Can’t Meet the Criteria (Psalm 51:1)

Forgiveness from a human perspective, it is usually based on the person meeting some type of behavior or expectation. Forgiveness might be based on the person being sorry, expressing sorrow or performing some act of penance.

However with God, it is a different story. God‘s forgiveness hinges on two aspects of his character: lovingkindness and tender mercy.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1)

Both of these traits stem from the love of God. The former relates to his actions toward men and the latter-meaning womb-reflects his emotional bond with us.

The remainder of Psalm 51 conveys attitudes and promises to declared by David, but without loving kindness and tender mercy, forgiveness would not even be considered.

Therefore, when you find yourself needing forgiveness don’t try to follow a pathway of penance or self restoration to a God of lovingkindness and tender mercy, but instead run to the throne of grace whereupon your loving and merciful God sits. From there, he will forgive and lead you to a place of restoration.

Upholding Others (Psalm 54:4)

Have you ever been so tired that you just couldn’t stand? If there wasn’t a chair available, you did the next best thing: you leaned against something to give you the support you needed. If by some chance you saw somebody in this type of a condition, you probably would have helped them along by holding them up.

Did you ever think of all the people who struggle so much with life that they just can’t stand any longer? All of life‘s hurts, struggles, disappointments—and for some trauma—continue to bear down upon a person‘s heart. Some choose to end their lives as a way of escape. Others successfully find the help and support they need.

Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. (Psalm 54:4)

The support and help these people need are other people. They need the strength that others have to be shared with them and when this happens, their inner being or soul gains strength. Your actions of love—whether they are words spoken or written—bring strength to those who cannot stand alone. Any act of kindness can help those who are crumbling under their life‘s condition. You may not be able to do a thing about their circumstances, but you can be an encourager.

As you go to work, social events and church, look for the people that God brings to you for encouragement and share your strength with them.

The Shepherd Leads to Restore

Did you ever get in your car to go somewhere only to recognize that you had taken the wrong route and out of habit started driving to work? The route back on track is quite simple for a trip like this. However, if you were taking an extended trip and missed a turn some 25 miles back, the way to get back on track would be more difficult and time consuming.

Sometimes, we find ourselves turned away from God. Depending on how long we are in that state before recognizing or desiring to return will affect the route back to God and how long it will take. Regardless of whatever the situation, if you are turned away from God, the shepherd will provide leadership to restore you.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  (Psalm 23:3)

The way back to the lord will vary slightly from person to person, but the shepherd will guide you back in the same basic manner.

First, the shepherd will lead you to recognize that you are away from him. This may seem basic, but it is not. It is the Lord who gives repentance and when he reveals to you that you have drifted or turned from him, he is doing a mighty work in your life that only he can do. (2 Timothy 2:25)

It is at this point that you must yield to him and if you do, he will continue to lead you on and his leading will bring you to see the stumbling blocks that you have allowed into your life. He will point out things such as people, places, entertainment or indulgences that are keeping you from victory and experiencing the joy that he has for you. By the power and leading of the shepherd, he will lead you to remove those obstacles.

The path, that the shepherd lead you back to himself, will bring you to resources for victory. Because truth brings victory and freedom, he will lead you to the truth that you need. You will find it in the Scriptures which may be revealed by friends and spiritual leaders. Evidence that you are following the shepherd towards truth will be when you are seeking truth from the Scriptures and attending services in the church. Truths from the word of God will usually encourage your faith and may instruct you as to what you may need to put off or put on in your spiritual life. (Ephesians 4:22-32; Romans 13:12; Colossians 3:8-14)

Another source of truth may come from spiritual music, which can minister to you and equip you with your worship and walk with the Lord. Your times of rejoicing in the Lord will be greater steps of progress on your way back. As your heart is lifted up in song, it is actually the shepherd interacting with you and lifting you up as he lead you along the path back to himself and to victory.

While you were fallen away from God, you hurt yourself and others. The Lord will lead you to repair the damaged relationships that your sin has caused. The shepherd is not only interested in delivering you from actions of sin: he also wants to restore you to himself and to others because he is concerned about relationship. It was his desire to have a relationship with you the caused him to seek you out and to lead you to trust his son. His desire and concern for relationships did not stop there. Relationships are vital to the Lord. The church, your family, your life as a child of God and your interactions with the world are all relationships that concerned him. The only way for those relationships to be right is for your relationship with him to be right and as a shepherd, he will restore you to that relationship by leading you to himself.

