November 20, 2024

I Can Only Imagine

April 19, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Matthew 5:8 

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3-4

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14

As Tonya shared with us earlier this week:

These three verses help to define what a pure heart should look like: single-minded, loyal, peaceful.  These are all traits that are attainable, and they are traits we can display.  God never gives us impossible tasks.  He never asks more of us than He knows we can give.  And He KNOWS we can give Him a pure heart.    One day we will see His face, one day the act of possessing a pure heart will have rewards beyond measure.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pure Like Children Again

April 18, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8 

Purity is “the condition or quality of being free from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes,” etc.  That is why childhood is called the “age of innocence.”  Nothing has come into children’s hearts to make them impure.  They do not know the evils of this world unless it has touched them in some way.  They have no worries unless they just happen to have seen or felt evil at a young age.  I see this looking at my two young children every day—especially yesterday.

I got a free day off from work yesterday due to a threat on campus.  I was two minutes away from daycare when I got the call that the university was closed.  I turned around, and my daughter and I went home.  I spent the morning with her (even thought I slept for about 30 minutes of it).  (Hey…I was not about to let an opportunity for a nap slip by when I was sleepy.)  Later that afternoon, she took a nap while I was cleaning her room and her brother’s room.  I checked in on her, and I watched her sleep.  I wondered where the time had gone and where my ‘age of innocence’ had gone.  Due to the innocence she has, she is not contaminated yet, except by sin.  She is too young to realize what the true meaning of Easter is…though she can now tell you that Jesus died on the Cross.

When we do not know God, we are impure.  When we reach the age where we can understand who Jesus is and what He did for us, we have become contaminated by the world.  We are being taught its ideals through peers and the outside world. Yet, we reach a level of purity again when we decide to accept God’s gift of eternal life.  When we accept Jesus, we feel His Presence in our hearts, and we see His daily works in our lives.  We become blessed to be pure through the Blood of Jesus Christ again, and we can see Him every day by looking for His signs through nature and the blessings that He gives us when we need them.

God loves us.  We are His creation.  We are His children, and He is our Father.  We see God every day when we observe what He does and spend time with Him. Our hearts and spirit become less polluted by the world and cleaner by the spirit working inside of our hearts.  We become more like children of God and less like children of the world.

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

Dear God, thank You for cleaning our hearts and making us pure in the spirit. The pollution of this world is great, but Your love for us is greater and infinite. You are our Father, and we are Your children. You clean our spirits and make us whole. In Jesus name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Single-Minded Loyalty

April 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8 

I think I’ve mentioned this before but, just in case I haven’t, I want to reiterate that I love my Study Bible.  I’ve always liked studying, and love to learn, but when it comes to the Bible, I seem to grasp ideas better when they are outlined for me, when I can see the meaning of words, and when other Scriptures are listed as additional references.

When I was studying this week’s Beatitude, a sentence stood out to me— “single-minded loyalty to God.”  Typically when one sees the term “pure” the words “innocent, unsullied, good, and perfect” may come to mind.  So to be honest, when these words were not used in the description of this particular Beatitude, I was surprised.  This verse was a reminder that God doesn’t ask for or require perfection to ensure that we will one day bask in His glory, and He doesn’t ask that we have an impeccable life record.  No, He asks that we focus on Him…that we live each day for Him…that we display a single-minded loyalty to Him.

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3-4

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14

These three verses help to define what a pure heart should look like: single-minded, loyal, peaceful.  These are all traits that are attainable, and they are traits we can display.  God never gives us impossible tasks.  He never asks more of us than He knows we can give.  And He KNOWS we can give Him a pure heart.  One day we will see His face.  One day the act of possessing a pure heart will have rewards beyond measure.

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

Let’s Pray: Lord, create in us a pure heart.  Lord, to see Your face, that is our goal, to bask in Your holiness, to be in Your presence.  I pray that each and every one of us focus on having single-minded loyalty to You in all we do, in all we say, and in every action we take.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joy

April 16, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

One summer our family travelled by Greyhound bus from Walnut, MS to Fresno, CA to spend a few days with my mom’s newly-found family. It was a three day  (and night) trip there and back…while spending three or four days in California.

