Put Your Dukes Up!

I'm pretty scrappy. Ever since I was little, I wanted to fight and wrestle with my dad and my brother. I don't like to give in and I will continue even if I'm wounded. My mom always said I would get hurt, run to her and cry, then right jump back in the pile. I would always tell people that I never played sports because I wasn't a competitive person. The truth is that I'm just TOO competitive. Growing up, I was never a good sportsman and I HATED to lose.

Every once in a while, I would stumble upon someone who was just as scrappy as I was and we'd have a battle to see who was the toughest. My mom would often lecture me for playing a game called "6 inches." For those who don't know, "6 inches" is a game where you make a fist and position yourself exactly 6 inches from your opponents flexed bicept. Then you directly punch them as hard as you can without pulling your fist back for added force. They take their turn and this continues until one person can't take it anymore. I finally saw the light on that one when I came home with 6 inch black bruises on both arms and could hardly move them. Game over.

While you may not have heard of "6 inches," you've probably heard of the game called "Mercy" (or as some people call it, "Uncle"). This is a game where you interlock your fingers with your opponent and you both begin to simultaneously maneuver your hands to see who can get their opponent into a position of pain to the point where they surrender. In order to surrender, one has to say "Mercy!" in order to be released.

Hey what can I say? I was the only girl in the house raised with an older brother for most of my life. It was survival of the fittest!

This game came to my mind as I began to think about today's attribute of God, which is "God is merciful."

Many people think of God as an opponent in the game of mercy. They think He just punishes you or hurts you until you can't take it and you finally beg for "Mercy!" It breaks my heart that people think that way and I desperately want them to know the truth. That is NOT what mercy is at all.

The truth is more along the lines of the fact that we were caught in the death grip of sin. In fact, the truth is that we were dead in sin (we're talking skeleton here), never truly knowing how to live. Then God steps into the picture with His perfect search & rescue plan, allowing His only Son to endure the humiliating death on the cross as the final sacrifice that would ever be needed to cleanse us of our sin. In that instant, the grip of death and sin lost it's power and there was no need for us to cry out for mercy. It was freely offered and freely given. There is nothing left for us to do but walk away from the sin that had bound us and walk into the outstretched arms of our Redeemer.

Here's what Holy Scripture says:

Daniel 9:9

9 But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

Deuteronomy 4:29-31

29 From there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. 30 "When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. 31 For the LORD your God is merciful -- he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.  

Mercy is the fact that God loved us when we were unloveable, offered the gift of His Son when had nothing to give in return, forgave us of a debt we could not pay. I am not worthy of the mercy that has been offered to me. God forbid that I ever take it for granted!

Holy Father,

You're love and your mercy are too much for me to comprehend. Even though I am so unworthy, you gave me the best gifts of all. You gave me freedom, healing, hope, life, forgiveness, mercy, and the promise of eternal life. In my human mind, it makes no sense to love someone like me, but you do and I am so thankful. Thank you that you love us all and offer this gift to every single person you've created. Help us to know you and love you more with every passing day. You are worthy of all our praise!

In Jesus Holy Name I pray,
Amen

Saved by a....string?

God is love, but not the love we understand as humans. As powerful as human love can be, God's love is so deep and strong that it is unfathomable. We can't understand it.

1 John 4:7-10

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  

The only reason we even have the ability to love is because we are made in the image of God. God made us to love Him and love each other. He demonstrated how love works Himself by sending His only Son, Jesus, on a rescue mission for our souls. He gave up someone who meant a lot to Him and allowed him to be abused, mistreated, and beaten for our sakes. His Son was perfect! He commited no sin and yet He died for our sin. He took the blame, shame, and responsibility for us. He took the punishment that should have been ours (we are the ones who deserve it, after all) so we didn't have to.

That is love as well.

Because of the love of the Father and the love of the Son, we are free from the bondage of sin, death, and eternal punishment. What do we get instead? God! Heaven! Eternal LIFE!  Freedom! That's worth shouting about!

Some might say, "Yeah, but love is never free. There are always strings attached." While I can see why would may think that on the human level (I know I have thought that on many occasions), God's strings are much different. Here's what God wants from you....He wants you to:

1. Tell him that you know you've sinned and that you are truly sorry.

2. Turn away from your sins and ask God to forgive you and be the Lord of your life.

3. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and accept His gift of grace and love.

It's true that love comes with strings sometimes. Some strings bind you to things you don't need or want. The strings with God's love are like the very strings that pull you to safety when you're drowning in the sea. These strings bring life, healing, and never-ending love from an infinite, holy God.

I can't imagine why He would love me. I know what a mess I am at times and I know that many times, I fail Him. I have been mean, ungreatful, rebellious, and disrespectful to Him. I have sinned and fallen short of His desires for me. I have been so thick-headed that at times I thought God would have to hit me over the head with a brick to get through my thick skull. And yet, He loves me. He loved me first which is why I even have the ability to come to Him and apologize for my random acts of selfishness and stupidity. Every time I mess up, God is there and always ready to offer forgiveness and restoration.

It's when you look at God's love that you realize that you don't know as much about love as you thought. Holy Father, please teach me more about your love and help me to love You and others better.