Remember, the steps back to him may be many or few, but they will involve recognizing your condition of being astray, removing stumbling blocks from your life, obtaining resources of truth for victory and repairing relationships.

The Shepherd: He Restores My Soul

I remember my first trip to the mountains of Pennsylvania.  It was a snowy day and I was walking along the top of the mountain.  When suddenly, my foot caught ahold of a root under the snow.  I tripped forward and after a number of staggering steps, I finally caught my balance.  That is when I realized I was in a very bad situation.  Because the wind was blowing hard, the tracks behind me were cleared away.  I was spun around and lost.

From my location, I walked in various directions trying to get to the edge of the mountain, which would lead me back to camp.  I was unsuccessful, cold, lost and darkness was fading in.  I was spin around and I really needed somebody to turn me in the right direction.

Life is much the same way. We live with everything appearing to be just right and then it happens.  Some event knocks us for a loop, spins us around, and we find ourselves farther away from God than we want to be.  How did it happen and how do we get back?

We can find ourselves turned around and away from God for a few reasons. One way we get turned around is by deceit.  We can be deceived by people who teach us things contrary to the Word of God or we could be deceived by our traditions.  Regardless of the source, unbiblical doctrine can cause you to end up far away from the Lord. If you are trying to live up to a standard so that you can be or feel accepted by God, you have been spun around. Instead of walking toward God, you are walking away from him.

Another major cause for believers to get turn about and away from God is by not being prepared .  We are admonished to put on the whole armor of God. When we are not equipped, we get overcome by our past and present failures. Our sin nature has the ability to rise up and take control of our lives and we can easily find ourselves turned around by sin, simply because we were not prepared.  But there is good news.

Remember, when life turns you around, it is only God who can turn you back around. He restoreth my soul... (Psalm 23:3)

It is God who can turn you around and he may use different ways to accomplish it. One thing we know is that he will use his powerful word because it is perfect and it can convert or turn around the soul. (Psalm 19:7) There can be instances where we may resist his working and when that happens, he may use acts of chastening to accomplish what is best for us. Regardless of how he does it, it will always be because of his mercy. (Psalm 85:4-7) Thankfully it is new every day. 

How did I get turned back around on that mountain top? I remembered that in the morning the sun rose from behind the cabin. Through the snow clouded sky, I spotted where the sun was ready to go down. I used the sun as a guide to get me back to safety by keeping my back to the sun and began running. Eventually, I made it to the mountain’s slope edge and to safety.

It is the same for me today. When I get turned around, I look for the son—the Good Shepherd—and he always leads me back.

Praise the Lord! He restoreth my soul.

Forget Karma: God is Watching (1 Samuel 26:23)

If the Lord gave you what you really deserved, would you be ready for it?  Would you look forward to it with joy or does the thought frighten you?  What we fail to recognize is that it is not just a hypothetical question. 

The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: (1 Samuel 26:23)

These were words spoken by David when he interacted with King Saul who sought to kill him.  He knew that God was sovereign and would return upon men that which they have rendered to others.  The same still holds true today.  The New Testament describes the principle as sowing and reaping.  What you sow, you will also reap.  It may take some time before it arrives, but it is coming.  Just like it takes all summer for apples to grow and ripen on a tree, it may take most of a person's life before they reap what they sow, but be sure, they will reap.  

Much of this principle concerning sowing and reaping is in relation to how we treat other people.  If we sow righteousness towards others, then we will get righteous treatment back, but if we sow wickedness then wickedness awaits us.

Some may ask, "What guideline could I follow that would aid me in sowing righteousness?"  The answer would be to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39). If you allow your actions to be motivated by what is best for another person or make decisions that enable you to meet the needs of someone else instead of focusing on yourself, you will most consistently sow righteousness.  This doesn't require you to give all of your money to the poor or even to live a dejected life.  It only requires you to start focusing on others instead of yourself.  Give somebody recognition.  Show patience and mercy, try looking at situations from the other person's perspective or even take time to listen to people and their problems are opportunities that each of us have to sow righteousness.  It will not cost you one penny, but it will be an investment worth millions of dollars.

For you, the world of people is a field ready for planting.  What kind of seeds will you sow?

He Touched Him (Matthew 8:3)

Many times, there are behaviors that people do that are overlooked by most.  Some people wring their hands as they think about something that disturbs them.  Others may brush their hair from their face when they are nervous.  The behavior isn't really important, but what is important is the motivation behind the behavior.