It was such an adventure. Mom who was allergic to anything that bites had a reaction to red ants;  my brother, Terry, got so blistered from the sun that he had ‘bubbles’ on his back…and Dad and I didn’t have anything go wrong.

There was this one thing that has stuck with me though—Aunt Ramona recanted a dream.  She says she was dreaming and in it she was weeping for joy because she was about to touch the feet of Jesus.  Her husband, being concerned, woke her up because she was crying out in her sleep.  She says she fussed at him because she was that close.

I can only imagine what that dream must have felt like—the joy, the excitement, the pure worship that was in her heart!  What a precious gift she received.  I want to have dreams like that so, one day, when I stand before my Savior, I can say, ‘I practiced this in my dreams.’  Although this still would not prepare me for the awesome experience of being among all that is Holy and Pure.

The Pure

The Greek word for “pure” is katharos (used 27 times in the New Testament).  Fundamentally, it signifies that which is clean, or free from contaminating substance (cf. Danker et al., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 489).  Or as William Barclay contended “that with a spiritual import, ‘pure’ may describe the heart that is free of unadulterated “motives” (Commentary on Matthew, I.101).   (https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/610-who-are-the-pure-in-heart)

I feel that this “being pure” should be the goal of every Christian. To clear our minds of what others may feel or perceive except from the Holy Spirit. When we listen to the ungodly and go to them for advice we are most usually led astray because they speak from a world view. But when we seek Godly counsel from those who dwell daily in God’s presence we should be able to quickly discern what is evil and different from what counsel we would have gotten from our worldly friends.

As we seek to have pure hearts, it would follow that our thoughts would have to follow as well. What does it look like to have pure thoughts? To me it would mean guarding what I read, what I watch, and what I participate in. I guess you would call me a God Nerd. Not a Bible Thumper, but a God Nerd. Now that does not mean that I do not have my weaknesses. I still do, but I do my best to not participate or indulge in them.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, as we learn to trust You and know Your Word more, I say ‘Thank You’ for your love, acceptance, and encouragement that is present each day. Help me give away what you have given to me. I want to learn to serve you more and to serve your people with joy in my heart!  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Create In Me a Pure Heart

April 15, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.  Then you can see God in the outside world.
Matthew 5:8 MSG

Create in me a clean (pure) heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

I remember when I found this gem of a verse.  For months afterward, I prayed Psalms 51:10-12 over myself.  As a result I witnessed godly change in myself and my life.  Was I perfect during this time?  Ha!  Far from it, but daily I turned my eyes to God and asked Him to create a pure heart in me.  I don’t think I’ve ever been closer to God in my life.

A pure heart is a focused, undivided, unburdened heart.  There is no way for you to dwell in the Presence of God daily, hourly, minute-by-minute and hold on to lust, hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, guilt, condemnation, or any sin forever. God’s Presence is Holy and if you seek Him, He will shed His Light on your life and show you what He does not find pleasing…and then you will experience conviction.  Not condemnation, but conviction.

I know that I’m not the only one who can say that they have tried to run from conviction before—which eventually is running from God.  AlthoughI did manage to run from God for twenty-two years, He eventually caught me.   Needless to say, running from God can be difficult.

I struggled with figuring out what to write this devotional about until the Lord reminded me of Psalm 51:10 and my own personal experience with the verse. And then He asked me why I had stopped pursing a pure heart wholeheartedly. (To which I, of course, had no answer.)

