Kindness and Love - Titus 3:4-5a

Titus 3:4-5a But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. (NIV)

            I make mistakes constantly. You would think that after living for just over six decades I would be full of so much wisdom that I would never do anything incorrect again, but the older I get, I find that I repeat the same mistakes even though I should know better. I say something out loud that I should have kept silent. I do something wrong and don’t want to apologize for it. I hurt someone’s feelings and find it difficult to accept the blame. I rush into a situation and look to fix it before thinking of the consequences. In other words, I am still the same old me, foolish and unwise, inconsistent and inconsiderate.

            Thankfully, I believe in a Savior who knows me completely and who is still willing to forgive me and work on my defects. Whenever I am wrong, His Spirit afflicts my conscience; when I make a mistake, He helps me to recognize my fault and seek the right remedy for the sinful situation I have caused. I wish I was more righteous and less self-righteous. I pray I can be a better person and less of an erratic Christian. I guess that for the rest of my life, I will be imperfect, so I will always depend on the kindness and love of God to get me through my days and lead me into eternity.

            God’s mercy and grace have got nothing to do with any of my achievements or accomplishments, good deeds or acts of love. I cannot earn these blessings, but with faith in Jesus, I can rely upon them. Basically, this is why I am so grateful for being a Christian – without Christ’s forgiveness, I would be separated from God forever; without Christ’s mercy, I would never be able to look forward to being in God’s Kingdom.

            Perhaps you’ve made a mistake that you deeply regret. Maybe you can’t forgive yourself for something that caused a lot of hurt and pain to someone else. Perhaps you let someone down in a very big way and are now ashamed of your inaction or misdeed. Whatever the situation or circumstances, please know this: God’s love and kindness are still available for you; Christ’s mercy and grace are still offered to you.

Point to ponder

What has been the biggest mistake of my life? How can Jesus help me to heal and deal with it?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we call You Savior because You rescue us from the mistakes we have made and the sins of our lives. We know that we are imperfect and unworthy, so we cling to Your kindness and love which can renew our lives and restore us to God. Help us to be healed of the past, so we may look forward to a future where God’s favor blesses our souls. In Your Holy Name, we humbly confess and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Trinity Sunday drawings called “Trinity 2018.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Trinity.

Daily devotions - Back to the Future - Ecclesiastes 1:9

Ecclesiastes 1:9           What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

I drank too much caffeine yesterday, so I ended up being wide awake in the wee small hours of the morning. You would think that I would know better by now, but I like my tea and my coffee, so earlier today you would have found me drawing and googling at 4:30AM.

A friend of mine sent me a link to Google maps. I had forgotten about this amazing site. After clicking on the world map and zooming in on Scotland, I was soon able to “virtually” walk down streets and places in my hometown of Glasgow. This kept me occupied for hours. Eventually, I found myself walking through the hospital grounds where my mum had been kept in a locked ward. As I stood in the street and looked directly at the door to 22B, I could still smell the antiseptic and hear the sounds beyond it. It was a weird feeling and it dredged up a few heart-rending memories that I had suppressed long ago.

For a couple of minutes, I was a child again and I was angry with God. A bitter prayer of “Why?” shot through my soul and then, just as suddenly, I realized that all that pain was in the past where it needed to rest. What happened 40 years ago, need not scar me now. What was done then, need not be experienced again. Today’s writer of Ecclesiastes may not have agreed with that statement, but rather than be pessimistically fatalistic and say that history repeats itself, I now hold on to the wonderful liberating words of God: “Behold, I make all things new!”

As I left my computer and crawled back into bed, I felt a burden from the past had been taken from my shoulders and buried forever. Caffeine may keep me awake, but Christ keeps me alive…J

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we all carry moments and memories from the past that weigh us down spiritually and sometimes depress our souls. We wish that things could have been different and we fear making the same mistakes or going through the same experiences again. Take hold of our lives; free us from the past, and make all things new. In Your Loving Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s ‘Tribute to Vincent’ pictures. It’s called “Moonrise Van Gogh” and is based upon Van Gogh’s Field of Crows painting. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4136822951_b576335e31_b.jpg