And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, ... Matthew 8:3

As I consider the passage recording Jesus healing the leper, I cannot help but ask my self questions in regard to Jesus' behavior.  One question is why did Jesus touch the leper?  He didn't need to touch him in order to heal because the next few verses record Jesus healing the centurion's servant who was some distance away.

Consider this.  When do you think was the last time the leper was touched.  I don't mean being pushed as he fought for food or random interaction among lepers, but when was the last time the leper experienced a tender affectionate hand rest upon the side of his face?  When did he last feel a grasp on his should like that of a loving father who rests his hand upon the shoulder of his son?  It had probably been an extremely long time.  I believe that after years of rejection from society and solitude living, the touch was God's display of affection to the leper.  It seems that as Jesus's hand gently rested on the leper, a part of the leper revived and his heart filled with the experience of God's love.

Did you know that God wants you to have that same experience of his love.  Regardless of whatever is in your past, God wants to have a relationship with you.  He loves you dearly and has done--through Jesus' work on the cross--everything that is necessary for that relationship to occur.  Come before and ask as the leper did and ask.  The relationship is greater than you can imagine.

As We Hope in Thee (Psalm 33:22)

My son, Anthony, was the first grandchild on both sides of the family.  Needless to say being spoiled was a regular occurrence.  As that special one, he learned ways to get people to do for him what he wanted.  I remember when he was around 12 years old he asked my sister, Lori, for something.  It kind of went like this.  In the little boy voice he spoke growing up he said, "Aunt 'Ore..."  Regardless of what followed, he already had her reeled in.  He just had a way with my sister that regularly resulted in benefits to him.  We too can have a way with God.

Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. (Psalms 33:22)

Trying to change or become a better Christian isn't going to be enough to get God to work.  Granted, sin can hinder our prayers from being answered, but striving to be a better christian will not be enough because even when you believe you are at your best, you are still a sinner and have sin.  But when we hope in the Lord, which occurs when we look to him, it is then that he responds to us in mercy.

When we look to God and rely completely on him, he moves in mercy.  Not because we reached a plateau of holiness or because we have risen above the masses of sinners, but because of his mercy he works.  When we recognize our condition of falling short and being needy and look to God as our only source of help, God reaches down and works in mercy and love on our behalf.

Have Mercy (Psa 94:18)

When people interact together, it is only a matter of time before some type of conflict will wise.  When the interaction involves one person trying to instruct or mentor another, the chances of it occurring increase.

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to lead someone who continually struggles to either keep up or perform as expected.  So, what should our response be?

When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. (Psalms 94:18)

As we strive to trust God and walk in his ways, how does he respond when we falter?  He doesn't attack or pound us down, but instead holds us up by his mercy.

When people are struggling, our response toward them should be the same.  We should respond with mercy.  There is a difference between struggling and refusing.  When people struggle, they are striving to accomplish or perform as expected, but yet still need support.  We love it when people show mercy towards us and especially when we receive it from God.  His dealings with us are a pattern or model for us to follow.

Patience is still a virtue.  So at work, be patient and show mercy.  As you raise your children, remember mercy.  Mercy is like a fertilizer.  When it is used correctly, it will enhance the growth of your relationships.  Without mercy, relationships can die.  If you want to make a great difference by helping people, you need to exercise mercy.

Stooping Down (Psalm 51:1)

God's mercy: we talk about it, read about and even sing about it.  But what is it?  I know that you may have coined phrases and shoot from the hip definitions for this term, but have you ever personally tried to define it?

In Psalm 51, David cries out to the Lord for mercy.  The definition of the Hebrew word for mercy means " to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior".  Think about it.  Whenever God shows mercy towards us, he, in the splendor of his high exalted state, stoops down to you and me.

Why would such an exalted being be willing to perform such a humbling task?  He does this because of his loving kindness.  As a loving expectant mother feels love in the womb for her child, our Heavenly Father experiences the same towards us.  This form of love is described as tender mercy and it is this tender mercy that moves him to stoop down.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (Psalms 51:1)

When you pray, God stoops down to answer and meet your needs,  When you need help, he stoops down to give you strength and when you fall, he even stoops down to pick you up.  He stooped down to become man and stooped down even further to become our sin bearer. If you think about it, possibly the greatest manifestation of God's love is his stooping down.

Thanks be to God for his mercy.

Mercy and Truth (Proverbs 3:3)

Our attitude towards the law will determine whether or not we forget the law and commandments.  If we desire them and their benefits, our hearts will be inclined to guard God's laws and commandments, but if we seek the world and its vanity, we will forget or mislay them.

