Potential

Have you ever had a love/hate relationship with someone, where you are extremely thankful for them one day and it seems like the very next day, they do something that causes you to get incredibly frustrated with them? I’m sure we can all agree that there are times this happens to us, and maybe some of us more than we care to admit. Our ministry to the Liberians very much so has these times. This got me thinking about Jesus and how he sees us and those around us.

I find it interesting that Jesus  had the complete capability to raise up a mega church while He was here on earth, after all, He is the Messiah! What better leader could there possibly be then Jesus Himself? But Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t cater to the masses, even though there were times that the crowds followed. He didn’t run to the synagogues or try to take over the Jewish temple. He didn’t chase after the mega church mentality of having hundreds and thousands of followers. No, Jesus chose 12. Jesus  saw great potential in this small intimate group. He knew that after He returned to heaven, they would be the ones who would literally spread the gospel around the world. The masses wouldn’t do that. The masses would move on to the next “messiah.” But these men would be touched so deeply that moving on only meant they were going to the next town to share about the fire burning within them. In fact, these men were so radical about their relationship with Christ that 10 out of the 12 of them were killed for their faith. The two exceptions: Judas Iscariot who had taken his own life and John who died of natural causes in his old age, of course he died while exile in Patmos. 

The disciples probably earned their fair share of frustration points with Jesus. They doubted, questioned, argued, and even betrayed Him. But not one of these things negated the potential that Christ saw in each of these men. It is amazing to me how Christ could continue to keep His focus on the end result when the disciples were constantly tripping over their own two feet. Yet, this is how we are called to work with others. We are called to see the Christ like potential in them, to foster that potential and help it to grow, even when they do not see it themselves. Christ did not give these men material possessions, but he fostered their relationship with Him. He watched that relationship grow, until the day came that these men could stand on their own two feet and have the ability to see the potential in others. That is what spreads the gospel, walking with people as they learn to walk with Christ. No more no less. 

How about us? Do we see the potential in those around us, or are we too busy getting frustrated with the little they “don’t know,” or  they “can’t do” to foster their God given gifts and abilities to be the next disciples for Jesus Christ who will take the gospel to the world?

Who are your 12? In other words, God is not calling us to the masses. He calls us to influence a small group of those around us. This has been a breath of fresh air to our family while on the mission field. It is so easy to get caught up in seeing all of the needs. But God is not calling us to ALL the needs, or for that matter, He is not calling us to All of the people either. He is calling us to our 12. We have had to ask ourselves who is the small intimate group of people God is calling us to see the potential in, to walk with, as they learn to walk with Christ?

For related reading: Holding Up The Hands of Others, Training Others in Kingdom Living, Call to One Another Living 

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for your example. I thank you that you have modeled working with a small group  to empower them to become strong in you. What a relief it is to know that we do not need to feel the pressure or responsibility of shepherding hundreds, because truly that is just a bit intimidating. Thank you for giving us small chunks. Help us to see the potential in others, to walk with them as they learn to walk with you. We pray this in your precious name.
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Getting Dressed (Part 1)

Why is it we as women have such a difficult time every morning trying to figure out what we are going to wear for the day? Our morning deliberation will start out by standing in front of a closet full of clothes telling ourselves we have nothing to wear, sorting through hangers of clothing that may have very well been in our closet for over 10 years and we are lucky if those items still fit. We try to weed through the thoughts of what mood we are in for the day and then proceed to match our clothing with our mood. If we are feeling bright and cheery, we may pick out a spring color, something vibrant and bold. If we are feeling drab and melancholy we may end up pulling something dark and heavy colored. If we are feeling self-conscious and wishing we just had our girly figure back we may pull something out of our husband's closet to hide in for the day. Whatever the situation we face each morning it seems to end up in this long debate over what to cloth our body in for the day.

Despite our see-saw battle each morning with clothing God has a very different approach to what we should be wearing.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Matthew 6:26

“...People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

It is our spiritual clothing that God desires us to clothe ourselves in each day, but what does spiritual clothing look like? In the next few posts, I hope to share what God’s word tells us we are to clothe ourselves in each day.

