Gentle

Some scriptures to consider -

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,

bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:5

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

I Peter 3:15

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

Proverbs 25:15

From First to Last!

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Mark 9:35

Jesus didn’t say we shouldn’t want to be first.

As a matter of fact, He told us how to become first.

But He might just as well have been speaking a language we don’t understand.

It’s not enough for the first to be near the end, he emphasized his point by saying he first must be the very last.  

You might say the way to the front is by bringing up the rear!

That mindset, that behavior is just too foreign to us.

We are, after all, the most important person in the room.

At least, that’s what we think.

But Jesus didn’t stop there.

He said we must also be the servant of all.

Huh?

So I’m last in line and I’m washing everyone else’s feet?

Now you’re getting it!

How far we have moved from the expectation of what it means to be first.

But Jesus did more than talk.

He showed us when He went to the cross.

He did that to serve you and me.

He did that to set us free.

He did that to bring us back to the Father.

He demonstrated for us what it means to be first and servant to all.

Now, Not Later

“...now is the day of salvation.”

II Corinthians 6:2b

I’m not as bad as so-and-so!

Hey, if I go to hell, I’ll be with all my friends.

If God is a loving God, then why_______________(fill in the blank).

We’ve all heard these and dozens of other excuses people make for rejecting the free gift of salvation.

John Haywood is credited with saying:

“There is none so blind as he who will not see.”

The truth is Satan will use any means possible to keep many from receiving Gods gift.

If someone refuses to acknowledge their own sinful state, then they remain ignorant of their predicament and unable to receive salvation.

Scripture draws us, declaring

“For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,

    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

If you are reading this, don’t continue in denial.

Receive the gift of salvation by first recognizing your need.

You are not unique.

We have all fallen short.

But Gods’ gift of His Son is extended to you today.

Will you receive Him?

Good News – it’s Simple!

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of His blood – to be received by faith.”

Romans 3:25

Simplicity – the state of being simple, uncomplicated or uncompounded.

The Gospel message is Good News.

It is also simple and uncomplicated.

Too often it is made complex by our add-ons of “do’s and don’ts”.

The things we think necessary really aren’t.

We were alienated from a perfect, loving father through our sin.

Every single one of us!

God sent His Son to take our punishment.

As the sinless sacrifice, He opened back up the way to the Father.

That’s it!

All we do is accept our need for a savior and receive the free gift offered.

It really is that simple.

Nope, don’t need to get your act together first.

You can never clean yourself up enough anyway.

Do you tend to complicate the message God has made simple?

Don’t add impediments to someone’s salvation.

Keep it simple!

His Amazing Grace

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:23

 

Society today seems so enamored with labeling or classifying people.

We hear things like: He is part of an indigenous class or she enjoys protected status due to her gender and race or that man is wealthy but his son is dirt poor and on and on.

It was no different in Jesus’ day.

There were publicans and Samaritans, lepers and...you get the picture.

But there is one thing that levels all the playing fields we can possibly create.

We are all sinners (you and me and everyone else) in need of a savior.

That is true to believer and unbeliever alike.

Do you label yourself an agnostic or atheist?

It matters little at the end of your life.

You too are lost and without hope unless you place your trust in Jesus Christ.

He alone is the remedy for sin and has paid the debt we carried.

You can label or identify yourself any way you choose and not change the truth of that need.

As for me –

The words of the hymn say it all:

“I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see.”

His amazing grace extends to you too.

Will you receive it today?

An Engraved Invitation

“Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

Matthew 8:7

 

Can you imagine an invitation like this?

Really!

How would you respond?

Jesus made this statement to a Roman Centurion.

That’s right – He made it to the ‘enemy’.

His offer was to an officer of the occupying army.

Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah of the Jews.

How could such an offer be extended to one whom the Jews despised?

Jesus was full of surprises and I am sure this exchange raised a few eyebrows.

Not the least of which were the prim and proper elders of the people.

After all there were plenty of the Children of Abraham who could use a touch by Jesus and here he was ‘wasting’ it on a heathen.

But Jesus recognized a faith-filled heart and a wise man.

Time and again he would extend mercy to those in need.

This man came on behalf of his servant but came to Jesus with a greater understanding of who he truly was than most of the leaders of the synagogue and religious rulers of the people.

Jesus Christ hasn’t changed.

He offers healing, mercy, compassion and forgiveness to whosoever will.

He offers it to you.

Under the Microscope

“But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another.”

Galatians 6:4 (Amplified)

“Eyes on your own paper!”

Remember hearing that refrain from teachers when you were in school?

It was a cautionary statement meant to remind us “No cheating allowed!”

Paul is saying much the same thing in his letter to the Galatian church.

Scrutinize your own work.

Eyes on your own life and work please!

We all do well to heed that advise because we often want to point out the other persons eye spec in spite of our own crippling beam in the eye.

The word scrutinize is defined as:

“to examine closely and minutely”

Did you get that?

Examine your actions, attitudes and behaviors minutely.

Not someone else’s, your own.

Pick them apart.

Look at them frontwards, backwards, upside down and inside out.

When you do that, in concert with the Holy Spirit, you will know the personal satisfaction and inner joy Paul spoke of.