Today’s word is: MERCY
Mercy – what are we without it? Source: Today’s word is: MERCY Originally posted 2015-09-19 16:12:54.
Mercy – what are we without it? Source: Today’s word is: MERCY Originally posted 2015-09-19 16:12:54.
Steadfast love to thousands upon thousands… “And then, having handed over the legal documents to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to God , ‘Dear God , my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do. You’re loyal in your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands—but you also make children live with the fallout from their parents’ sins. Great and powerful God, named God -of-the-Angel-Armies, determined in purpose and relentless in following through, you see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do. Jeremiah 32:17 MSG Read on the Bible App Originally posted 2015-09-18 05:27:07.
A CHALLENGING LOVE”‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said.” (Matthew 14:28-29) On the heels of the largest catered seafood picnic ever recorded, Jesus stepped back from busy ministry life for solitude and prayer. And He was at it a good long while. During the “fourth watch of the night” (v. 25), Jesus went out to them, walking on the water. The Jews of the time had adopted the Roman division of night watches into four segments, the final watch lasting from 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. The disciples were probably as spooked as they were groggy when they strained their eyes to comprehend this figure strolling through the waves in the wee hours of the morning. As one of C.S. Lewis’s characters says of Aslan the great lion, “Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” Jesus isn’t “safe.” Sometimes His call involves risk. He tests the faith of those He loves, and this time it was Peter’s turn. “Come,” Jesus replies. I envision Jesus like the father of a one-year-old, encouraging the little one to test his legs and walk, “Come on, son. You can do it!” These are the words He lovingly challenges us with today….COME! Source: Anchor Devotional – A Challenging Love Originally posted 2015-07-21 08:28:34.
A GRACIOUS LOVE “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20b) This parable of Jesus tells us much about the heart of our heavenly Father. The father in the story shows gracious love for his son in the face of grave insult (by asking for his inheritance, the son was in essence saying, “I can’t wait for you to die to get what’s mine.”) and complies with his request. He also responds with grace upon his wayward son’s return. Verse 20 would suggest the father had been constantly scanning the horizon with long-suffering hope when he runs to him at the first glimpse of his silhouette.This parable is the third in a series about lost things: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. But what is unique about this third story is that what has been lost is patiently waited upon to return. The lost sheep is sought out, scooped up, and carried home. The lost coin is reclaimed after searching and sweeping the whole house until it is found. We see different aspects of lost things being found, but it is the gracious, pursuing love of the Lord that is made obvious to us in this parable. Source: Anchor Devotional Originally posted 2015-07-16 22:51:53.
A SUBMISSIVE LOVE “He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:42) Dread. Do you know what complete dread feels like? Ever been in circumstances that filled your soul with such anxiety that it felt like you’d collapse under the weight of it? Our Savior knows this feeling all too well. Here is another assurance that Jesus experienced the full depth of human emotion and can fully relate to us in our deepest suffering. He says to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” These are the words of a man seized by dread. Yet in the face of inescapable, pressing trouble, Jesus exercises a submissive love toward His Father in heaven. Matthew’s account records that Jesus returns to pray at least three times to passionately plead for the same thing: some other way, an alternate plan. All the while He recognizes that the Father’s will is paramount and unshakably trustworthy. There is no submission without trust. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will out of the depths of His love, and now we have received His gift of salvation. We’ve nothing to dread! Source: Anchor Devotional – A Submissive Love Originally posted 2015-07-13 09:47:11.
ANCHOR DEVOTIONAL – AN UNABASHED LOVE”When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’” (Luke 7:39) In this beautiful story we have Jesus accepting an invitation (which is almost certainly a trap) to dine with Simon the Pharisee. That’s one display of Jesus’ unabashed love: He goes where He’s invited regardless of the sketchy motivations behind the invitation. Enter… the woman “who had lived a sinful life” and who begins weeping on His feet, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and pouring perfume on them. She’s making quite a scene! Can you imagine something similar in today’s context? It’s easy to paint Simon as the “bad guy,” and yet I’m convicted thinking how I would respond if Jesus were my guest for Thanksgiving when a prostitute right off the street crashed the party.Jesus handles her with deep grace and no shame. He doesn’t seem the least bit thrown off by the production she is making. He does not treat her as a distraction to the party. Instead, He shows that perhaps she’s the very reason He is there. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace,” He tells her, and another soul is restored and set free. Source: Anchor Devotional – An Unabashed Love Originally posted 2015-07-12 18:55:54.