God's kind and compassionate heart

I grew up with a harsh view of God. Perhaps it was my own lack of understanding - I am not blaming anyone for that perception. But, I was afraid of him and I was sure that I could never measure up and that his view of me was always negative and judgmental. I felt that I always needed to prove myself somehow but knew that I always came up short. I doubted His heart for me and I could not have been more wrong. In fact, His heart is always leaning into us with love, concern and compassion.

Hebrews 4:14-16, says this. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

As a human, Jesus faced all the issues we face. He understands our situations and temptations. He knows what it is to live with doubt and despair or joy and success. He had the same relational issues with others that we have. Some embraced him while others vilified him. In becoming a man in the incarnation, he intentionally chose to step into our broken humanity with all the limitations and issues we face. 

But here is an amazing thing. When Jesus went back to heaven, he took with him his body. Now glorified, but the God who created us, became one of us, and died for us will forever keep his  human form because He chooses to identify with us. 

And here is what the writer of Hebrews wants us to know. The same Jesus we read about in the Gospels is as accessible to us today from heaven as he was in the incarnation. His compassion, concern, understanding, mercy, grace, help, forgiveness, acceptance and love are the same today from heaven as they were from Galilee. His heart was for people then and His heart is for you today. He is for us, not against us. He understands us fully. He is available to us constantly.

 

Therefore, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” What do you need today? He is inviting you into his presence. Where are you broken today? He invites you to come to Him for healing. What sin do you struggle with today? He invites you to confess it and find forgiveness. What fears or concerns do you carry in your heart today? He invites you to lay them at His feet. When we come to Jesus, there is no shame but understanding and forgiveness and help.

Don’t buy into lies about God. He is for you not against you. He is available, not distant. He is loving, not harsh. He gets you and he gets me. He understands our weaknesses and empathizes with us. He cares deeply for you. Today! Right now!

My own journey brought me back again and again to the gospels and to those passages where His heart for us is disclosed. Pay attention to them. Live in the grace found there and know that He is for you.

Don't Quit

The Christian life is, as Eugene Peterson so eloquently put it, “A long obedience in the same direction.” It is a marathon, not a sprint and the finish line is that day when we meet Jesus face to face.

But, there are times of fatigue. Times when we just want to take a break, withdraw into ourselves and put aside our long obedience for a while. After all, it takes energy and discipline to keep going in a marathon and in this quest to follow Jesus. All of us have the temptation to slow down in our followership, take a break from the race and focus on what we want rather than on what God wants. Besides, people let us down, even fellow believers. It is easy to become discouraged and tired.

I think this is a special temptation as we age, thinking, we have done our time, done our ministry and now we can relax. Actually it is in these years when we have the most to offer given our experiences and history. It is not the time to slow down in doing good. It is the time to continue our long obedience in the same direction.

This is why Paul writes to the Galatian church with these words during those times when we are tempted to slow down in our long obedience. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10).

I find Paul’s words helpful here. He wants us to continue to do good and not give up in doing good for all people but especially those who are believers - our spiritual brothers and sisters. One of the things that Christians should be known for is Tov - the Hebrew word for goodness. Unfortunately that is not always the case. In fact, the amount of vitriol and unkindness among believers can be very discouraging. Just read social media.

But you and I should be known by our goodness and kindness toward others. Acts of kindness toward one another is a character trait of God whose kindness toward us is never ending. When we engage in acts of goodness toward others we follow the example of Jesus who never tires of blessing us in too many ways to count.

This week, think about how you can practice Tov or goodness toward those around you. In fact, pray daily that God would give you at least one opportunity to do good to others in practical and tangible ways. Paul says that if we do, “at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up.

Don’t quit. Keep going and you will be blessed as you bless others.

Jesus never tires of blessing us. His faithfulness to us ought to spur our faithfulness to others. Be a source of goodness to someone in your world this week. Encourage them as He encourages you.