Thank Goodness for Mercy

by Susan Dollyhigh –

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV

Moca’s sad, weak eyes looked up at me conveying her discomfort while her head, seemingly too heavy to lift, remained on the floor. My miniature dachshund’s brown tail that usually wagged upon seeing me lay limp. Moca, who had feasted on a delectable baby bird, was now paying the price with what I thought was just a bad tummy ache. After a couple of days with no improvement, I gathered Moca’s ten-pound body and carried her to the car. She lay still in my arms even as I walked into the vet’s office where she usually tried to escape the upcoming torture by running the other way. Upon examining Moca, Dr. Truban diagnosed pancreatitis and immediately hospitalized the sick puppy.

After a week of IV fluids and antibiotics, Moca was allowed to come home but had to return to the vet for weekly check-ups and blood work. Dr. Truban, who’d taken care of Moca, was usually available for these appointments but one day was out of the office and his partner, Dr. Brinegar, filled in for him.

“What’s going on with Moca?” Dr. Brinegar asked as he walked into the exam room.

“Well, Moca ate a baby bird a few weeks ago and…”

Dr. Brinegar’s eyes grew wide with dismay and he looked first at Moca and then back at me. “I love birds,” he said. “In fact, I love those feathered creatures so much I even specialized in birds in vet school.”

Looking at Moca I thought, You, Puppy, could be in big trouble. The man who holds your very life in his hands loves birds. And he knows you ate one.

Knowing that Moca brought this illness upon herself and that she did so by ending the life of an innocent baby bird could have impacted the amount of compassion Dr. Brinegar had on Moca. His mercy level could have plummeted upon hearing this dreadful news. But it didn’t. Dr. Brinegar gently picked up the guilty puppy. “Come here, Girl. Let’s see how you’re doing.” It was soon evident Dr. Brinegar didn’t care what sin had gotten Moca into her predicament; he only wanted to help her get well. Thank goodness for mercy.

Aren’t we glad that the One who holds our very life in His hands has the same kind of mercy on us? In the Old Testament book of Psalms, King David, whom God referred to as a man after His own heart, cried out to God for mercy after a time of great sin in his life. King David’s affair with Bathsheba led to the subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. Sadly, the child born of this affair died and as a result of all of this, King David ended up a broken man. But King David knew his healing could only come from God and he cried out in Psalm 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

When we, like King David, go to the Lord and confess our sin, the details could affect the amount of compassion God has on us. His mercy level could plummet upon

hearing the dreadful news. But it doesn’t. He gently pulls us into his arms. “Come here, my child. Tell me all about it.” It’s soon evident Our Father only wants to heal us from our sin and restore us to a right relationship with Him. Thank goodness for mercy.

Blessings,

Susan D.

Our Father, thank you for Your mercy. Thank you that it is new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, Lord unto us.

The Uninvited

By Lori Freeland –

Dinner begins—I look at my watch—now.

Cars have pulled in and out of my neighbor’s driveways for the last half-hour. Babysitters arrive. Smartly dressed couples depart. From my perch on the window ledge, I admire Melissa’s sapphire holiday dress and envy Dawn’s red high heels. Even though I can’t see up close, I’m sure Jen sports glittery earrings to accent her new haircut.

A swift glance down at my black sweat pants and stained white T-shirt is enough to remind me that I’m not going to this holiday dinner.

My husband peeks around the corner. “Let’s go eat sushi at Geisha.”

“Not in the mood.”

He comes to stand behind me. “Fajitas at Cristina’s?”

George and Cathye are last to drive away and I yank the curtains closed with a sigh and shake my head. “I have a stomach ache.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.” His footsteps fade behind me.

We’re good neighbors. We mow our lawn, water our grass, pull our weeds. We drive down the street slowly, constantly vigilant of small children. We pet sit and mail collect. Rescue the occasional dog. We throw an annual barbeque. But tonight, we’re The Uninvited.

I’ve never been The Uninvited.

We must’ve done something wrong. I’m tired of trying to figure out what. Which drives me crazier? That we are the only people on the street not going? Or knowing that The Inviter made up her mind to dislike me, and nothing I do will change that? Maybe I’d feel better if I knew why, even if I can’t fix it.