Mercy and truth may come to us, but they will not stay with us unless we hold onto them.  If we do not bind them about our necks and write them upon our hearts, they will depart.  When mercy and truth depart, their blessings leave with them.

Trauma (Psalm 27:1b)

Trauma is a terrible thing.  It reaches deep into the resources of the soul and damages everything that it touches.  Only now are we beginning to understand the effects of trauma as we help soldiers returning from war, but trauma isn't something new.  We have been battling trauma on the domestic front for years.  Even though many lives have been destroyed by it, there is hope.

Hope for those traumatized can be provided by those whom they can trust.  Please let me illustrate.  This morning I woke up to the sound of rain.  I looked next to the bed and sure enough, the Shepherd was under the chair.  Our rescue had been traumatized by gun shots, being hit by a car and taunted by passers by as he remained tied to a fence with a broken hip.  It doesn't take much to trigger fears and even reenactments.  So while he was terrified to go outside and do his morning business because of rain and the potential for thunder, I went out into the yard and called him to me.  As he approached, I gave him the repeated rhythmic shsh, shsh, shsh, shsh, shshshshshshsh that I give to soothe him when he is overcome with anxiety.  He recognized my call of caring and came next to me.  He practically knocked me over to get close enough to feel safe.

Jesus provides the same type of care.  He recognizes our fears and calls us to him.  As we hear his voice and get close to him, he provides comfort and security.  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1b). In this verse, the Psalmist declares that the Lord is his defense or fortified place.  He was that for him and he wants to be the same for you.  Will you hear his call?  Will you run to him for comfort and security?  He is waiting and ready to aid you in your trauma.

Moved to Compassion (Luke 7:13)

One of the attributes of God is that he is omniscient, which means that he is all knowing.  He knows all that has occurred in the past, he knows what is in the heart of man and what is taking place currently, and he knows what will happen in the future.

When God became man, he cloaked his diety: that is to say that as God, Jesus functioned as a man and only accessed his divine powers and abilities as directed by the father.

In this passage when Jesus came face to face with the widow, he, as God, saw her and her condition for the first time.  What occurred revealed the nature of God towards man.  The scriptures state that when he saw her, he had compassion on her.  From this, we can know that as God looks upon us, he will be moved with compassion towards us.  Although his plan may require that we endure particular hardships in life, but nonetheless his heart is moved with compassion.

We too should have compassion on others.  What is needed for this to occur is to see individuals in their state.  This may come from visual sight or Holy Spirit illumination.  It is difficult to have compassion on someone if you cannot see them.  So in order for us to have compassion, we must see them.

Mercy and Truth (Proverbs 3:3)

Mercy and truth are like the sunset.  Sunsets are beautiful experiences, but unless they are captured in thought, on canvas or on film, they will be lost.  Mercy and truth are presented to us by God.  We gain it from his word, but unless we taken measures to preserve them, they too will be lost.

God tells us to bind mercy and truth about our necks and write them upon the table of our hearts. (Prov. 3:3). If we live life with mercy and truth, it us because we failed to secure it.  We may have enjoyed its pleasure for a season, but like the sunset, it was gone.

Mercy and Truth (Proverbs 3:3)

Mercy and truth are like the sunset.  Sunsets are beautiful experiences, but unless they are captured in thought, on canvas or on film, they will be lost.  Mercy and truth are presented to us by God.  We gain it from his word, but unless we taken measures to preserve them, they too will be lost.

God tells us to bind mercy and truth about our necks and write them upon the table of our hearts. (Prov. 3:3). If we live life with mercy and truth, it us because we failed to secure it.  We may have enjoyed its pleasure for a season, but like the sunset, it was gone.

Always Reaching Out (Jonah 1:2)

Living the Christian life is not easy.  Sometimes you need to reach out to people who have hurt you.  God will direct us to do this for our and their benefit.  What is most difficult about it is that many times we don't want to reach out and at the same time, God doesn't give us the chance to option out.

However with God, it is a different situation.  God, who has every right to punish sinners for their wicked deeds, willfully takes action which will enable him to avoid it.  For this to be accomplished, he does not require the sinner to come to him, but rather that he reaches out to the sinner.

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. (Jonah 1:2)

God is very long suffering towards sinners.  He endured the wickedness of the Ninevites and commanded Jonah to convincingly cry out to them for repentance.  He also did not give up on Jonah in spite of his disobedience and fleeing to Tarshish.  

God is also long suffering towards us.  While lost in sin as the Ninevites or disobediently walking as a believer like Jonah, God demonstrates long suffering towards us by not dealing with us in judgment.  For the lost, he reaches out in love as a savior, for the disobedient, he reaches out as a loving father. 

God's dealings in the book of Jonah are an excellent example of how he deals with us.  As long as we are alive, his love and mercy overrides his righteous anger towards sin.  He is always ready to save and forgive.  

Dog Ear The Page (Psalm 136:23)

One of the things that I do that irritates my wife is when I dog ear the corner of a page.  You know, when you want to mark your place in a book and you do not have a book mark, you fold down the corner of the page.  I probably do this most often when I am perusing through a cook book and come across a recipe that catches my eye.  Because it caught my fancy and I may want to try and make the item later, the corner of the page gets folded down.

There are other ways to mark  favorite items.  As a boy I sorted through football cards and would set aside favorites in a specific location in my foot locker.  Others may do the same with photos, long ago worn baby clothes and even family heirlooms.  We set them aside in boxes, trunks and chests.  One thing each of these has in common is that the item, because of its own virtue or significance, catches the eye or heart and causes us to mark it or set it aside.

God is the same: he too marks items as special to himself.  However the word used for marking an item for future reference is the word "remember".  Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: (Psalms 136:23). I would love to think that because of something special in my self, God marked me for future reference.  However that is not the case for me or any of us.  God remembered us in our low estate because of his mercy.  It was his mercy that caused him to want us.  It was his mercy that caused him to "dog the ear" on each of us, sinners, so that we would stand out and be easily recognized for future reference.  It wasn't any of our abilities or our desire for him.  It was his mercy and his mercy alone that caused him to choose each of us.  

Had it not been for his mercy, we would have been left unmarked and would be left to perish in our sin.  If it wasn't for his mercy, we would not be enjoying his goodness each day of our lives.  Oh, how soon we forget what God has done for us and instead only think about what we want him to do for us in fulfillment of our goals, plans and desires.  We need to stop and maybe even "dog ear" in our hearts God's mercy and refer to it each day.  Maybe that was Paul's secret for being content in whatever state he may be in. (Philippians 4:11)

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

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Is God Good? (Psalm 118:1)

What makes a cake or dessert good?  It is good because of the pleasure that it brings to the tongue.  What makes a musical piece good?  A musical piece is good because of its pleasantness to our ears and our hearts.  Is God good?  Of course he is, but what makes him good?

We could say that God is good because of his mighty power.  To some degree we would be right, but his goodness goes beyond that.  Many who gaze at the stars in the Heaven may state that God is good because of what he has created.  Again this may sound valid, but God's goodness goes much beyond that.  A god could be all powerful and the creator of a vast universe and at the same time not be good.  Imagine if Lucifer had been successful at ascending to the mount of God and seated himself upon the throne of Heaven as god, would he act with goodness.  We know that he would act completely differently.  From the scriptures, we learn how he will act towards mankind while he is personified in the person of the Antichrist.  He will be ruthless, unloving and evil.  He will be anything but good.  Power and ability do not make a person good.  So, why is God good?

God is good because of his mercy.  To create, you only need power, but to have mercy, you must have a heart and to have mercy that will endure forever, it must be an attribute of your being and not just the result of an arbitrary decision.  O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalms 118:1)

God will seem good to you when you recognize his abundant mercy towards you.  The more you recognize and identify his acts of mercy, the more you will see him as good.  Those who fail to see God as good, fail to recognize or see God's mercy.

Some have a hard time believing that God is good because he does not act in their lives like they desire or expect.  God not coming to the rescue for Illnesses, lost jobs, accidents, financial loss, and domestic struggles persuades people to believe that God is not good.  The fault is not with God, but man.  These people have taken their focus off of the great work of mercy that God has done in their lives and instead focused on what they want or expect God to do.  God is still good, but because of disappointment, they fail to see it.

Which person are you?  They way to determine it is to ask this simple question.  Is God good to you?

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (1 Timothy 1:13,16)

Mercy is a common term of our faith, but many seem unfamiliar with its meaning.  Some suppose it to mean allowing someone to escape the consequences of their actions.  This may seem right, but it is not altogether accurate.  Others attribute mercy with the same definitions that they give for God's actions of grace, peace and love.  Although these qualities occur simultaneously and are bundled together, their different means cannot be shared.