Put on Jesus

“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14

There is nothing better that we can walk out the door with every morning then making sure we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Put on the full armor of God

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

“ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8

“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12

So what is the full armor of God look like? According to Ephesians 6:1-20 it lists out

• Belt of truth (vs. 14)
• Breastplate of righteousness (vs. 14)
• Feet fitted with readiness (vs. 15)
• Shield of faith (vs. 16)
• Helmet of salvation (vs. 17)
• Sword of the spirit (vs 17)
• Prayer (vs. 18)

This takes work each and every morning to get out of bed and remember to put on each and every one of these things. What happens when we do not put on our helmet for the day? The devil has permission to have a field day with our minds. What happens when we do not put on the breastplate? Satan takes the liberty to break our hearts. We can prevent so much from happening in our lives when we remember to put one each of these things daily.

Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12

“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

What a list to start with! I love Colossians 3:12. It is such a powerhouse verse! If we want to make sure we walk out the door fully dressed and ready for our day then we really should start with this verse. When we look at the life of Christ, He was rich in compassion, full of kindness and humility and overflowing with gentleness and patience. I think about my personal walk and I feel like I would be doing well if I could just get dressed with half this list in the morning. It’s hard to make sure we walk out the door with gentleness and patience, let alone kindness and humility. I can usually get kindness on, but the other three takes some labor intensive work at times to get dressed in.

This is only part of the list of items that the word of God tells us to clothe ourselves in. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I walk out the door a bit under dressed. Whether it means I have forgotten to put one several piece of my armor, or I have failed at putting on patience and gentleness for the day, I am often a few clothing items short of being fully dressed!

Lord, your word tells us the importance of being purposeful about clothing ourselves in specific items. Help us to actively put these items on each and every day. Some of these items are for our protection, others are for your glory to be shown through us. For both reasons, it is important for us to clothe ourselves daily.  

4 Things We Need To Administer Correction

“A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (Amplified)

There have been many times in my life that I have needed spiritual correction. I am grateful for the times of correction because I know that it is always for the my growth and maturity in kingdom principles. I have found that there are different methods of delivering such spiritual correction. Some methods I respond to much better than others. The method in which my heart seems to respond to the best is when correction comes in the form of a gentle and thoughtful word. When a word of correction comes from a humbled heart, I can not help but respond quickly with a humble and repentant heart in return. This is the way God works. He will often speak to us in a still small voice, with a little nudge, or a small prodding helping us to keep on the straight and narrow. I am so appreciative of this because the gentleness of my Heavenly Father teaches me how to respond gently to others. Sadly I still have a long way to go in mastering the soft, gentle and thoughtful answer, but I praise God that He is so patient with me in my moments of mishaps.

There have been times in my life when correction or rebuke has been given and it was not given with a spirit of humility. Unfortunately, some of those moments have scared me for life. As deep of a scare that these moments have left, I am grateful for them because I have seen what a harsh, painful and careless word looks like, sounds like and feels like. These moments have made me more aware of my own words and just how quickly they can turn a rebuke into a scar in someone’s heart. Having gone through those moments have made me more conscious of how I approach correction in the lives of others.

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20

We should not ignore the blatant disobedience of our brothers and sisters in Christ. When correction is needed it should be given because it will save them from death and the potential of more sin being piled on top of what is already in existence. Now, I am not talking about pointing a finger here. I am talking about lovingly restoring someone back to the feet of Jesus so that they can be in right relationship with their Heavenly Father. It should break our hearts when our brothers and sisters are willingly choosing sin over their relationship with the Lord. If it does not break our hearts that we really should take a look at our own heart because we might have something blocking up our relationship with the Lord.

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently…” Galatians 6:1

Scripture does not call us to be our brothers and sisters judge. That is not our job. That job belongs to God and God alone. We are, however, called to be our brothers and sisters keeper. We have a responsibility to watch over the doors of their hearts, but along with that responsibility comes a greater responsibility and that is to restore them back to the family of faith gently. But what does that look like exactly? What must we have in our hearts in order to administer correction to a brother or sister in Christ?