I drop onto the chaise lounge in the living room and rest my head against the burgundy throw. No matter how many friends my husband reminds me that I have, it doesn’t help tonight. People are mean. I would never treat anyone that way.

The Lord whispers in my ear. “Are you sure?”

I grip the arms of the chair. “I would never be so callous with someone’s feelings.”

The whisper grows louder. “Remember when Caroline struggled with friendships and you told her to adjust?”

Hmmm.

“Remember when Ann mourned a broken relationship and you told her she was obsessed? You said walk away and let it go?”

Uh-oh.

“Remember when Julie shared her feelings of alienation in your old neighborhood and you brushed her feelings off as paranoid?”

I am callous. And mean. I offer my friends paltry words, blow off their feelings when I should encourage and validate them instead.

A tear slips down my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Lord. I didn’t know.”

Until now, rejection has lived outside my world. Or maybe, until now, I’ve been obliviously unaware.

“Be a blessing with your words.” The Lord encourage sme. “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NIV).

I long to be refreshed. I want Him to heal the awful ache eating through my heart.

“You be the refresher.”

“Yes, Lord. I will.” I close my eyes and make a note to call my friends and ask their forgiveness—to let them know I finally get it.

My husband leans around the corner with a frown. “Crazy people talk to themselves. You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah.” With a tiny smile, in the midst of tears, I wipe my eyes on the corner of my ratty shirt. “Let me change my clothes and let’s go out for sushi.”

God on the Spot – Part 12: Taking Us into His Presence

By Dianne E. Butts –

Besides Christ coming again, God is also still on the hook to take those who accept Him as their God into heaven. There is nothing we can do apart from trusting Christ to make God do this. He made the promises. And in the end it is God alone Who is on the spot to save us and to deliver us from this world into His presence for all eternity. But based on the fact that He has kept every promise whose time has come that He’s ever made so far, as we’ve seen in this series of articles, we can be certain He won’t fail to keep this promise as well.

But until then, we can put God on the spot today. I’m sure you’re asking how can we possibly put God on the spot?

We can tell people about Him. After that it is God Who is on the spot to live up to what we’ve told them.

We can challenge people, but it is God Who is on the spot to convince them.

We tell the truth about Him. He alone is on the spot to prove it’s true.

It’s about His character. If we truly portray His character as He has revealed it to us through His Word, then Bible, then He has to come through (or else His character has changed—and that can’t happen).

We have a responsibility to know Him. Then we tell the truth about Him. At that point, He is on the spot to take that ball and run with it…or not. It is then His reputation on the line. It is His character on the spot. Not ours.

Don’t we say God always answers prayer? If that’s true, then we can tell someone to pray about a problem they’re experiencing and to watch for God’s answer. It is His reputation on the line to answer their prayer.

Don’t we know God always acts in perfect love? Then if we tell others that God will act toward them in love, it is His character that is on the spot.

Don’t we know that God always keeps His promises? Then what promise can you show someone in the Bible today that they can challenge God to keep? It is God Who is on the spot to keep it.

What might happen if we put God on the spot more often? What if we challenged Him to keep His promises? To display His character? To prove He is all He claims?

Wouldn’t we be bolder in our walk with Him and our witness to others?

Wouldn’t we find an incredible freedom to live in that boldness?

Wouldn’t we feel an unexpected and refreshing rest in simply telling the truth about God and then leaving up to Him what He will do with it in the lives of others?

We are not on the spot to defend God. We are not on the spot to prove He exists. We are not on the spot to convince people to know God or trust Him for salvation and eternal life. We are on the spot to live faithfully, trusting Him. How might our lives be empowered if we fully recognized it is God alone Who is on the spot to do everything else?

© 2010 Dianne E. Butts

Dianne has written for over 50 Christian print magazines and seventeen books. Her work has been published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. You can follow the progress of her current book of true stories of unplanned pregnancy here: www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com.

But it’s just a Small Stain!

By Kathi Woodall –

Looking so pretty in one of her favorite dresses, my five-year-old daughter was ready for church. I warned her to be careful not to drip any chocolate milk on her dress.

“I’ll be careful, mom.”

She put the cup to her mouth. The next thing we knew and before we could stop it, the damaging drip rolled down the side of her mouth and landed on the front of her dress.

