Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5: 7)

Mercy, compassion—whatever you may want to call it, is a big thing with God. It is something that Jesus demonstrated over and over again in His earthly ministry. From healing the sick to speaking one on one with the authorities who could see the truths that He brought forward, Christ took the time to minister to each person who approached Him in sincerity.

Perhaps one of the best examples I can think of in understanding the mind of God in relationship to mercy and compassion is contained in the following writing:

On the street I saw a small girl, cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God: “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about this?”

For a while God said nothing. That night, God replied to my questioning. In my sleep, the distinct voice of the Creator spoke. “I did do something about it,” the voice said. “I made you!”

God of mercy and love, may our eyes be opened to the unnumbered opportunities You place before us each day to minister as Your Son ministered to others!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The scripture reading for today relates an interesting visit because of when it happened, the persons involved, and the lesson that was given during that visit. Nicodemus went to Jesus at night. This was not a cowardly act. Rather, it was a very wise choice. It should be noted that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. By coming at night, he would not jeopardize Jesus or himself with the people or the Jewish Council.

Nicodemus came out of respect for who he perceived Jesus to be and made that known to Jesus with his words, “”Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God…” He came in search of information about the kingdom of God.

Have any of us had friends who came in the midst of their own darkness seeking answers? I personally have had many who came and wanted to talk of “holy” things. But they came in the cover of the darkness that existed in their own lives—the darkness of drug use or alcohol abuse, or the darkness of an image that they felt they needed to maintain in the presence of their friends. But however they came—they came. The hunger was there.

Jesus’ response to Nicodemus was an example for us. We need to accept these friends or acquaintances where they are. We are to provide the answers as best we can without “You should…” or “You need to…” Jesus always left an option. He spoke a truth, then said “If….!”

“If you would be my disciple, then…” “If you want this, then…” Jesus knew about choices. We need to learn to allow others to make them.

God of wisdom and truth, help us learn to say “if” to those who desire to follow You. Let my actions be such that they might make a choice in Your favor!

This is love; not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

“For God so loved the world…” What is the world?

“World,” in the vernacular of the scriptures, indicates the cosmos of the unrighteous, the unsaved, or those who have not yet heard the good news. It includes the entire range of professional people, those skilled and unskilled in trades, and those who work at menial tasks. Also included are those with varying degrees of educational attainment and every level of financial standing. “World” includes the morally approved and the socially rejected. “…God so loved the world…” and we are expected to love this very same world.

It’s difficult at times to love those who have gossiped about us or spoken negatively behind our back. It’s difficult to love those who have used us for their personal gain and left us angry or resentful. It’s difficult to love those who have betrayed us some way or another. But those are exactly the people whom Jesus loved.

Jesus set an example in place. He came not to judge or condemn the world, but rather to save it. While our place is not to save something that has already been saved, we need to take this example and internalize it as a part of our spiritual being. Holding onto anger and resentments or attempting to get even does not exemplify God or Jesus Christ, but the “world.”

As God’s messengers of love, let us be understanding, compassionate, non-judgmental and non-condemnatory. Let us instead love the world along with God.

Creator of all that is, when I condemn another, I condemn Your work! Help me to love all of Your creation in the same way You love it!

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of the glorious inheritance in the saints.

Humans are born with two eyes, one of the five senses that allow us to know the reality of what is around us. But our eyes do not see the spiritual realities, except those that are evident through physical, visible realities. We don’t see trust or hope, but we can see evidence of joy. This is why Paul speaks of the “eyes of the heart.” It is the heart that becomes aware of the intangible spiritual realities like faith, hope and love.

I know several people who have been deprived of physical sight either at birth or through accidents. They do not witness the beauty of a sunset or the colors of flowers. Yet they have a spiritual sensitivity and an awareness that few people with physical sight have. Physical blindness is serious, but spiritual blindness is a deadly, eternal problem. It is an ultimate tragedy for a human to lack spiritual awareness of blessings of faith and hope and love.

