GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block in another’s way. Romans 14:12–13 (NIV)

Our objective-in-Jesus is to maintain courtesy and respect, even when we disagree with one another.

When another is rude to you, you aren’t required to respond with rudeness. Consider if a response of rudeness comes from Jesus-in-you or from your own “desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV).

Jesus teaches us to respond to rudeness, or even heart-deep evil, with the more-powerful-every-time response of kindness. Paul, the blind man of the Damascus Road, says we’re to use the spiritual weapon of courtesy motivated by good: “Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good” (Romans 12:21 MSG).

Paul also says, in essence, that God does not see reactions, but only actions. Regardless, we’re responsible for our own behavior, our own choice of response: “Each of us will give an account of himself to God, therefore let us stop passing judgment on each other” (Romans 14:12–13 NIV).

This echoes Jesus, when he talks about out tendency to be blind ophthalmologists: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3 NIV).

Courtesy carries the same strength as a gentle answer, which turns away anger and rudeness (Proverbs 15:1).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Exodus 33:19 (NIV)
 
Our Creator, Yahweh, who “causes to be,” has the right to show you compassion, or not.

He is the final word in the universe, the Supreme-being Supreme Court, and he properly proclaims, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19 HCSB).
 
Dear Jesus-one, this doesn’t mean God plays favorites, like, “I’ll give compassion to the ones I like, and leave the others in their misery.” It means he has the right to decide who gets compassion. It’s his call and his decision is final.

But before we start telling God how to be God, we need to understand the deep point: we don’t get to decide who gets God’s compassion and who doesn’t.

Compassion flows from God’s nature into us, and then—at least this is the way it’s supposed to work—that compassion should flow from us to others. We’re just stewards of God’s compassion, and we don’t have the right to withhold God’s compassion from others.

God’s compassion is not yours to keep. You have no right to block God’s compassion, in essence, saying, “God you don’t know that person as well as I think I do; he doesn’t deserve your compassion.”

God’s compassion is never wasted. You’re not in the right position to accurately judge whether God’s compassion will be wasted. He’s got the God’s-eye-view. When Jesus poured his blood, like a drink offering, into your life, was that compassion wasted on you? How, then, could it be wasted on another?

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

When we ignore the Holy Spirit, there’s little difference between the way we live our lives and non-believers who live their lives disconnected and independent from God.

“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT).

Our objective in Jesus is to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Ask God to teach you to hear his still small voice and to be sensitive to promptings from the Spirit that he’s placed inside you. Then, believe the truth that he will guide you through the decisions and details of your life.

As you learn to walk in the Spirit, God will never ask you to do anything that violates his Word. Promptings from the Holy Spirit will always line up with the Bible; however, they may not line up with your church-ianity traditions or pre-conceived notions.

For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense the Spirit prompting you. This will help you learn to be sensitive to the Spirit, but it will also strengthen your resolve to be obedient to God’s guidance as you see his constant, loving interest in the details of your life.

And what if you blow it? Remember God’s grace! If you misunderstand the Holy Spirit’s prompting or disobey it, then confess your failure to God; he is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). Fall on his grace and remember that you are in the school of Christ. He knows you’re learning; he sent the Holy Spirit to teach you.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

God wants you to teach someone who can then teach someone else.

• He wants you to teach others about the spiritual insights he’s deposited in you.
• He wants you to teach others about the practical steps you’ve taken to become more and more like the face of Jesus.
• He wants you to teach others about the ways he’s stretched your faith.
• He wants you to teach others how they can discover life in Christ.
• He wants you to teach them the skills necessary to go on mission.

God’s plan calls for us to build other faithful believers, to disciple them to become one with Jesus, so they can then disciple others.

You may be wondering if you’re capable of doing this, but the apostle Paul says you can make a choice to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom . . .” (Colossians 3:16 NIV). It is God who teaches through you, giving you a supernatural wisdom and confidence to disciple others in the great truths of the faith.

Frankly, you have more knowledge, training, and resources at your disposal than believers did in the first century church, when they were told to entrust to the faithful the things which you have learned (2 Timothy 2:4).

Trust the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to flow from you and give you the words, the wisdom you need to pass on what God has taught you.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.