May 12 – Cannot Compare

“…made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”  Ephesians 2:5b-6 (ESV)

Today we have selected another passage which tells us how our God has wonderful plans for us and they include what He is doing with us, His children, these days. The Apostle Paul reveals to the believers in Ephesus and to us the amazing depth of what we have since God brought us into His family. Making for us a place with Jesus in heaven, He wants this to demonstrate something very important. And now that we are a part of His family He can be very kind and generous in His treatment of us. When He treats in a kind and loving way, He demonstrates how rich His grace is because we don't deserve such treatment at all. It is all by His grace and mercy that He does this for us. Has God been kind to you, His child? If so, that is part of His plan to show how rich His grace is. It's as our verse says that he might show what is incomparable – the unlimited extent of grace through kindness, lovingkindness. 

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December 17 – Knowing What is Required

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NASB)

We often hear others say, and probably think and say ourselves, that we don't know what we are to do when faced with perplexing circumstances.  Although this message was given long ago to Old Testament people, it is timeless and applies to us today, too. This is a different kind of promise. It is a promise of what God has told us to do and how we should live and we ought to know it.  We can notice that the Lord expects His followers to deal in a certain way with other people. This is what and how God wants us to face every situation we encounter. He wants to act justly toward others. He wants us to be kind to all and to love doing so.  Such kindness is being merciful. And our Lord wants us to have the proper attitude toward Him which means we are to live our lives according to God's will. Those are precious words, are they not? “To walk humbly with your God.” He wants us to walk close to Him, to do it humbly. He has told us what is good and what He requires, so let’s follow His words today.

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September 17 – Desire Milk?

“like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  1 Peter 2:2-3 (NASB)

The Apostle Peter writes in his first letter to believers across the known world and gives them encouragement by suggesting that they behave like babies.  The picture that Peter uses in these verses is that of a baby who is so enthusiastic about drinking its milk.  It does not need to be forced to take its nourishment. In fact a baby will let everyone know when it is hungry and wants more milk.  Its body has found that this is just what it needs to grow.  That is how earnest we should be as believers of Jesus – we should have a passionate hunger for the Word of God.  So with our Christian lives, we have found the source of true spiritual nourishment in the word of God.  It is like pure spiritual milk and it does help us to grow spiritually – to become the people that God wants us to be. So, if we have tasted the goodness of God, we will want to know more about it.  Our faith will grow and increase in strength.

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June 21 – 3 in 1: Kindness, Compassion, Forgiveness

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

Our promise, if we have received Jesus Christ as our Savior and accepted His free gift, is that we are forgiven.  God forgave us and continues that forgiveness on into eternity.  It is a completed action.  That is why we are called in this verse from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Christ followers in Ephesus to be kind to one another.  Having compassion is what being tenderhearted is about.  Our forgiveness from God, because of what Christ has done, obligates us to forgive others in our lives.  Getting even is not and option.  Our options in life are kindness, compassion, and forgiveness because that is what God has shown and showered on us.  Who can we be kind to today?  Who needs some tender loving care?  Who do we need to forgive and let the offenses of the past be in the past.  Certainly there are those who we can show this way to.  

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February 14 – Once Loved, Always Loved

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3 (ESV)

It is a day on our calendar when we celebrate love.  Valentine's Day, began as a day to remember and celebrate St. Valentine.  It is observed in most countries around the world in different ways.  Our verse today reminds us of a love that has been shown to us and all who have followed the one true Almighty God, our God who loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son to earth.  All who believe on Him have eternal life. That is quite a gift of love, is it not?  God's love for us is an everlasting love.  He will never take it away.  God's kindness never fails.   God declared His love and His promise to continue His faithfulness to all who believe in Jesus, the Son of God.  That means all of us who are children of God.  We all partake in the promises of God's love and faithfulness.  Let's remember our love and faithfulness not only to God but to those who are special to us today. 

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December 7 – When He Appeared

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”  Titus 3:4-5a  (NIV) 

We are thinking about and beginning to see pictures these days which depict the events which occurred at the time that Jesus was born.  There were the angles who appeared to announce his birth to the shepherds who responded and sought out to find the baby Jesus in the manger, or feed trough.  We also see the wise men from the countries to the east who traveled a long way to find Jesus and to bring him gifts.   Our verse teaches us what was behind all the beautiful things about the Christmas story.  Titus a co-worker of the Apostle Paul received a letter from his teacher which lets us know God had a purpose.  When Jesus appeared as a baby and was wrapped up and put in the manger, it was God acting out of His kindness and love. He had planned it for us and it was by his this that we are saved.   We have not received salvation because we have been good enough or done enough.  We are saved because of His mercy.  He came, He died, and He rose again, and we have new life because once, in Bethlehem, in a manger, at the right time and place, He appeared as a baby.  Let's be thankful. 

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May 12 – Cannot Compare

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:6-7 (NIV)

Today we have selected another passage which tells us how our God has wonderful plans for us and they include what He is doing with us, His children, these days. God has brought us into His family, making for us a place with Jesus in heaven, and He wants this to demonstrate something very important. And now that we are a part of His family He can be very kind in His treatment of us. When He treats in a kind and loving way, He demonstrates how rich His grace is because we don't deserve such treatment at all. It is all by His grace and mercy that He does this for us. Has God been kind to you, His child? If so, that is part of His plan to show how rich His grace is. It's as our verse says that he might show what is incomparable – the unlimited extent of grace through kindness, lovingkindness. 

April 6 – Everlasting and Unfailing

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

We speak often of the love which God has for us. We need to be reminded of His love often and that is what the prophet Jeremiah was doing with these words. It wasn’t the first time that God sent a reminder to his people of that day. God wants us to remember that He loves us and how this affects His dealing with us. Because He loves us He wants us to be close to Him. So what is He doing? He is drawing us toward Himself – and He does it with unfailing kindness. His love is everlasting, it is forever ours and His kindness will never fail.  We may have been walking with the Lord for a long time. Maybe we think we know God pretty well and are living close to Him. Even so, my friend, He is still anxious to have us even closer to Him. And why is that? It is because He loves us so very much.

January 14

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

God has always loved His human beings whom he created and has been anxious that his creatures know of His love for them. This was one of the reasons why He chooses the prophet Jeremiah almost 3000 years ago to remind His people of His love. We have Jeremiah’s writings to remind us of the same truth today. The love of God produces precious results for us today. Our verse tells us that because God loves us He is drawing us to Himself. Just as He drew people to Himself in Jeremiah’s day so He draws us closer and closer to Himself today. Yes, my friend, God is drawing you to Himself because He loves you. Let us be sure we come close to Him and stay that way. Let us listen to His words in our verse, “I have loved…”

August 23

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

We have a wonderful God in heaven and we need to be reminded often of His love for us. This has always been the case even as it was in the days of the prophet Jeremiah. Is it not wonderful to have a God who wants to draw us to Himself? We have to admit that our natural tendency is to go our own way, thinking that we can choose our own way and do it ourselves. Our natural inclination is not to get closer to God. But, as we read, God is always drawing us to himself. He loves us and He wants us to experience His love. His love is not a spasmodic thing. It is everlasting and constant. Remember that God is drawing us to Himself and respond by coming close to Him.

August 19

“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)

What a great difference there is between the evaluation that God places on things and that of most people today. God has given His evaluation in these words. So what is most important for us is to know God and to understand what pleases Him. It is important that we know from His Word what God has taught us about himself and what He intends for us. Think about this today. This what God has said, He delights in exercising kindness to us, and justice and righteousness in all His dealings with us. God loves us in ways that are actually beyond our comprehension but we can be grateful and take joy in this truth.