God is gracious to provide the human creatures with numerous physical blessings and material abundance, but God has also made available the gifts of spiritual blessings. Humans need to cultivate a sensitivity to the heavenly blessings that abound in the physical world.

God of grace and blessings, open the eyes of our heart that we may see the gifts that lay beyond our physical sight.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

A friend of mine spent his childhood years growing up in a small community with a small church. Most of the ministers who were assigned to the church were Bible college students fresh out of seminary and the little church was their first assignment. Consequently, they did not stay very long.

One minister who accepted the call to the little church was an older minister who was married and had children. He came to the small church partially as a respite from encountering some major health problems and was searching for a quieter setting in which to share his ministry and to get away from the stresses of a large church. His time with the small church was good for his health, his family and for the congregation and he was a tremendous example for the youth of the small community.

One Saturday, a workday had been planned at the church building. The preachers had always come to work days. It was a great way to get acquainted with the congregation and to encourage others to lend a hand in the work to be done.

What impressed the congregation was the fact that the new minister came ready to work. He brought along his well-stocked tool box and wore a pair of carpenter’s overalls that had obviously seen some wear. Here was a man who knew what he was doing and immediately a bond was formed between himself and congregation he had been called to serve.

Jesus did much the same thing. He clothed Himself in the trappings of human nature and walked with the humblest of humanity in order to identify with the being created by God to share in eternity. Jesus understands us and cares about us!

Holy Creator, we are ever thankful for the presence of Your Son who became one of us to show us a compassionate walk!

I have showed you all things, how that so laboring, you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

Two brothers farmed together. They lived in separate houses on the family farm, but met each day in the fields to work together. One brother married and had a large family. The other lived alone. Still, they divided the harvest from the fields equally.

One night the single brother thought, My brother is struggling to support a large family, but I get half of the harvest. With love in his heart, he gathered a box of things he had purchased from his earnings–items he know would help his brother’s family. He planned to slip over to his brother’s shed, unload the basket there, and never say a word about it.

That same night, the married brother thought, My brother is alone. He doesn’t know the joys of a family. Out of love, he decided to take over a basket with a quilt and homemade bread and preserves to “warm” his brother’s house. He planned to leave the items on his porch and never say a word.

As the brothers stealthily made their way to each other’s home, they bumped into one another. They were forced to admit to what they were doing and there in the darkness, they cried and embraced, each man realizing that his greatest wealth was a brother who respected and loved him.

God of Infinite Love, remind us constantly that the greatest gift we can give each other is from the heart, not from the cupboard or the bank account!

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Driving to a meeting on a December day, I found myself clutching the steering wheel, trying to bring my skidding car under control. Impulsively braking, I threw the car into a spin. I avoided injury and damage, but my car was stranded in the ditch. I had encountered black ice.

Black ice is dangerous because we approach it unsuspectingly. Unlike the glaring, silvery ice that warns us to slow down and be cautious, black ice looks like only wet pavement.

Sometimes temptation is like black ice. We may find ourselves in what looks like a harmless situation, suddenly spinning out of control. When we are unprepared, these temptations can strand us, throw us off course, and even destroy us. We walk carefully around the obvious temptations because we know their danger. We are more likely to slip on small temptations like skipping our prayer time or Bible study. When our fellowship with God is weak, we risk losing traction and skidding into a spiritual ditch. But when we remain alert to God through continual fellowship, we walk on safe ground.

Most Holy God, help us a we maneuver through this world to be alert to the “black ice” that surrounds us in temptations! Keep us on a safe path!

Scripture: Mark 8

Today’s Verse: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul? Or what shall a person give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36,37)

Not a lot of press coverage was given to the tough Argentine golfer, Robert De Vincenzo, but one story from his life shows his greatness as a person.

