Skip to content

Paradigm Shift Ministries

…a part of Right Choice Today, Inc.

Archive

Tag: Compassion

Fall Week 6: Blessed Are the Merciful

Oct 10
Weekly Wisdom

Fall: Week Six
Blessed Are the Merciful:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
 ~ Matthew 5:7 ~

People generally end up getting what they deserve.  How you treat others affects how they treat you.  If you show respect to those around you, then they will be more likely show respect to you.  This “you reap what you sow” theme is one that is found all throughout Scripture.  Just because God gave us frees will doesn’t mean that He won’t hold us accountable to the decisions that we make.

One of Jesus’ main recurring themes is leadership through service.  Only by thinking of others as higher than yourself can you even begin to understand the love that God has for us.  Jesus lived this out by always taking the time to stop and help everyone who came to Him for help.  His is the example that we are to follow if we are to live the loves that God has called us to live.

There may not be anything more difficult to do than to show mercy to someone who does not deserve it.  However, by God’s standards, not one of us deserves mercy, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)”  But God is love, and God loves us.  His love is so great that He sees past our iniquity and put a plan in motion to set us free from our sin.  Jesus sacrificed His life for us, the ultimate act of mercy.  His death paid the price for our rebellion against God – our perfect heavenly Father.  We do not deserve God’s mercy, but He offers it to us anyway; therefore, we should show each other mercy.

It is all about how you treat people.  No matter what you do or where you are, you must have good people skills.  If you want to bring out the best in the people around you, then you must learn to show them mercy and grace.  The Bible promises us that we will be held accountable to how we treat those around us.  If we truly love God, then we will try to live life His way, and the best way to do this is by following Jesus’ example.  If you need any guidance on how to get through a certain situation, then just open up your Bible and read about how Jesus carried Himself.  He always showed love and compassion for the people around Him, and we should do likewise.

Leave a Comment , , , , , , Read more

Fall Week 3: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Sep 19
Weekly Wisdom

Fall: Week Three

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

~ Matthew 5:4 ~

When you are in a time of mourning, the last thing that you feel is blessed. But Jesus’ ministry was all about the oppressed, the marginalized, and the broken. However, the American church of today has largely lost sight of this. We have people hurting sitting right next to us in our church pews, and we do nothing to comfort them. And that doesn’t even begin to paint the picture outside our church walls. David Kinnaman points out in his book unChristian that many people outside the Church have very negative feelings toward Christians because of how we simply don’t practice what we preach. Jesus was a radical dude, and we need to live out the radical kind of love and compassion that He exemplified through His life.

The radical love of God can mend any broken heart, no matter how deep the scars. I’ve had my fair share of shadowy valleys in my short life, and every time I seem to hit rock bottom, I find myself digging into the Word and crying out to my Heavenly Father for comfort. And the truly amazing thing is that no matter how far I fall, He catches me every time. A couple verses that I have found comfort in include James 1:2-4 and John 16:33. They both talk about how the trials and tribulations of life help us to grow as people, and if you are hurting for any reason today, I invite you to open up the good ol’ Bible and just let your Father speak to you.

No matter how dark the shadows around you are, God’s unending agape love will light up your night, and His love will restore your broken heart. Just seek Him and He will answer, just as Jesus reminds us: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt 7:7)

And always remember the old Christian adage: “God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!”

Leave a Comment , , , , , , , , , , , , Read more
Paradigm Shift Ministries
  • Subscribe

  • Meta

Copyright © 2012 Paradigm Shift Ministries Design by SRS Solutions top