Come...
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, come.
If you’re feeling grateful or expectant, come.
If you’re feeling joyful or grievous, confident or doubtful, encouraged or frustrated, come.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Psalm 95:6
There’s something about falling on our faces before the One who created us—and everything that exists—that reminds us of who He is and who we are not.
When was the last time you stopped—in your car, in your kitchen, in your rushing, in your humanness—to simply come to God?
When you notice a gorgeous sunset, come.
When you can’t see through your tears, come.
When you’re captivated by a child’s smile, come.
When you’re overwhelmed by bad news, come.
When you’re motivated to make an impact, come.
When you’re deflated beyond words, come.
Come to the Lord, your Maker.
He has already come to you.
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...