After winning a tournament, De Vincenzo received his check on the eighteenth green, flashed a smile for the cameras, then walked alone to the clubhouse. As he went to his car, he was approached by a sad-eyed young woman who said to him, “It is good for you today, but I have a baby with an incurable disease. It’s of the blood and the doctors say that she will die.” De Vincenzo paused and then asked, “May I help your little girl?” He then took out a pen, endorsed his winning check, and then pressed it into the hand of the young woman. “Make some good days for the baby,” he said.

A week later as he was having lunch at a country club, a PGA official approached him, saying, “Some of the boys in the parking lot told me you met a young woman after you won the tournament.” De Vincenzo nodded. The official said, “Well, she’s a phony. She has no sick baby. She fleeced you, my friend.”

The golfer looked up and asked, “You mean that there is no sick baby who is dying without hope?” The PGA official nodded. De Vincenzo grinned and said, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.”

Sometimes our focus is in the wrong place. Jesus teaches us to care about one another and we sometimes focus more on our possessions than we do our fellow human beings.

Holy Creator, help us to view life as Jesus did, with a focus on humanity rather than worldly possessions!

He who begins a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

When I was a child, I enjoyed connect-the-dots activity books. I’d start with a page full of numbered dots. Placing the point of my pencil on the first dot, I would draw a line to the second dot, then the third, and so forth. Soon a picture would emerge–a candle, a flower, a horse, a house, etc. What had looked like a page of scattered, unrelated dots had turned into a picture of a recognizable object.

At times, my life seems like a scattering of unrelated events and circumstances. When I consider each one individually, disregarding the others and forgetting that God has my world in hand, these experiences remain chaotic mysteries.

But as I grow to know God’s ways better, I am able to see my life from God’s perspective and a recognizable picture emerges. The mix of disorderly, scattered dots becomes a crystal clear blueprint for my life. The lines connecting the dots serve specific purposes, defining the outer and inner curves of what God is creating my life to be.

Most Holy Creator God, help us to follow as You lead us from “dot to dot” in the creation of our daily lives!

January 22, 2019

CARRYING OUR BURDENS:

There is a fable told of how birds first got their wings. The story goes that when God first created the little creatures, they had none. Later God made wings and said to the birds, “Here, my little friends, I want you to carry these burdens for me.”

The birds hesitated at first, but before long, they picked up the burdens and placed them on their backs. For a short time, the new burdens seemed heavy and awkward, but before long, they learned to fold the wings over their hearts and the wings soon became attached to their bodies. Before long they learned how to use them and soon they were lifted high into the air. The weights had become wings for flight and through the carrying of the burdens, the birds found freedom.

All of us are wingless birds, meant to soar in the freedom that God provides and freely gives. Life is full of burdens, but we can use our burdens to praise God, fold our “wings” over our hearts, and we can soar free with them. We tend to look at our burdens as heavy loads and we can choose to whine and complain about them, even run from them, but if we will carry them with God’s help, they will serve to lift us toward God.

Paul has said, “All things work together for them that love God,” and this is an example of what he spoke of. By accepting the burdens God asks us to carry, we are lifted to new heights of spirituality.

January 21, 2019

THE TRIP:

I recall a story that was part of a sermon the Pastor shared awhile back that left a very big impression on me. I want to share that story with you.

Many years ago a family in Eastern Europe was living in a region that was under great distress and danger due to political turmoil. The husband, wife, and 10 year old son desperately sought some means of escape to find a safer and better life than what they faced daily.

A distant relative knew of their plight and since he was financially stable he made arrangements to relocate them to Italy and for them to board a ship that could take them to America. Once in Italy and preparing to board the ship, the mother gathered food that would be somewhat non-perishable and could sustain them on the trip.

Upon boarding the ship they made their way down into the hold of the ship with other refugees and found an area to spread some blankets where they would ride out the voyage. The mother was careful to ration out the food she had brought since they weren't sure how long this trip would take.

