nature can change in a moment. A harsh person may put on the robes of graciousness. One who is selfish and self-centered can at once become a person who puts the needs of others first. 

This is our first and foremost meditation, that we ruminate on the goodness and kindness of God; our prayer – that we may know the love of God. This is the first issue. Once we come to an understanding in our hearts, rather than our minds, that God not only is love but that He loves us individually, then truly all things do become possible.  One can never understand the Bible if they do not first understand the original premise of the book – that God is love. It is, therefore, imperative that the Bible teachers to whom you subscribe have an integrated understanding of this first principle.  If they do not, their teaching will be skewed.

Grab this concept with both hands. Make it your own.  It is the only rightful foundation for a relationship with the Father.  Anything else will cause you to misfire. Our God is love and it is with love that He communes with us. I pray, let His love saturate your being, may it be absorbed by every cell of your body.  Amen.

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