I loved this devotion today! Anytime I can read or talk about God’s mercy is a good moment. One of my favorite verses in the Bible are the ones highlighted in Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” To face each day knowing that I don’t have to rely on past mercy or past grace or even past memories, is special. To know that each day I face is new. God’s grace is new. God’s mercy is new. I love what Tripp says:

Not only does God lavish on me love that will never cease and grace that will never end, and not only is he great in faithfulness, but the mercy he extends to me is renewed each new morning.

That statement right there is alone worth the price of admission! But a little while later he writes these powerful words:

God knows who I am, where I am, and what I’m facing, and in the majestic combination of divine knowledge, power, and compassion, he meets me (and others) with just the right mercies for the moment.

“Father, Daniel speaks of you being a great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love you. I want to be that man. Mercy is yours; righteousness is yours. Let me experience both today, not because I deserve it, but because I NEED it.”

It’s easy to get into the mode of “I’m this and you’re not.” It certainly happened (to my shame) in my marriage. It has happened (to my shame again) from the pulpit. Not in so blatant of way of saying “I have this together and you don’t,”  but in my approach. It has happened (to my shame again again) in my dealings with those outside of Christ. Not on purpose, but in attitude. In questions like “When are you guys going to get your act together?” as if I do.  I do think those who throw up the Matthew 5 “Judge not thingy”  when speaking against sin miss the point of that passage. Speaking against sin as seen in the Bible is not wrong nor judgmental! The attitude may be but even that-at least in my mind-misses the point of that passage. The context is Jesus’ judgment against self-righteousness. How can a non-believer who wants to throw out the “you aren’t supposed to judge” spiel understand? Can I go up to them and say, “You’re misusing that Scripture”? Obviously not. But I need to be careful about my own critical/judgmental spirit.

The point: pointing a finger at another’s sin or shortcoming AND NOT SEEING MY OWN is wrong. And THAT, I believe, is Jesus’ point. It’s the whole log/speck idea. Stop the self-righteous, look-down-the-nose-at-someone-else that is so easy to get into.

“Father, forgive me for my self-righteousness. Forgive me when I fail to look closely into the mirror and see me as You do. I don’t even need to ask you to knock me down a peg or two because you will in your good time. I need your grace to rescue me from myself.”

I love the story of Daniel! And it is so easy to see the connection between Tripp’s devotion and his suggestion to read Daniel 6.

Tripp: “Remember, what is out of my control exists under the careful control of the One who is all-knowing, all-wise, all-good.”

Daniel: “When Daniel knew the document had been signed, he went to his home…he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.“ v.10

Nothing changed in Daniel’s routine. The ruling by Darius was out of his control but he didn’t care. He trusted the One who had it all under control.

Tripp: “I must not give way to thinking that my life is out of control…look up and remember that above all there is a throne, and on it sits a God of unimaginable majesty, ruling all for his glory and for my good.”

Daniel: “No harm was found in him, because he had trusted in his God.” v.23

“Father, I don’t fear a lion’s den. I don’t fear a fiery furnace. Sometimes I fear what life may bring. But in reality, I should fear nothing because I have You. Let me, like Daniel, not be afraid of anything because my trust is in You. As Darius said, ‘You are the living God, enduring forever.’ “

One of the most common approaches (and I know I’m guilty) is blame. Not the scream-and-holler kind of “It’s all your fault!”). I mean, that happens and it is bad. But there is a much more subtle blame game which goes on. I think it is less offensive because there is a sense of justification and rationalization going on. The “if only” approach.

I’m good at that. It is much better where something goes wrong to blame God or to justify by the “if only” than it is to look into the mirror and ‘fess up.

• If only she had done this or that, I wouldn’t have…
• If only the kids had listened then I wouldn’t have lost my cool.
• If only he/she hasn’t screamed and yelled and called me a jerk (or worse) then I wouldn’t have cussed him/her out.

On and on. After reading Proverbs 4:23 and working on a sermon, there is no way to disagree with Tripp when he says,

Our words and behavior are not caused by what’s outside us, but by what’s inside us. But the Scriptures are clear that every wrong I do flows out of the thoughts and desires of my heart.

“Father, blame though I may, I know I’m the problem. Like my parents, Adam and Eve, I’m prone to blame. But it is my heart which is out of whack. Father, help me to look into the mirror and see what is honestly and truly there. Then and only then will I be convinced of my need for your grace.”

There was a teaching that made it rounds a few years ago. It was called Open Theism. Short version: God didn’t know everything. He wasn’t Omniscient. Say what? You call him the God of the Universe but limit Him? Makes no sense to me. You lower Him to the status of a man with incomplete knowledge but you want to call Him God? Pray tell. What do you do with Isaiah 40? To whom will you liken him? To whom will you compare Him? There is none like Him Isaiah would say.

I totally agree with Tripp: “It is stunning to know that God knows absolutely everything. Yes, you read that right-everything.”

• His knowledge is unsearchable.
• His grasp has no beginning and no end.
• He is never confused.
• He never lives with misunderstanding.
• He is never surprised or perplexed.
• He never has trouble reconciling one truth with another.
• He never has gaps in his knowledge.
• He never wishes he had the wisdom of another.
• He never has to relearn something.
• He never has to admit he was wrong.
• He never needs someone to enlighten him.

“O Father, how great you are! Words fail me. I’ll let Isaiah express my thoughts. I’ll let this page express my thoughts. I stand in awe of you. There really is NO ONE LIKE YOU!!!

Do I love people? Maybe the better question is “Do I love people as I should?” Well, the answer is not as easy or as simple as it looks. Because it actually finds its roots in a deeper question: “Do I love God as I should? Do I put my love for Him where it belongs?”

I can relate to Tripp’s illustration of loving his wife. If I fail to love Jo in the way I should, it all goes back to failing to love God as I should. When I fail to do that, I put me on the throne of my heart. It is all about me at that point. And, in reality, until I’m willing to put God where He belongs, it will always be about me.

The story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (the Scripture for today) has always intrigued me. Far deeper than a story of foot-washing , which some churches/denominations/cults have made essential, is the story of Jesus saying, “Do you understand what I am doing?” In other words, you see me washing feet. True. But there is so much more here. To my way of thinking, if Jesus would lower Himself to do one of the most mundane of all tasks, which only a servant would do, I should also be willing to do the same. Not necessarily wash someone’s feet…although that may certainly be part of it. What I do need to do is humble myself before God so I can truly do whatever is asked with a servant’s heart. And that includes loving someone.

“Father, teach me to love you first. I need my relationship with you to be right in order for me to be right with others. Rescue me. Rescue us (my relationship with you). Make us right. Then the others will be right.”

An interesting phrase is found in the Scripture reading for today. Paul says, “Our heart is wide open.” (I Cor.6:11)  After talking about all he had gone through, he tells the Corinthians “he spoke freely and his heart was wide open.”

That sort of enhances what Tripp says:

It is a wonder of transforming grace that the heart of a self-focused human being can abandon the pursuit of his own little kingdom and give itself to serve the purpose of the kingdom of another.

Isaiah says “that God’s thoughts are higher than my thoughts and his ways higher than my ways.” There is no greater effort, no greater act, than the act of serving Jesus, even though I may not understand all that is taking place and will take place. I spent close to 3 hours with someone (name omitted) last night and that was part of our conversation. He wants to live and die well, but his heart desires to see his family come to Jesus. In his case, he wants to live but he’s willing to surrender to see his children know Jesus. He has his 2nd ugly round of chemo today. He doesn’t want to go through it, but he will for them. It is as Tripp says, “His obedience celebrates grace even in moments when he isn’t continuously celebrating it himself.”

“Father, I don’t pretend-I can’t pretend-to know your ways or plan. All I know is it is ultimately good. Help me to have a heart that is wide open to you, to your will, your plan, your grace. Help me to lay aside my little kingdom to pursue you and your greater kingdom.”

I could handle the opening statement rather easily: “Mercy is what I have been given and what I am called to give.” That’s true. I know that. And I agree. That which has been shown to me I am to show/give to others.

The real penetration starts with this question: “How is it possible that I who have been blessed with eternal love far beyond anything I could have hoped to earn could be so regularly unloving to those around me?” Good question. How can I be so unloving? Dismissive? Uncaring? Unsympathetic? Unempathetic?

The real body slam came with this:

I don’t always respond to others as the Savior has responded to me because I don’t share his heart. My heart is not always ruled by what ruled his heart. My life is not always motivated by what motivated his. I don’t always find joy is what brought him joy. So I lack the mercy that drove and shaped his life.

That hurts. It hurts because I want to believe I am following Him heart and soul, but this shows me I’m not. It shows me my need for grace still looms large. There is definitely a hole in my gospel according to James 2. I fail to show what I have been shown.

“Father, just when I think I’m doing okay, I’m reminded I still have a ways to go. Not in my acceptance of your grace, but in my display of it. My feeling and caring is lacking at times. My lack of empathy shows. Forgive me when I show favoritism. Your acceptance of me shows your heart. May my response to others show your heart as well.”

My first question after reading today’s devotion is this:

What would it be like to find the perfect balance?

• As a parent: knowing when to discipline (come down a bit harder) vs when to just love and teach.
• As a pastor: knowing when to preach against sin (come down firmer) vs when to let it “ride.”
• As a friend: knowing when to speak hard truth against a certain action vs “how much is this friendship worth?”

Those aren’t real good a good articulation of what I’m trying to say but I know what I want to say. Maybe putting it this way: when do I shut up and when do I speak? I totally agree and get what Tripp is saying:

Truth requires me to love and love requires me to be truthful.

Here are some of his other thoughts that rung a bell in me:

• “Truth isn’t mean and love isn’t dishonest.”
• “Today I am called to loving honesty and honest love.”
• “The biblical call to love will never force me to trim, deny, or bend the truth, and the biblical call to truth will never ask me to abandon God’s call to love my neighbor.”

It’s called balance. How do I do that? How do I be truthful and be loving? It’s essential. No question. I cannot be truthful and blow someone’s doors off, and I can’t be loving and dismissive and leave truth at the door.

“Father, today, help me to find that balance. Help me to be lovingly honest and honestly loving. May any and all my hard words be motivated by love today and in the future.”

“Father knows best.” “Ask dad. He knows” was the sign George Bailey saw when Mr. Gower wanted him to take the (poison) pills to the lady who called for them. I know both are dubious when referring to my earthly father, but not my heavenly Father.

Why then do I think I know best? Why do I think I know better than Him on what to do? Why am I pushing the envelope, getting as close to the edge as possible? Why am I always pressing, feeling like I know best? Isn’t that what leads people to say, “I don’t need rules. I can do what I want because of grace”? Sort of like it gives them license. Is that what leads people to think they can play with fire-“holding coals close to the chest” is the way Proverbs puts it-and not get burnt?

But as Tripp says, this very line of thinking reveals my need for daily grace. It is His grace, and His grace alone, that can deliver me from me.

“Father, you do know best. Your Word is a perfect guide for me to follow but I sometimes war against it. Forgive me for that. Please help me be aware when I am stepping too close or even over the line. Draw me back with your never-ending grace. Show me, guide me, lead me using your Word as the lamp it is said to be. And help me stay away from the ledge.”