Wednesday, June 23, 2022 Some material taken from The Father's Heart
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. Psalm 103:10-14
A Father With A Big Heart
It seems that people are offended about everything these days. An offense is often responded to with an offense to the offender. When we feel offended it is very hard not to respond in our flesh. We get defensive and we find ourselves responding before we think about it.
When we remember how much God has done for us, how much He has shown mercy and grace to us, we can remember to act in a way that reflects the heart of God in our responses. Remember the grace He has shown us can help us show that grace to others. When we can reflect His heart in our response, we make the gospel real to them. We make it believable.
The love and grace that God has given us is meant to be shared with others. When we show people the gospel, they can believe the gospel. God has been gracious enough to not give us all we deserve because of our sin but saved us instead. We could never earn the grace He gives but He gives it anyway. In return we love and honor Him.
How can we show our love and honor for Him? By keeping His commandments. John 14:14 says If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. NASB If we love Him it will be obvious in our continuous devotion and obedience to Him. It is something that begins when we begin our relationship with Him, and we will do it for the rest of our lives if we are walking with Him. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments.
It is an ongoing effort to continually “keep” those commandments.
If you don’t know God’s word, you can’t obey it.
If you know it, and don’t obey it, you don’t fear God.
If you don’t fear God, you can’t experience His love.
Know God’s Heart + Model God’s Heart = Make the gospel believable
There is a world out there that does not know the truth. This is why it is so important that we make the gospel known. Things are backwards, mixed up, and upside down. What is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. They need to know. When we have a relationship with God, we pour out to others all that He pours into us, and this is the gospel shared.
The world needs to know the heart of our heavenly Father who:
Loves us beyond measure - For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him…
Forgives us - As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Has compassion on us - Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
Knows us and our weaknesses - For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.
The only way that we can change the world, our family our children, our coworkers, or anyone else in our lives is to make the gospel believable by showing them the gospel in real life.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith… Romans 1:16-17a