Four things we need to administer correction to someone’s heart

1.We need a  heart of humility.

I think one of the greatest things we can remember in moments when we need to restore a brother or sister in the faith, is this, we are no less guilty of sin then they are. When we remember that we are just as much a sinner in need of a savior as they are, it keeps our hearts in a place of humility. Only in humility is it a good time to approach someone to bring rebuke or correction. If we have any form of judgmental thoughts or feelings or think we are better off than they are, we have no business bringing any form of correction. When we approach others with a wrong spirit all that does is drive a wedge between our relationship with that person as well as drive a wedge into their relationship with their Heavenly Father. Our thoughts should always be focused on Romans 3:23. It is in this verse that we can remember that we are very much a part of that ALL that has fallen short of the glory of God.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

2. We need to be filled with kindness and compassion.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

We absolutely must approach others with a heart full and overflowing with kindness and compassion. If our hearts are not full of these things, it is going to be virtually impossible to deliver a rebuke with a gentle word. I must repeat myself here, we must have the right spirit in order for a gentle word to be delivered. If not, it will inevitably backfire right in our faces. I can not think of a single instance from my life where rebuke was delivered with kindness and compassion and I did not respond with a broken and contrite heart before the Lord. Kindness and compassion will make all the difference in being able to bring someone to the feet of Jesus with a repentant heart.

3. We need to speak in love.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16

When our words are spoken in love they become a support to others in the body, in other words, our loving words build up. This is the business God is in. God is building His kingdom in love and when we refuse to speak in love then our harsh, critical, and destructive words destroy God’s strategically placed infrastructure. We become nothing more than a pawn in the hands of the enemy at this point because we are in direct opposition to what the Lord is trying to do. The Lord is building in love and so should we.

4. We need the wisdom from the Lord.

We are never going to face every situation of correction with all of the answers. We need God’s supernatural wisdom. We need the kind of wisdom that we would never have unless the Lord so lovingly and graciously places it before us. So how do you get this type of wisdom in the moments when it is needed most?  James 1:5 tells us very clearly the answer to this question.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5

Our Lord gives generously. He doesn’t make excuses or give us 101 reasons why we can’t be given His abundant wisdom. He just gives generously to ALL. I love this because it means in those moments when we find ourselves backed up into a corner and unsure how to bring correction in a loving, kind and gentle way. The Lord will pour out His unending wisdom. All we have to do is simply ask! How awesome is this? Our God makes our most complex and baffling situations so simple. All we have to do is ask.

In the moments that we are faced with needing to bring correction, we can feel as if we are caught between a rock and a hard place. But we serve a God who has given us the tools we need to bring correction with humility, kindness, compassion, love and with His abundant wisdom.  Our God is never going to fail us. His word promises to be an “ever-present help in times of trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)

Lord, I thank you that you promise to be with us in those moments when correction needs to be given to a brother or sister. Help our hearts to stay in a place of humility, full and overflowing with kindness, compassion, and love. Fill us with your infinite wisdom when we truly don’t know what to do or to say in those difficult moments. We thank you that you are always available for us to run to. You never abandon us in our times of need. Thank you for being the God of all wisdom who gives generously to all without finding fault.

For more on Godly discipline and correction visit: A God Of Consequence

Jesus Chose The Least Of These

Jesus said... 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Christ did put stipulations on the types of people who were allowed to come to Him. He simply said come to ALL. When I begin to look at the types of people included in this ALL it is quite humbling. Jesus was drawn to the social outcasts, the down cast, unloved and unwanted people of His day. I just wanted to share with you what I learned as I studied out some of these people. Please take some time and read through each of these amazing stories. I’m sure that your heart will be blessed  as you see Jesus loving up on the “underdog” in each of these stories.

