Hello my dear friends, I pray that each one of you are experiencing the Lord's abundant love and compassion upon you today. All around us are lonely people, very lonely people who need to experience God's unconditional love. If we have tasted of that great love, then surely we need to look for opportunities to give it away. This is the theme of today's Psalms of Discipleship: the value of experiencing unconditional love, and then giving it away.
Loved by the Good Shepherd,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #31
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. Psalm 40:11
Core Value: Grace
Do you really know how to give love away . . . with no strings attached?
In the world’s economy, love always comes with a very important condition: “you be nice to me, and I’ll be nice to you. You do things my way and I will like you. However, if you ever do something or say something I do not like, I will withhold my love from you.” That’s how it is for many Christians. Love becomes a powerful leverage, to either reward or to punish. Withheld love. It happens between parents and children, between friends, and yes, even between us and God. If our children disappoint us, we are tempted not to love them fully. If our friends fail us, we snatch back our love. And if God does not act like we want Him to act, we chose to hold Him hostage using withheld love as the bargaining chip. “Lord, if you do things my way, then I will reward you by loving you more.” It’s common. It’s easy to do. And it’s wrong on so many levels.
Fortunately, we are not without hope. God does not hold a grudge. Through grace, the Good Shepherd gives His love and compassion to us. His grace allows us to love and to be loved, unconditionally. Remember, grace is getting something we do not deserve. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is free and grace is good for us. And when we begin to understand and live in a way where grace is highly valued, we can become advocates for the kind of love that changes the world, and yes, even us.
We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Principle #31 & Personal Application: The quality disciple has a view of God who is compassionate and sustains His people with love and truth.
• Grace helps us see God as He really is: He is compassionate to His people.
• Grace allows us to experience His wonderful mercy: His mercy preserves us.
• Grace grounds us in His absolute truth: His truth gives us reason for not having to fear.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How would I describe my view of my heavenly Father: as a compassionate Father or an over-demanding tyrant?
What does it mean that the Lord will continually preserve me with His lovingkindness and His truth?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, how I thank You for not withholding Your compassion from me. How I thank You for continually preserving me with Your lovingkindess (mercy) and Your truth. May I always live in Your grace and may I always be sure to not withhold compassion from others. May I always be merciful and an advocate for truth.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service —Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blog spot.com/
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