.....::::: Do You Judge or Show Mercy? :::::.....

Hey guys! Long time no see! We hope all is well with you! Let's jump right into Scripture for this one.

Jesus offered mercy to people who deserved judgment (by normal human standards). In Luke chapter 4, we see Jesus as He is reading from the scroll in which the prophet Isaiah foretold the Messiah's mission.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him." (Luke 4:18-20)

What does that mean? How is it relevant though?

Jesus was basically saying, "I've come to let struggling people, brokenhearted people, people captive to addictions, people stuck in dark spiritual places know that now is the time of God's favor-God is on your side, not against you!"

As a Christian or even a non Christian, do people get that vibe from you? Do they feel you are judging them or that you are only here to expose their flaws while making yourself look good?

One important thing to highlight in this passage is that Jesus cut Isaiah's word off in mid-sentence. Don't believe me?

Isaiah said, "[...] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn [...]" (Isaiah 61:2)

But Jesus said read, "to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor," then He rolled up the scroll. Why did He leave out the part about judgment?

Mercy.

The other half of the Scripture is sure to come but He offers mercy to everyone who realizes they need it. He offers restoration to all who need and will receive God's help. Jesus clearly states in John 12:47 that He did not come to judge the world or condemn it but restore and free it.

But do we give that message?

When people think of Christians, they think of hypocritical, judgmental and non transparent religious people. People who value the technicalities of the law more than the people the law was there to serve. Some of us value "speaking truth" and "being right" way more than actually lifting a finger to help those in need. In blunt terms, people think of us Christians, the way Jesus saw the Pharisee.

But we have got it all wrong! We have lost the truth about the heart of Jesus! Mercy matters to God! Mercy and compassion defines God's character! It is this very compassion that leads people to repentance. In Matthew 18:33 Jesus gets annoyed when faced with people who have been shown kindness and mercy, but refuse to extend it to others.

Pharisees love to judge people. Why? Judging makes us feel good because it puts us in a better light than others. Whether we know it or not, we put ourselves in God's place. The Pharisee felt superior and showed no mercy for people who didn't live up to their standards.

Now my question to you is this: Do you tell yourself that "you don't do this or that-look at what a good person you are-at least I am not as bad as this person"? Or do you truly believe that you are holier than others? If so, we will pray for you. This is something that is far too present in our generation, whether you are a Christian or not. God wants hearts that receive His mercy, and then offer it to others.

Have a blessed day and don't forget to show mercy. (This post was inspired by John Burke's book "Mud and The Masterpiece - Seeing Yourself and Others Through The Eyes Of Jesus.)

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY :::::.....

Have you ever been in court or at least watched a t.v show where the setting is a courtroom and the bailiff (police officer) asks that the person who is about to speak, to place their hand on the Holy Bible and he then proceeds to say this:

“Do you solemnly swear that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Yeah…I know…for those who watch Law & Order or Criminal Minds, this is right up your alley. But how does this apply to us?

A while back, I blogged about how our testimonies can change a life. It’s true! But for some reason, some of us are afraid to share our past experiences…

We are afraid that we will get judged or the person listening will not take into consideration what it is that we are saying because at the end of the day, we are no different then them. We are ashamed because our lives don’t always match what we know God has done in our lives.

But we have misunderstood what testimony is. Testimony is evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something. What that means is that it has to be something true and something that we know. And what do we know better than anyone else? Where we have been and came from. We are to testify to others what God has done in our lives.

But how though?

If we want others to take what we have to say seriously concerning Jesus Christ, we have to show them that our lives reflect His reality. We must do good. We have to talk the talk and walk the walk!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)

Throughout the Bible, Jesus did many miracles and the people He healed or spoke to often ran and told others through testimony. Regardless of what their previous state was, they were unashamed and ran to tell others of what Christ had done!

Speaking of one of Christ’s many miracles, let us look at Paul. Before his personal meeting with Jesus Christ, Paul hated the Christian faith and persecuted Christians without mercy. I have spoken about Him previously in a few of these posts but I can not guarantee that this is the last time you will hear his name in one of these post!

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Paul was not interested in creating an image of anything. He was using himself as an example. He was never reluctant to share his past because he knew that by God’s grace, his past failures would serve to bring others to the light. But in this verse, he lowered his guard (transparency) to communicate the Gospel. That is a very important step! People will not always believe that the Gospel is important if it is not a crucial part of your life.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” - 1 Timothy 1:15

To make a long story short, people think that God will never forgive and accept them because of their pasts. But when you think that way, think of Paul’s past. He literally went against Jesus’ teachings and had many of Jesus’ followers killed before helping shape the history of Christianity. At times we hesitate to share our past struggles with others because we think that they will judge us or will say that we are no different from them. But in reality, we aren’t. And that is what is amazing with God’s grace! It is available to anyone and everyone! We are no better than anyone else but we do have something in common: there is a God that is willing to forgive us regardless of our sins. All we have to do is repent and seek out Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the word to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. Regardless of your background, your ethnicity, your mistakes, your past choices, your past luggage, your infidelities…REGARDLESS…share your testimony! The world needs Christians who are not afraid to live their faith and share their testimony! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to go into the world and preach the Gospel but we can only do that when we realize the power and importance of our testimonies. Don’t be afraid to let others know from where Christ reached to save you and all that He has done for you! God does not waste our time; He will use our past and present so we may serve Him with our future. Like a friend of mine would say: "The past is the past!!!" Spread for Christ!

We would love to hear from your testimonies! Contact us via spread4christ@gmail.com and send us your testimonies! Tell us what Jesus Christ has done for you! Stay blessed!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: GOOD MUSIC ALERT!!! :::::.....

Hey guys!!! Looking for good music? Look no further! Feel free to listen to Beautiful Eulogy's album: "Instruments of Mercy". They are a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon, signed to the label Humble Beast. Composed of rappers Braille and Odd Thomas and producer Courtland Urbano. Known for its experimental and eclectic sound, the group melds myriad styles of hip hop with genres such as folk, electronic, hymn tunes, and modern worship music. The band released its debut album, Satellite Kite, on June 19, 2012. A second album, Instruments of Mercy, came out on October 29, 2013. Both albums met with critical claim, with particular praise directed at the group's creative, innovative sound and deep theological lyrics. I recommend this group to any and everyone! I personnally listen to them! Have a blessed day and enjoy! (You can find their albums on Rapzilla)