• Luke 5:12-16 - Jesus heals a man with leprosy
• Mark 2:13-17 - Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors
• John 4:1-42 - Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at the well
• John 8:1-11 - Jesus forgives an adulterous woman
• Luke 7:36-50 - Jesus dines in a pharisee's house, while a sinful woman (a prostitute) washes His feet
• Mark 5: 1-20 - Jesus delivers a demon possessed man
• Mark 5: 21-34  - Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood

This is just a short list of people Jesus took the time to give of his attentions to. I would like to take some time and go through each one and explain why they were considered to be social outcasts. Most of them should be pretty obvious, but some of them may not be as well known as to why they were kept at an arm’s length. I was unaware of some of these until I spent some time studying each one out.

The leper

Leprosy is a chronic infection that causes severe skin sores and nerve damage. In Biblical times little was known about this particular disease so they would shun those with the disease to leper colonies. These individuals were forced away from their friends, families and social groups to fend for themselves with no one willing to help them in their suffering. It was thought that simply by being around someone with leprosy they too would contract this horrific disease. Today we know this is not the case. It is spread through contact with fluids from the nose or mouth. Jesus knew then what we know now. He was not afraid of this man. He touched this man when no one else would.

The tax collectors 

Those who bore the responsibility of this particular job were not viewed very positively among the people. The established governments of that time period were often very greedy and the tax collectors were expected to reinforce the expectations of the governing body. So they often took the brunt of the finger pointing and name calling when an oppressive government forced it’s citizens to pay more and more taxes. Jesus ate at this man’s house when no one else wanted anything to do with him.

The Samaritan woman 

The Samaritans were hated by the “faithful” Jewish culture. After the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians, many Jews were deported to Assyria and and foreigners were brought to settle the land and help keep the peace. Intermarriage between these foreigners and remaining Jews resulted, creating a mixed race. This mixed race, known as the Samaritans, were considered impure by those Jews who lived in the southern kingdom. Thus the tension grew between the “pure” Jews (those in the southern kingdom) and the Samaritans. As if that tension were not enough, in this particular example this was not just a Samaritan Jesus was talking with, but this was also a woman, known publicly for the fact that she was living in sin. To the eyes of an outsider this particular woman had many strikes against her, which is probably why Jesus had such compassion upon her.

The adulterous woman 

This particular woman had been brought to Jesus by the Pharisees and teachers of the law whose main objective was to back Jesus into a trap. If they truly wanted to judge this woman according to the law of Moses then they would have also arrested the man involved as well. But their actions proved a total disregard for the law making their intentions completely unjust. Jesus knew all of this. He knew their intentions and He knew the heart of the woman. So with much wisdom He invited the one who is without sin to throw the first stone. He knew that He was the only one there capable of throwing any stones and He had no intention of doing so because His heart of compassion compelled Him to forgive.

Pharisees  

There was much hypocrisy bound up in the hearts of the Jewish leaders of that day. People were aware that they said one thing yet did the complete opposite. Jesus was of no exception to being aware this fact. But, He never gave up on this group of stubborn men. He proved this by having dinner with one Pharisee named Simon.

Sinful woman 

The label this woman carried was because she was publicly known as a prostitute. She was at Simon’s house during dinner. This woman had not been invited as a guest, but she entered the house and knelt at the feet of Jesus. Simon had neglected to do several customary social courtesies of that day, all of which this woman had tended to instead of the host. Christ’s heart was moved in compassion on this woman because of the love she poured out upon Him and her sins were forgiven.   

Demon possessed man 

The demon living in this man had caused so much terror in his life that he was forced to lived among the tombs. No one was strong enough to subdue him any longer. He was beyond any human intervention and needed supernatural deliverance. The name of the demon was Legion. A legion was the largest unit of the Roman army (3,000 to 6,000 soldiers). Just by the name of the demon we can see that it was not just one, but many that had overtaken this man. Jesus was not intimidated by the demon’s strength but rather had compassion on the human heart that was on the inside wishing for an escape from the nightmare. So Jesus delivered him for the torment.