The 10 year old son would get fidgety and anxious and asked his father if he could top-side and see the ocean but his father continually refused to allow it fearing for his son's safety. A time would finally come when the father relented and told his son, “You can go up for a little while but stay away from the railings and be cautious around the people there. Don't be gone too long because we will be eating a little soon.”

After the son had been gone for about an hour the father began to worry and told his wife that he would go top-side and try to find the boy. He scouted the deck several times over and finally entered the main dining room. There at the Captain's table, next to the Captain himself, sat the little boy devouring a healthy plate full of food. The father appeared shocked and dismayed, but the little boy looked up and said, “This is all paid for. Uncle Stan bought full passage and it's all paid for.” The captain was smiling and nodded toward the father.

How many of us sit in the dark, dank recesses of the hold when God sent His only Son to pay our ransom, to pay full price for us children? If God counted us worthy enough to sacrifice His own son that we would be worthy of His multitude of blessings, then we are worthy indeed in His sight. Worthy, period!

January 20, 2019

A BATTLE OF WILLS

For a long time in my spiritual niaveity I often wondered if God had not possibly made a mistake in His creation process, that being bestowing on each human a free will. That is the one piece of me that gets me into more trouble than anything else, because it gives us individually the power to over-ride God's will. When this happens it is never pretty.

Free will given to each of us is vitally important to God. God wants our love but if it were created intrinsically as part of our DNA it would not have value. It would spring from His Own Will and not freely be a choice on our part.

Let me pose a possible scenario. Suppose God's Will is for me to attend a bible study and the Holy Spirit is prompting me to go but my free will wants to go to the bar and party with my friends. What I have gained from expressing my own free will and ignoring the promptings of God's will is a massive day long migraine hangover with feelings of shame for some of my behavior and fear of what I might have done that I can't remember. Had I gone to the bible study I would wake with a “spiritual hangover” laced with a multitude of blessings.

I realize that the example I've brought forth is extreme but the principle is simply that when we choose our own path rather than following God's intended plan for us, negative outcomes can plague us and we can lose touch with the power to keep our lives on track. It is important to watch for red flags when we are weighing our choices. If the activity we are contemplating requires any level of secretiveness to it, the choice is clearly wrong. Paul points out that negative behavior is most often done in the dark so that it isn't visible to others.

Most of our plans coincide quite well with God's Will such as spending the day at the lake with family or spending a weekend helping an elderly neighbor with yard or housework. The most important thing to watch for is red flags that twist in our conscience or still, small voices that whisper, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Listen for God's Holy Spirit to help you make choices – your will or God's Will? Trust me when I say a spiritual hangover with a multitude of blessings is so much better than a day of migraines, fear and shame.

January 19, 2019

THE BODY OF CHRIST

Much is written in the epistles of St. Paul concerning the body of Christ and how our human diversity is defined of parts of the main body. He points out that ears don't see, eyes don't hear, etc., and that each one of us has a function within that living body.

I have observed dedicated believers who sings each Sunday morning and proclaim their belief that they are a part of this living body but some leave the service and seem to fail at using their gift functionally. Bodies are meant to be active, moving entities that gain strength through exercise their intended usage. To fail to do so can bring about atrophy.

Those who are Christ's eyes can see the fear, shame and anxiety in the eyes of others. Those who are Christ's arms can reach out and lift those who are weak and have fallen. Those who are Christ's hands can reach out in healing those who are hurting and lift those who have stumbled. Those who are Christ's heart can help bring peace and comfort to those who have negative physical health issues and compassion on those who grieve the passing of loved ones. Being active is a part of being a part of Christ's body.

I pray that each of us will seek out our role as a part of that body and be a fully functional, moving part and not a spiritual couch potato experiencing spiritual atrophy. Blessings to all.

January 18-2019

WHY I PLAY GOLF

Living in Arizona I have had many opportunities to visit the Grand Canyon as well as Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. All three provided me with a unique observation that I had failed to realize for the longest time. I began to realize that the jutting rock formations and protruding obelisks were rough and ragged in appearance. None of them had rectangular, squared off and highly polished, perfectly level tops like a fine piece of furniture created by humans. But these gifts of God's creation were declared “good” in God's sight.

