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Fruitful Remember when you first made a commitment to God? It may have been in a prayer where you wanted to make God a deal or it may have been a more serious commitment to covenant with God to be a disciple of Jesus. Regardless how serious or sound the commitment, you probably immediately set out to be who you agreed to be. However, when things are going well, when you are too busy or when things have taken a terrible turn, you lose your focus and sink back into your past character or attitude. Sometimes it is done out of a false sense of righteousness, sometimes it is done out of a fear of the unknown but what does God expect? If we step back to the beginning again, when we made a deal with God, we often can picture our weaknesses and realize God’s patience and mercy with us. However, when good things develop we can sometimes get to the point where we can understand others weaknesses and we certainly don’t have any patience or mercy for them. After all we have the truth – right? "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14Many who are a part of the Body of Christ might say, "I don’t need to go home forgiven". But, if they think that, then they don’t really understand the universal principles of the law that God’s Spirit is in tune with. We all still sin even though we war against sin. Over time we should learn that God is patient with us like a father is with his child that isn’t perfect. Unfortunately, some people only see the two extremes, your either righteous or a rebel but most children are neither and we should see ourselves as children and as disciples. When we develop a sense of righteousness, like Job’s friends, we are often found comparing others to Christ and judging them, which ultimately helps us to fail miserably. Instead we should be comparing ourselves to Christ and being the person we expect them to be. Most would understand this principle in the workplace. You find it a joy to work for someone who expects more of himself then he does those who work for them and such a hardship to work for someone who expects everyone else to be perfect yet is a lazy person themselves. Some people on occasion think that I as a minister am very, sometimes extremely, patient with people who sin. Part of the reason for this is that I realize how incredibly patient and merciful God has been with me. I believe that if He has shown that patience and mercy to me I should be willing to show His patience and mercy to others. "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:23-35Patience and mercy are such difficult characteristics to develop but God expects us to develop them and He demonstrated those very characteristics to each of us. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Peter 1:5-8 I don’t mean to imply that I am a very patient person in all things. I am not. I am not patient with people who selfishly are hurting others and don’t care. I am not patient with discourteous behaviour but I am very patient with people who make mistakes and yet are sorry and want to strive to make the best of their situation. I am also patient with people who have no intent to harm even though they do hurt in their thoughtless manner. We need to be patient with sinners who seek to do good. We should desire to reconcile them at every opportunity. However, in doing so we must never support the sin or pretend it is okay to sin. Yet there is another situation that many of us fall into and that is in slipping back into our old world ways because we know them, because we feel we deserve it or because of habit. For instance an abused woman makes a commitment to God to be a disciple and despite wanting her relationship to be a perfect godly one she continues to suffer and be physically abused horrendously. Why does she allow that to happen you ask? Does the offender attempt to make the victim feel it is their fault? Yes Do we sometimes hold on to the idea if we do better the other person will change? Yes Often it is also because it is easier accepting life as it comes instead of choosing to live life differently. The abused person is not doing right to allow and support abuse even if it is directed at them. They should stand up for proper behaviour. Regardless of the wrong the other person didn’t have the right to beat you to a pulp. Neither do you have a right to respond vindictively but instead to begin to be productive and to support being productive. How does that apply to me – I’m not abused? Many of us accept life in depression, with bad language, with harmful addictions rather then push a change to be like Jesus. We think we might get hurt and therefore don’t try. Sometimes are harmful addiction is to find fault with our spouse, our employer, our friends instead of realizing contentment comes from being the right person instead of just being around the right people. Don’t get me wrong here. It is important to surround yourself with people of good character although we live in the world. Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 1Corinthians 15:33 Yet many times everyone else isn’t the problem, your attitude, your perspective, your beliefs that you be the change you want to see in others is necessary and is required by God. Steven had every right to be upset about his situation. He deserved more from those who were supposed to be servants and righteous men but he prayed, "Lord forgive them for they know not what they do". He took a different response then the natural carnal one. He exhibited patience and mercy to those who were murdering him. How was he so strong at such a time? His focus was on being a disciple of Jesus and he knew God would deliver him. But he died!! Yes he is at rest. God did give him comfort to the end and will reward him with life forevermore without sadness and tears. Steven took the less traveled road and understood that because God forgave him and extended him great patience and mercy He should pay it forward to others. Lets multiply Christ ourselves by taking this less traveled road and glorify Jesus instead of worrying about our own petty issues or comparing ourselves with others. Until next time – Walk with Christ!
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