Woman with issue of blood 

I have already written an entire post on this particular woman entitled “Touching The Hem Of His Garment.” Please feel free to revisit that post if you would like. This woman had seen every doctor and nothing could be done. She was considered to be beyond help. This particular woman sought out Jesus and He did not acknowledge her until the healing of her physical body had already taken place. However, this does not mean Christ’s heart was not moved in compassion on her. On the contrary, He did a much greater miracle in her life once He took the time to spend with her.

The list is quite impressive and this is by no means an all in composing list. But it does give us a sweet taste of Christ's heart. Now, how about us? How can we take this short list of outcasts and apply it to our daily lives? What types of people could we plug into this short list mentioned in this post.

• a man with leprosy = Someone struggling with cancer, or some other major chronic health issue
• tax collectors = those who might treat us unfairly
• Samaritan woman at the well = our enemies, those we have a difficult time getting along with 
• adulterous woman = the adulterous woman or man, those in unhealthy relationships, those who do not respect the sanctity of marriage 
• Pharacies = any unjust leaders or rulers, any unjust governing authorities, or politicians
• a prostitute = a prostitute
• a demon possessed man = someone hunted with a mental illness, someone with gender identity issues or someone with homosexuality issues
• a woman with the issue of blood = someone suffering from a chronic sickness, illness or disease, AIDS, HIV, etc.

I have listed some pretty difficult issues. But can I challenge you that if Jesus was walking here on earth today, these are exactly the types of people He would run into on our streets and in our societies. These are exactly the types of people His heart would long for. He desires the least of these and so should we. Do we have the compassion in our hearts to dine with unjust rulers, to set free the person with trans-gender issues? If not, why not? Why do our hearts not long to see these people set free from their chains and welcomed into the open arms of our loving savior? I love that Jesus spent so much time with the very people that society had rejected, ostracized and shunned. Studying out this list of people has given me a greater appreciation for my Lord. He never gives up on anyone! Jesus did not spend His time climbing the “social ladder” by associating with the elite crowd. He chose the least of these to spend His time with. The least of these is where Christ's heart is and the least of these is where our hearts should be also.

Lord, I  thank you for your beautiful example of loving up the least of these. Fill us with a greater level of love and compassion. We do not desire to stiff arm those around us from the chance to hear your word and feel your love and compassion through us. Soften our hearts in those moments when we would normally want to run the other direction. Give us the words to say and the right actions in these moments. We want to go where you have sent us and do what you have called us to do, even if those things don’t seem real glamorous in the eyes of this world. We know that we are not called to a life of glamour here on earth. We are called to the least of these just like you have shown us in your word. Help us to follow your example we pray.

The Lord's Compassion

The very definition of compassion flows from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord is the best example of compassion that we will ever see. If we ever doubt the level of compassion that Lord has for us, than we simply need to examine His hands and His feet. He looked upon us, full of sin, full of disregard for Him and His word and was still willing to lay down His life for us.There is no greater form of compassion that exists. This is compassion at its finest! This is also love at its pinnacle! God’s compassion also does not discriminate. Scripture tells us He has compassion on all He has made, not merely a select few. Can we even wrap our minds around this thought for just one moment? Without the compassion of the Lord, we would never have salvation. What a sobering thought. It is when God’s compassion flows that the healing power of salvation can come in like a flood!

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate slow to anger and rich in love, The Lord is good to all: he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9

“(The Lord) who redeems your life from the pit and who crowns you with love and compassion.” Psalm 103:4

Our calling to compassion

Christ calls us to have compassion on one another. This can be a daunting task because unlike the Lord who is slow to anger, rich in love and full of compassion, we can sometimes be quick to anger, poor in love and running on empty in the compassion department. However, despite our downfalls, Christ desires us to flow with compassion towards others. I tend to believe that we must take extensive measures to clothe ourselves with compassion each and every day. There is no automatic button in the kingdom that we can push when we need to have compassion on a person and a particular situation. Being compassionate takes work! I know for me, I often forget to put on my compassion shirt some days. Clothing ourselves with compassion can be especially difficult with the people we are most close to, like our family and friends. When we forget to clothe ourselves with compassion we find ourselves saying or doing things we regret later. I don’t know about you, but I have found myself in this situation more times then I care to admit.

