Day Six: Marked by KINDNESS May 11, 2016
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"Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm,
sealed with this inscription:
"The Lord knows those who are His," and,
"Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord
must turn away from wickedness."
(2 Timothy 2:19)
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MORNING MEDITATION
THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
The religious leaders of Jesus' day presented to the people a hypocritical example of the kind of people God blesses. They displayed a distorted image of righteousness based on external ritual and appearance, rather than on inner consecration and holiness. "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). The people had already struggled to live up to burdensome standard of the Pharisees, but after hearing Jesus, surely they questioned if it was even possible to attain His impossible standard of righteousness. The external requirements of the law which the scribes and Pharisees required could at least be measured (they were all about the flesh); but Jesus is not concerned with outer appearances; on the contrary, He is concerned about the inner life, and what He spoke of involved the attitudes of the heart. The only way to attain the perfect righteousness He spoke of is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Instead of adhering to a list of rules, we are to yield to the Spirits' working in our life.
God has showed us mercy that we might show His mercy to others. The Pharisees did not even lift a finger to help the people, but we are to have compassion for our brothers and help bear their burdens. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:12-14). Jesus stood in the midst of the people, not just to issue a call to the righteous life, but also to demonstrate in Himself the example they were to look upon and to follow. What He offered was the complete opposite of the dead rituals of the Pharisees. Jesus came to offer the people a living, loving, intimate relationship with God. The only way we can experience the blessedness that He promises in the Beatitudes is through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let us pray that we would yield to His inner working power to sanctify us by His truth, so that we can bring forth the fruit that will reproduce His life in other people's lives. "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' " (Acts 20:35).
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AFTERNOON PRAYER
Click on the clay pot to listen to the afternoon prayer:
 A prayer to always offer the sweet temper of kindness to everyone.
"And the Lord's servant must not quarrel;
instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct,
in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will
come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil,
who has taken them captive to do his will"
(2 Timothy 2:24-26)
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EVENING DEVOTION
EVERYONE WHO CONFESSES THE NAME OF THE LORD
MUST TURN AWAY FROM WICKEDNESS
AND PURSUE...KINDNESS
The fruit of the Spirit is KINDNESS
(Galatians 5:22)
When we show compassion to our fellow man, the Lord promises that we will be shown mercy in return. We never know when we will need help ourselves some day, therefore it is important to sow the seeds of kindness today, so that when the time comes we will obtain mercy from man and with God. We are promised trials as followers of Jesus Christ; and we will walk the painful path that Jesus paved with His own sufferings. May we be aware of, and sensitive to, the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and take pity on them, showing them the kindness of Christ and helping them to bear their burdens. "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward him for what he has done" (Proverbs 19:17).
It can be challenging to be kind when others are being so unmerciful in their treatment towards us as Christians. But with the Spirit's help we can produce the fruit of kindness and leave behind a sweet taste in the mouths of our offenders in exchange for all the unkind words they have bestowed upon us. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:35-36). Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to respond with kindness in the face of opposition. Let us yield ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit and ask Him today to produce in us His sweetness of temper, so that the people around us will taste and see how good the Lord is (Psalm 34:8). "Love is patient, love is kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4). May we present the sweet and loving character of Jesus Christ everywhere we go, and particularly in the face of opposition, so that God will be glorified in our lives. Let us take time today to praise our Lord for all the kindnesses He has poured into our lives; we are unworthy of the blessings we continually receive (Isaiah 63:7). "I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant" (Genesis 32:10a)
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INSCRIBE - Set Apart to the Lord A 10 Day Prayer Journey Waiting On God Copyright © 2016 Traci A. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.
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