Mercy

The DNA of God

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?     Mark 2:7 ESV

When I was a young boy, I got in trouble a lot during summer vacations. My usual transgression was getting caught for wading in the pond on the other side of the creek from our home. See it wasn’t so much that I enjoyed getting wet, I just loved catching polliwogs so that I could bring them home and watch them turn to frogs. Though I ended up countless times being made to sit on my bed for disobeying, it seemed that it was just in my DNA. No matter how often I was told to stop, it never took more than a couple of days for me to gleefully return to the pond.

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Jesus got in trouble a lot too, but the trouble that Jesus got in was because He forgave people of their sins. “Just who does He think He is?” the religious people muttered. But, if they had stopped for just a moment to think about His name, they would have known the answer. You see God told Joseph and Mary to name their miracle child “Jesus”, precisely because “He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. You see, forgiveness was part of who Jesus is because He is God’s Son and forgiveness begins in the very DNA of God. We need that forgiveness every day, and the good news for us is that no matter how much the punishment Jesus had to endure He came to forgive us so we could become His people!

Be Careful Little Lips

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. .. Ephesians 4:29

Harsh accusations, slander and insults without regard for their consequences have been burning down relationships in our communities like a forest fire. Though of all people, we who are Christians should know better, we are sometimes the source instead of the solution to this catastrophe. God not only forbids us from engaging in such evil kinds of speech but He has called us to bring His reconciliation not condemnation to our neighbors. When the Ephesians were struggling with the same problem, the Apostle Paul shows them the way out and the blessings that God instead had in mind.

Not a month goes by but somewhere in our country the grocery stores are forced to recall a product because of the danger of food poisoning. This verse is like God’s recall notice about our poisoned speech and its consequent actions. But simply silencing anger and slander would be like closing down the supermarkets because of some bad lettuce. People still need eat!

So instead of silence we need to begin with healthy words. But when we start saying things that are good and helpful it is like popping a chocolate cake into the oven. We still need to follow the cook book’s instructions and wait an hour until it’s baked!

For me the hardest part in the baking process is right after the cake comes out of the oven. I want to cut a big slice, pour a glass of milk and dig in. But that is never how things work at our house. “Honey we’re going to have to wait for it to cool first so I can frost it.” My wife always tells me with a smile! She wants everything to be finished before we enjoy the delicious result of her work. God also insists that our new way of speaking to and treating one another be covered by a sweet layer of forgiveness. Remembering all Jesus did so we can sit down at His table of grace requires some cooling down time. That way the frosting of mercy won’t just melt and run off but will stick us together in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord!

Have a great day everybody. Maybe you’d like to just put your feet up with some coffee and cake and listen to the Cedarmont Kids reminding us this morning to be careful of all we say!

Inheriting Mercy

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.             Matthew 5:7 KJV

A few years back in the film, “The Ultimate Gift” by Jim Stovall, we see the story of a young man who is presented with the opportunity to inherit an large though undisclosed sum from his billionaire grandfather. There is a catch however; and that is that Jason must agree to follow all the instructions left by his grandfather in the will. The plot is filled with fun and adventure as young Jason Stevens discovers that to get his inheritance he must for the first time in his life get a job, make friends, and many other things without his credit cards, bank accounts or even help from his mother. Each new challenge tests Jason in a new area of his character. The climax comes near the end of the film when Jason receives 120 million dollars. He thinks it is his entire inheritance, yet because of the character transformation he has gone through he gives it all away. Only after he signs away the money to build a hospital does he receive the balance of his grandfather’s 1.2 billion dollar estate.

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In today’s verse about mercy try to picture yourself as being Jason. God is giving us both a challenge and an opportunity. By His death on the cross Jesus Christ paid the price for mercy which is His ultimate gift. God’s instructions in the Bible then guide us through a series of tests in our everyday lives to see what we will do with God’s mercy. The mercy we give to others doesn’t cost us anything, any more than Jason’s 120 million dollars. So remind yourself as you face criticism, unfair treatment or harsh words -God has forgiven us freely. If we are willing to freely give the same mercy we have received, God promises that we will receive an inheritance of a mercy far greater than we can ever know!

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