“Be kind and compassionate one to another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

Christ has set for us the ultimate example of compassion. He knows that in our humanness we are not going to pour out compassion freely without missing the mark from time to time (or if you are anything like me, most of the time). I thank God that He is so patient in this area. He is willing to take His time with us to make sure that we not only know what it feels like to have compassion poured out on us in abundance with no strings attached to it, but He is also going to be patient with us as we learn how to pour out that same type of compassion for others. Let’s allow the Lord to teach us and mold us into people who move in great compassion on others. We never know when one small act of compassion can turn into eternal life for that individual.

Lord, I thank you for our beautiful example of compassion on us. I pray that we remember to clothe ourselves each and every morning with an abundance of compassion. Help us to yield to your process of teaching us how to be a people of great compassion. Teach us how to move in that vein of compassion with the people we come across in our daily lives. Help us to be slow anger, rich in love and full and overflowing with compassion. These are the things that a dying world needs to see in so many ways.  

Extending The Hand Of Forgiveness

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times” Matthew 18:21-22

How many of us get frustrated with having to forgive someone for the same thing twice? I know I am guilty of not wanting to extend grace and forgiveness for a repeated offence. Jesus wants us to understand something in this verse. A person with a heart of compassion is hard to come across. Peter thought he was being compassionate when he asked if he should forgive seven times. But in the eyes of Christ, forgiving someone seven times for the same offence does not necessarily qualify us as having developed the characteristic of compassion in our lives. God does not just want us to be compassionate when we want to. He wants us to be characterized by a life filled and overflowing with compassion and forgiveness, and if that takes seventy-seven times to develop that characteristic in our hearts, than that is the path we need to take. Christ is not asking us to keep track of the number of times we bestow forgiveness on someone for repeated offences, that is not the point here. He is trying to nurture and develop in us a life characterized by compassion. He wants others to be able to see in us a compassionate heart. This is not so people can use us and abuse us. It is so others can see what Christ looks like by the way we live. It is so others can see Christ face to face. It is so others can identify that the compassion they see in us is not coming from us, but rather flowing through us and that the source of our compassion comes from Christ himself!

For many of us forgiveness doesn’t come easy. It requires us to swallow our pride, humble ourselves and extend the hand of Christ in the very moments we want to be extending the hand of revenge. We are not capable of repeatedly forgiving someone for the same offence and not carry around a chip on our shoulders about it without Christ operating in our lives. It is necessary that we allow Christ to work in our hearts so that forgiveness can flow freely in our lives. Otherwise, we will give up long before Christ has even had the opportunity to change our hearts.

To read more on compassion visit: The Lord's Compassion, Echoing The Heartbeat of God , Jesus Chose The Least Of Theses, Getting Dressed (Part 1)

Lord, I thank you that you desire to develop in us hearts that are filled with compassion and full of forgiveness toward others. I thank you that you are going to be right beside us in those times when we want to extend the hand of revenge rather than the hand of forgiveness and you are going to work in our hearts so that we can choose to forgive in those moments. I thank you that you want our lives to be characterized by a forgiving heart so that others can see you in us. We know that we are incapable of accomplishing this on our own and that it is only by you working in us that continual forgiveness can flow. Work on our hearts this week Lord, that we can extend the hand of forgiveness seventy seven times if needed! And let our lives be characterized by a continual flow of compassion extending from our hearts in each and every moment when forgiveness is needed.

Echoing The Heartbeat of God

I wrote in last weeks post about representing Christ to the world and that we are all called to be Christ’s ambassadors. Now that we know that this is one of our greatest responsibilies as Christians, we need to better understand the heart of God so that we can accurately represent Christ to the world. What is on the heart of God? What is God’s heartbeat? I want to share with you some things that make up the heartbeat of God.