Knowing where I’ve come from and where I am now, I thank the Lord for all He has done for me and how He has transformed me to be more like Him.  But He’s not done and I should never stop seeking to have a pure heart.  Plus, if pure-heartedness is what helps me see God this side of heaven, I most definitely want to strive after it.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Lord, a pure heart—this is what I ask.  You alone can transform my heart.  Show me that which is unpleasing to You, and give me a steadfast spirit to sustain me. In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Inward and Outward

April 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—
possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor
and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace,
regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
Matthew 5:8 AMP

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines the heart as the “…centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life.  The words, “heart” and “soul”, are often used interchangeably. The heart is the “home of the personal life”. The heart is also the “seat of the conscience” , all definitions we would agree with. Then, what is it to be pure in heart?

Most people would agree that to be pure in heart is to be cleansed, spotless.  But Chuck Smith presents the idea that one who is pure in heart mourns because of their sin and because their heart is divided.  A pure heart is one that is undivided; fleshly desires do not compete with Godly desires in the pure heart.  A pure heart embraces God and finds joy in Him.  None of which can be accomplished on our own.  A pure heart comes from God.  It is an attitude we desire.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10.

It is heart knowledge, not head knowledge…
and must be experienced inwardly before we can share it outwardly.

Proverbs 21:2
People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.

Proverbs 4:23
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

Matthew 12:34
For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:18
But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart,

Luke 6:45
…for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

Being pure in heart is WHO we are, shown in WHAT we do

The blessing of being pure in heart is the ability to see God.  Many people believe this speaks to the future when we will actually, physically, see God face-to-face. What a joy that will be!  But we can also see God now.

The promise of seeing God in the present is twofold as well. We are able to see God inwardly by experiencing greater intimacy and communion with Him. God will make Himself known to us through His Word and we will become more aware of Him and His companionship. We will see His hand over us, in our lives. And as we see Him more clearly inwardly, we will begin to recognize Him more outwardly.  We will see God in the ordinary and recognize His favor on a daily basis.

When You give it to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand and they are filled with good things.
Psalm 104:28

Purity of heart leads to the inward desire to “see” God. “Seeing” God enables us to recognize the outward daily blessings and favor of God upon us.  Are you gathering up the good things God has for you?

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the blessing of being able to see You in our lives.  Increase our desire to be pure in heart so we can experience greater intimacy with You.  We recognize that being pure in heart is not something we can achieve on our own but comes through our faith by knowing You.  We lift up praise to You for the favor You rain down upon us each and every day.  In Your precious Son’s name.  Amen, so be it!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Face to Face

April 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8

At first, this Beatitude appears to be referring to those who are morally clean—those who don’t defile themselves with impure thoughts, or anger, or other internal sins that wreak havoc on one’s life, and which can make a Christian ineffective.  This is certainly an aspect of “pure” or “clean.”   And if we understand the phrase “see God” in the sense of being in God’s Presence and being able to commune with Him, then certainly, the less sin there is in our lives, the more we are aware of the abiding Presence of God.  It is more often the case that God seems most distant from us when, in fact, we are distant from Him as a result of an impure and hard heart.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,” David cried out in Psalm 51, “And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  This thought of having a “steadfast” spirit, one that is devoted to God, may also be in mind here. David wrote this psalm on the heels of his sin with Bathsheba, which was indeed one of the most dramatic and deep moral failures of a man of God in Scripture.  Not only does David want a clean heart, but he wants steadfastness…the ability to focus on God…to lean on Him at all times, and not be distracted by the temptations of the world.

The Greek translation of Psalm 24 (please check it) uses the same phrase, “pure in heart.”  Here I think we get further insight into the meaning of this term. Notice that the one with clean hands and a pure heart avoids falsehood and deceit.  There is a sense, then, that being pure in heart is more than just avoiding sin.  Rather, it is being devoted to God, and having a life that is His, and that is recognizable as being His.  It is about serving only one Master, not two, and drawing near to God.  The words of James echo this thought:

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:7-8 NASB

What does Jesus mean, then, when He says that the pure in heart “shall see God.”  Wasn’t Moses told that no one could see God and live (Exodus 33:20)?  First, I think there is a present reality to seeing God here, in the sense that those who are pure in heart draw near to God, as James says, and in turn God draws near to them.  But I think there is also a future reality, looking forward to the time when ALL those who have endured this fallen world, who come out the other side beaten and bruised but, by the grace of God, have pure hearts, solely dedicated to God’s word and will, shall indeed stand before His throne and, in a sinless state (on account of the work of Christ), and see Him face to face.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Father, we thank You for the opportunity to see You face-to-face through the Holy Spirit.  Create in us a clean heart, O Lord.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Showing Mercy

April 12, 2014 by


SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

Two examples of showing mercy.  May they each encourage you greatly!  ♥

Our Merciful Lord

Blessed are the Merciful

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Meaning of Mercy

April 11, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

mer•ci•ful

: treating people with kindness and forgiveness: not cruel or harsh
: having or showing mercy
: giving relief from suffering

I like definitions.  I like to know the exact meaning of words because I think that a lot of words have been lost in translation.  And, despite the emotional power of words, I like to know the exact meaning in addition to the feeling they bring. Merciful is one of these words.  We know the general concept, but I think we often forget what this word really means.

  • Kindness
  • Forgiveness
  • Not cruel
  • Not harsh
  • Giving relief

Mercy takes another step past the feeling it brings and the words used to define it.   Mercy is something we can have and something we can show—merciful should be our way of life.  The thing I love about mercy is that throughout the day we are constantly presented with opportunities to offer mercy to others: while driving and we get cut off; to our snarky co-worker; to the person in a hurry who bumps into us on their way out; to our spouse; to our children.  Mercy isn’t reserved for the pure of heart, in fact it may be most effective on those we feel don’t deserve it.

There is another category of people who deserve our mercy—perhaps the hardest group to offer it to—ourselves.  When I’m working with patients dealing with guilt issues, I always remind them that in most cases it is hardest to forgive ourselves…hardest to show ourselves mercy.

This week I want to incorporate these words into my daily prayers; I want to be intentional in living and showing them to myself and others.  Not because I know what it feels like, or because I know what it means, but because Christ is merciful to me.  He showers mercy on me daily, and because of this I know that I can show it myself and I can show it to others.

Let’s pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, mercy is a common word, yet most of us don’t know what it truly means. Lord, please play these words over and over in our heads this week—”kindness…forgiveness…not cruel…not harsh…giving relief.”  Remind us of the times we were shown mercy and, because You have done so, we can and should do the same.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Mercy to Others

April 10, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

Do you ever feel like you have been wronged by someone or by a group of people?  We are going through this right now.  It is a struggle to stay Christ-like in our situation.  We have an unfinished fence and an unwilling neighbor.  This neighbor is using part of our unfinished fence to build their own fence.  Yet, this neighbor is complaining about our unfinished fence and our backyard.  My husband works hard to maintain our backyard.  Also, our neighborhood is in the woods.  Critters abound but we get blamed.  It is hard to show restraint and not bow down to this neighbor’s methods.  Instead of coming to us, this neighbor is creating havoc.  We are showing mercy trying to work with this neighbor, and we are not getting any mercy.  Surely, there is a better way (on the neighbor’s end) to work this out.

As Christians we are supposed to show mercy to those who do us wrong. We are supposed to be forgiving of them. We are supposed to look beyond the sin that is committed against us and be forgiving. Yet it is hard to be merciful when the wronging party does not want to be merciful back.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37

It is hard not to be judgmental of our neighbor at this time.  We are trying not condemn them.  It is hard to be forgiving of someone who won’t even come see you face to face.  We are trying not to be judgmental.  We are trying to be merciful and look past human actions.  We are trying to do our part and be forgiving of our neighbor.

God looks past our sins against Him and shows us mercy.  One day He will take us into His Kingdom and bless us with blessings that we can’t even imagine at this time.  We will be given the ultimate mercy.  There will be no more suffering, sickness, sadness, or woe.  There will be ultimate glory and love.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy.  Also thank You for giving us the ability to show mercy and be forgiving.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »