“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus. All I ask, to be like Him. This chorus has been running through my mind as I prayed and studied for these devotions over the past week. I know I…
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12 The word “love” is used so carelessly in our world today. How many times do we hear people express their love for a certain food or for a particular piece of clothing? Love in the entertainment world is shallow and fickle. But to those of us who know the Lord, the word “love” is special. John 3:16 (KJV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Jesus demonstrated true love in every part of His ministry. His love extended to people from every social class. He touched the people with leprosy. He mourned with those who mourned. He showed love to the children. To the rich or poor, prominent, or outcast, His love remained the same. He taught His disciples that they were to pass that love along to one another. John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye…
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 During His earthly ministry, Jesus often used stories to teach His disciples about His kingdom. One such story is recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. A king was going over his accounts and noticed that one of his servants owed him a considerable sum of money. He summoned him and said that he needed payment immediately. The servant did not have the money to repay him, so the king ordered that he and his family were to be sold into bondage. Falling to his knees, the servant asked for time to repay his debt. The king was moved with compassion towards him, and in mercy forgave the debt entirely. Rejoicing, the servant left the king’s presence. But he met a friend who owed him a small amount of money and demanded payment. Instead of listening to his plea for time, he had him cast into prison. When news of this reached the king, he was incredibly angry and withdrew his earlier forgiveness. The original debt must be paid in full. We owed a debt we could never pay. But Jesus went to Calvary, paid the price for all our sins, and…
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15 The third attribute of God that David mentioned in this Psalm is “longsuffering.” As we read the Old Testament, we know that this word certainly describes God’s patience in His dealings with the Nation of Israel. Repeatedly, they went against His commandments and walked in their own way. He sent prophets to warn them of the consequences, but they refused to listen and turn from their sin. When Jesus began His ministry on earth, the Jewish leaders did not…
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Psalm 103:8 When we think of the word gracious in connection with Jesus, we remember His divine grace towards us. He knows our faults and our failures, and yet His grace extends freely to us. Covered by His blood and protected by His Spirit, we are secure in our relationship with Him. Cambridge Dictionary describes gracious as “behaving in a pleasant, polite, calm way: a gracious smile, gracious enough.” When Jesus was here on earth, He encountered people from different circumstances, but He met each of them with grace and kindness. So how can we exemplify a gracious spirit as we endeavour to follow Jesus’ example? Perhaps one of the best ways is in the words we speak. Consider the following scriptures regarding this. Ecclesiastes 10:12 “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.” Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” I Timothy 4:12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word,…
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15 Oxford Dictionary defines compassion as: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. During the last few weeks, many parts of the world have been devastated by hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and other life-threatening events. People have lost everything that they owned. There is a scarcity of food, shelter, and medical supplies. Charitable organizations have made a plea for compassion, and donations have been pouring in. People have seen the need and given of their finances to help those suffering. David, in his prayer in Psalm 86, describes God as being full of compassion. When Jesus was here on earth, everything demonstrated this attribute in His ministry: Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 15:32 “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way”…