1. God’s heart beats with an overabundance of love for us.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us…” 1 John 3:1

We are called to love just as Christ loves us. We are called to lavish love on people! How would people react to us if we loved them just for the sake of loving, expecting nothing in return? How would they respond if we loved those whom society labels the “unloveable?” This is what Christ does. He comes in and loves us when we don’t “deserve” to be loved. We are called to respond the same way.

 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

God does not mess around, He is serious about the topic of love. He goes as far as saying if we don’t love, we don’t even know Him. I do not want to find myself in a place of not knowing God because I chose not to love.

For more reading on God's love visit the love series.

2. God’s heart beats with all the fullness of compassion over us.

 “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Psalm 116:5

God desires us to live a life filled and overflowing with compassion for people. When we reach out in compassion for others, most of the time that same compassion will come around and reach out to us when we are in need. Compassion starts with us.

For more reading about God's compassion visit: The Lord's Compassion

3. God’s heart beats richly with mercy, mercy that says “you will not get what you deserve.” Thank God for this mercy because I know I deserve far more than I will ever get.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ...”
Ephesians 2:4-5

God expects us to be merciful to others. He has set a beautiful example of mercy for us by sending His one and only Son to die for the sins we have committed, sins we should have taken the blame and punishment for. I don’t know of any better example of mercy than this. This is mercy at it’s finest!

“Be merciful just as your heavenly father is merciful.” Luke 6:36

We are called to extend the same hand of mercy to others around us. There are going to be many times in our lives when we will be tested in this area! And as for me, there have been many times that I have fallen flat on my face failing miserably because I did not extend mercy when mercy was needed. But I thank God he is so quick to hand me mercy in my times of need. I am also thankful that the Lord does not measure the amount of mercy He will show us based upon how much mercy we have shown others. If this were the case, God's mercy would be very limited in my life for sure!

To read more on God's mercy click here.

4. God’s heart beats with immeasurable amounts of  forgiveness for us from our sins.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

When we go to the Lord with a humble heart and confess, he never hesitates to forgive. God does not sit there and try to list off reasons why we don’t deserve his forgiveness. He already knows we don’t deserve it. I am so thankful he is faithful to forgive me without reservation!

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15

God also passes on the responsibility of forgiveness to us as well. He expects us to forgive others, just as He forgives us, freely, willingly and without reservation. God forgives with no strings attached, and no condemnation. Wow, what a responsibility we have to forgive! This can be so  challenging especially when in our humanness we feel like we can justify our reasons for not wanting to forgive. God’s word tells us that if we are unwilling to forgive others then He will not forgive us. Ouch! What a shot to the human ego! Lord, help us to keep a heart of forgiveness toward others.

Read more on forgiviness.

5. God’s heart beats with deliverance and healing.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

While we can not deliver people from their bondages or sicknesses, we serve a God who can! God calls us to pray for those that need deliverance and healing. Our prayers are like a launch pad for God to take off from. When we present our hearts to the Lord he will respond. Our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Please bear in mind, sometimes we need to keep seeking the Lord for healing and deliverance. This is not because the Lord is not listening, but rather He is working in our hearts as we wait upon Him for his answer in His timing. When we try to rush things we will often miss the bigger plan God has for the situation. It is God’s desire that we go to Him when we are in need of deliverance and healing.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

As Christ’s ambassadors, we are called to love as God loves, shower those we meet with Godly amounts of compassion, mercy and forgiveness, and to pray for healing and deliverance. These areas are some of the very heart beats of God. We are called to echo God’s heartbeat so that we can show the world who Christ is.

Listen to the song that inspired the title of this post.

Lord, I thank you for a greater understanding of your heart! I thank you that you desire to use us to reflect your glory so that we can show the world exactly who you are and what you look like. Lord, there are going to be times when we mess up and misrepresent you, but I pray that you help us to draw closer to you in these moments and that you use them to teach our hearts more about your character. Lord, I pray that we learn what It means to echo your heartbeat.