Mercy is an act of compassion whereby an individual chooses to deal with another person's sin in a manner differently than judgement, but as a result will get the same intended outcome.  Mercy has a duel focus: it focuses on the sinner with his needs and God's overall plan for mankind.  Both are essential.

So many times, we feel that if we just so slightly step out of line, God will reach down from Heaven and  smite us with his hand of judgement, but that is not always the case.  I can recall disobeying God and instead of receiving chastening, he blessed me.  I felt so ashamed in that I disobeyed and walked away from such a God who loves me so much.  His blessing brought immediate repentance to my heart.  On other occasions, he would convict me of my sin and with longsuffering wait for my return.  Each of these actions of God was by mercy.  He had mercy on me because of my weakness and also so that he could continue to use me in his plan for the ages. 

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.   Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. (1 Timothy 1:13,16)

So as not to confuse anyone, there were five times in my life where God sorely chastened me for sin: I wrecked my truck, the apartment nearly caught fire, the refrigerator broke and we lost all the newly bought groceries, the engine ceased in my car and I severely cut my finger through the knuckle with a knife.  Why did God chasten on these occasions and not have mercy?  God chastened me because there was no other way to deal with me and get the same results that he desired.

God does not want us to live in fear of him: he wants us to see him as merciful.  As believers, we should show mercy to others whenever possible.  God wants us to have a wonderful life and to recognize his mercy in it.

God's Countenance (Hebrews 5:2)

What countenance is on God's face?  The varied answers that people may give would be based on each person's perspective of God.  As a child, I disappointed my parents on many occasions and on each of these their countenance was negative in nature reflecting anger, frustration, disappointment or dissatisfaction.  Is God the same way?  Does his countenance change towards me?  For those who are away from God, what is his countenance like?  Is he angry? Is he frustrated?  Thankfully from the scriptures, we can see that his countenance would be one that reflects compassion.

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. (Hebrews 5:2)

Compassion?  That doesn't seem like a relevant response to a disobedient believer.  Why would he be compassionate?  Why wouldn't he display a negative response towards their lack of regard for his love, salvation and provision?  The reason is simple.  He has compassion, because he experienced the struggles that we face and the many infirmities that we bear.

As a man, he felt hunger, pain, sorrow and loneliness.  Disappointment followed him continually and in his greatest hour of need, he was abandoned by all on earth and in Heaven.  He knows that we are not as strong as him and that we are prone to sin and wander.  So with compassion, he patiently waits.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  God still hates sin and never condones it, but he loves us still.  He knows that what we need the most during times of discouragement, fear, failure and sorrow is a compassionate friend.

He will continue to work in your life and patiently wait for your return.  The days that you are away from him are a loss to you.  He will not force you to come back.  We must understand that we are not returning to an angry God, but instead to a compassionate father.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

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I'll Choose This Throne (Hebrews 4:16)

Many who struggle in trials feel that they cannot go to God because they feel unworthy.  They feel unworthy because of their struggle with sin and the difficulty they experience with exercising faith in the midst of trouble.  

However, God views us differently.  He knows that we cannot perform as expected unless we have his strength.  That is why he gave us the following verse.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

There are several thrones mentioned in the scriptures upon which The Lord will sit.  He will sit on the Bema Seat or the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Upon this, he will disperse judgment on the faithfulness of believers.  Another seat is the White Throne, which also is for judgment.  This seat is a throne and upon it God will sit and disperse judgment upon all lost souls for the sins that they committed against him.  But then there is the Throne of Grace.  God sits upon this throne and disperses something as well.  However what he disperses is not judgment.  What he disperses upon this throne is grace.  All who stand before the aforementioned thrones will receive some type of judgment, but those who stand before the Throne of a Grace will receive just that: grace.

God instructs us to come boldly to this Throne of Grace.  He wants us to come to him as he sits upon this throne and to speak frankly before.  He wants us to be outspoken about our need for his strength and to ask for it without reservation.  Why does God want us to speak so frankly with him?  Does he not want us to cloak our short comings?  

There is no need to attempt to hide our condition as we stand before him.  He understands exactly what we are experiencing.  The previous verse states that he was touched with our infirmities and tempted as we are.  He wants us to come boldly to his Throne of Grace because he wants us to be victorious.  He understands our plight and wants us to come to him with all of our struggles.  Because he knows that by that act and his strength by grace, we will be victorious.

So, as you struggle.  Go to the Throne of Grace.  Cry out to God speak freely about what you need.  What he promises to give to those who approach this throne is mercy and grace to help in your time of need.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566

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