So it began to make sense to me that I was attracted to the game of golf. Unlike a team sport played on a perfectly measured, highly polished floor or perfectly groomed grass field, when I play golf I am playing on turf that God designed, complete with uphills, downhills, small ponds, etc., the earth that God created. Also I can play against my own self-challenging me to play better than the time before.

Unlike some sport challenges, I am not playing against a clock but playing to finish the game in the best way I can, much like life. As I walk through my life, I have good shots and bad shots, trying to improve on the less spectacular shots I made and hopefully learned from them.

So as I reflect on the jutting rock formations of nature, it occurred to me that perhaps, in God's sight, we are perfect in our imperfections. This makes sense since it is through these imperfections that we are drawn to God for support, comfort, guidance and healing. They act like magnets to draw us to the place of dependence on the one true Power that can rescue us in our trials and challenges. I praise God for the “magnets” of our imperfections.

January 17, 2019

And God saw everything the He had made and behold, it was very good... Genesis 1:31

While I don't consider myself to have a green thumb or an expert on gardening, I do enjoy my small planter and border flower gardens. I try to keep them free of weeds and watered according to the needs I read about on how to maintain them. It occurred to me one day as I saw the beginnings of some blooms on the angelonia I had planted that I was given a gift of watching God in the creating process.

I have, for most of my life, thanked God for the things He has created such as the universe, the earth and it's plants and animals, always in a past, finished mentality. Now, as I watched my plants blooming, I realized that God is still creating.

I am finding new blessings when I see a colorful sunset in the west, a falling star, a lunar eclipse, a healing within a troubled family, a new start resulting from forgiveness, a new life springing from recovery from an addiction, a multitude of blessings around me as His creation continues. I also realize that each of us has been given a gift to be a part of that creative effort in our ability to make music, poetry, paintings and sculptures, not to mention new life in those we witness to and share our God and what He has done in our lives And as God spoke in Genesis, “It is very good!”

January 16, 2019

ON PRAYER:

Dear Reader ~ As I approach this new venture in an attempt to share some of my spiritual insights through living, as well as the insights of others who share their experiences with me, I lean on God for guidance. I have chosen prayer as a starting point in sharing my experiences and slow growth in understanding its awesome power.

Like so many, for years I approached prayer as a last resort when faced with dilemmas that seemed to be overwhelming, viewing God's role in my life as a rescuer. I couldn't have been more wrong in this assumption. I discovered in moments of testing prayers power that God was listening and was not too busy to be concerned with my trivial matters. I began trusting Him in small, insignificant challenges. When I couldn't find my keys I would pray “God, I don't know where they are, but You do. Could you show me?” Usually within 15 or 20 minutes I would stumble upon them.

Next I had to learn to be thankful for answers, no matter how small His guidance might appear to me. I am thankful that such a powerful God can still address my trivial requests when I consider the multitude of major issues others have laid at His throne.

I am reminded of a true story I heard about a few years ago. There was a pastor in a church who was known for his trust and reliance on God and was quite revered because of his trusting and his walk with God. A young man came to him with a multitude of problems and laid them out to the pastor. When he finished he asked the pastor, “What should I do?” The pastor replied, “You should pray about it.” The young man said, “I have” to which the pastor replied, “Then what's the problem?”

I pray that in my life I can develop that deep of a trust in God's guidance and wisdom. I have learned over time that God rarely answers my prayers in a manner that I would expect or hope for, but rather in the best way possible. In many instances I have looked in hindsight at the situation and smile when I realize that my expectations would have created further problems and that God's solution was the correct one. I also have come to realize that the Apostle John was on target when he advised us to give thanks for whatever solution is on its was and not wait until the answer is realized. The answer will com.