Her daddy told her to go to her room and pick a different dress from her closet. With chocolate still on her mouth, her face wrinkled up into a cry. “But it’s just a small stain!” she cried as the tears started to flow. True to her perseverant nature, or should I say stubborn nature, she continued to cry. Between sobs she would remind us, “But it’s just a small stain!”

As I loaded the dishwasher and watched this play out, her repetition of the phrase, “But it’s just a small stain!” struck something within me. As my five-year-old cried because she wasn’t getting her way, I wondered how many adults cry out those same words to God as the Spirit works to reveal the sin in their life.

The Spirit prompts, “Did you lie to your boss?”

You answer, “But it’s just a small stain!”

“Were you mean to your husband? Were you impatient with your children?”

You cry, “But it’s just a small stain!”

“Did you gossip at church?”

You plead, “But it’s just a small stain!”

We may think we are a good person and those small stains won’t really matter but God does not see it that way. I thought of the verse, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10 NIV). Whether the stain was small or ran all the way down my daughter’s front side didn’t matter. Either way, the dress was still stained and she could no longer wear it to church. Likewise, we all have stains on our souls. Because of those stains, we can no longer have a personal relationship with God. He looks at us and in His sovereignty says, “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me” (Jeremiah 2:22 NIV). However, He also looks at us with love and compassion stirs within Him. That is why He provided a way for our stains to be removed. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV).

Have you allowed Jesus to wash away your stains?  Don’t let stubbornness rule as you, like my daughter, keep crying, “But it’s just a small stain.”

Too Much Salt

By Alan Mowbray  –

We all know about salt. You put it on french fries, potato chips, pretty much anything your mother-in-law cooks (well, not mine, of course), and foods that just don’t make your tongue dance.

Why? ‘Cause it tastes good. Well, technically, that’s actually the result of using salt, but it doesn’t answer the question of why adding salt makes things taste good.

Salt is a flavor enhancer. Those of you that bake know that recipes for sweets often have a bit of salt added. It’s there just to make the sugar and other ingredients taste better. This is where the “Salt” part of this comes from.

As a Christian, the Word tells me (Matthew 5: 13-16) that I am “…the salt of the earth.” This is a description of who I am – or should be. Salt enhances flavors; not by making them saltier, but rather, by enhancing the flavors already present in the other ingredients.

If I am to be salt, my life, my actions and my character should enhance the life of others. How I think, speak, act, and interact should be run through this filter of: “Am I actually making this other person’s life ‘taste’ better to them, or am I actually making it worse?

Worse? How could that be?
Did you ever put too much salt on something? Bleh!

By being a bit too overbearing and lording our Christianity over others, we can cause their taste for Christ to bitter. Our lifestyle, demeanor, reaction to adversity, and etc. all reflect on whether we are enhancing the flavor of others’ lives or whether we are too “salty.”

When first learning how to witness my faith to others, I was trained to boldly confront everyone with the message of Jesus Christ, but the tactics I was trained to use gave ME a bad taste in MY mouth. I couldn’t stomach banging on a stranger’s door, asking him if he know where he would go if he died tonight, and telling him he was destined for hell if he wasn’t saved… not that this is necessarily bad, but is it a proper use of our loving salt?

Was I enhancing these people’s lives, or did they shut the door on me – solidifying their belief that Christians were pathetic and highly annoying losers? Even worse, there were times when the people I was with got into arguments with them.

Would you say that walking around picking fights on unsuspecting people is counterproductive, yet being ready for a fight, if you are attacked, is prudent? Using this thought pattern, let’s compare confrontational witnessing versus living a holy lifestyle – ready, at a moment’s notice, to explain why when asked?

I’ve spent a few years tossing this issue in my head and I understand now that I was being too salty. Instead of enhancing and watering seedlings of hope and faith, I was flooding them with briny, brackish fleshly water.

Now, I still believe that one should tell others about Jesus, but I’ve changed my personal message. It’s no longer – “HERE’S WHAT JESUS CAN DO FOR YOU IF ONLY YOU’D JUST BELIEVE – YOU IDIOT!!!!!” My message is now – “Here’s what Jesus does for me every day, even though I don’t deserve it!”

When you become salt of the world, you aren’t pushing the Gospel down people’s throats; you’re living life with them – loving them. That is true witnessing. That’s what Jesus did.

We are here to enhance the lives of others. Done in love, our lives too, will taste sweeter as a result.

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