The Taste of Gracious Living

 1Peter 2:1-3  "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 







Terms Defined:
Malice: desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness:

Guile:  insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.

Hypocrisies: a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.

Envies:  a feeling of grudging or somewhat admiring discontent aroused by the possessions, achievements, or qualities of another

Evil Speakings: morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked. Harmful; injurious: Characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous speaking done with the intent to hurt or harm.

The words in the above list all have one thing in common with one another,  they all deal with the relationships that we have with other people. How we treat others, how we present ourselves to others, and how we view others are all represented.  The fleshly instinct that we have in our beings causes us to watch out for ourselves first. That is what leads us to the desires of malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speakings. 

The question today is, have you laid these things aside?  Part of what is stunting our growth as Christians is the fact that we refuse to lay these desires down.  For whatever reason, it seems as if we would rather hold on to these instead of doing what is necessary to grow in the Lord.  We must get a taste of the graciousness of God.  God's graciousness is just the opposite of the desires listed in verse one.  Graciousness always has others in mind, and when we understand how gracious God is in our lives we are compelled to treat those around us with the same gracious attitude that God bestows upon us.

Have you truly tasted of God's grace? When you do, laying aside these things is so much easier to do.  Go ahead and take a taste, you'll like it.

The God of All Comfort

II Corinthians 1:3-4"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort where with we ourselves are comforted of God."

What a beautiful picture the Bible paints here of God, by describing Him as the God of all comfort.  I love how Paul was such an encourager as he penned the letters to the churches he would write to. Let's not overlook the fact that God is also the Father of mercies. The compassion that God bestows upon His people cannot be compared to anything else of this world.  The reality of God's comfort ought to upon the top of our hearts and minds today.

As the recipients of God's comfort we must understand the reasons why God brings us comfort.  He doesn't bring us comfort just for the sake of comforting ourselves. He does it so we will take the comfort that comes from Him and use it to comfort others around us that need comfort.  The last part of verse 4 describes to us that the comfort that we give to others also brings a sense of comfort to ourselves from God.  What a blessing!

I have found in my life that when trials and tribulations come, it is easy to become a little self absorbed.  (That is the nice way of saying selffish by the way.)  The Word of God never one time directs us to be that way.  As Christians we must develop the character to not be self asborbed, and begin placing our focus on those around us.  Let's practice what Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  I promise you, that as we practice it, even in times of our own tribulation, we will find a greater comfort that only comes from the God of all comfort.  

What is better than Laughter?

Ecclesiastes 7:3 "Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better."

I love to laugh and have a good time.  The Bible even tells us in Proverbs that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.  There is nothing a having a good laugh with someone.  The kind of laugh that makes your eyes water, and your stomach hurt.  Those are the best kind of laughs.  Laughing makes the mood better each and every time. 

While laughter is a good and wonderful thing, Solomon tells us that there is something that is better than laughter.  He said that sorrow is better.  At first glance and with little consideration that statement doesn't make sense.  However when you meditate on that verse for a little while it will begin to sink in.

The World English Dictionary defines sorrow as, "the characteristic feeling of sadness, grief, or regret associated with loss, bereavement, sympathy for another's suffering, for an injury done, etc".

Why is sorrow better?  It is sorrow that brings us to a place that causes us to look inward at our actions.  Sorrow causes us to deal with us.  It is in times of sorrow that drives us to our knees seeking God's face for help.  When was the last time that you came out of a time of laughter that made you seek God in a greater way?  More than likely you never have a time that you have done that.  Read through the book of Psalms, you will find many of them were written in times of sorrow and anguish.  Sorrow stretches and increases our faith.

You can try and avoid sorrow, but it will not work, sorrow will still find you.  Rather than trying to avoid or hide from it, we need to embrace it.  Allow sorrow to come into your life.  Don't fight it, embrace it and let it drive you closer to Lord and make your heart better.  The reason the statement, sorrow is better than laughter, doesn' t make sense to us, is because we have never been taught to embrace it.  I'm certain that we have missed out on some great things from God because we have tried to avoid the sorrowful time of our lives.

One last thought to ponder on.  Just like times of laughter, sorrow is temporary.  It will not stay with you forever.  Go ahead and welcome that sorrow into your life, and make your heart better while you draw closer to God.

Poor and Needy before God

Psalm 86:1-7  "Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.  Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.  Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.  In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me."

Poor and needy is how David choose to describe himself in this prayer to the Lord in this psalm.  Sometimes we don't take what we need to God because we refuse to see ourselves as David did - poor and needy.  In verse four, he asked the Lord to "rejoice my soul...for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul."  He was saying that he was so poor and so needy that he needed God to give him a reason to rejoice be he couldn't do it on his own.  In verse five he appeals to God's forgiveness and mercy for Him to answer his request.  In verse seven he recognizes that he still needs God's help and asks again with great confidence expecting an answer.

Are you poor and needy before God today?  Have you shared with Him what is on your heart?  We serve a good God who hears, forgives, and has plenty of grace and mercy ready to give to you. Are you in trouble - cry unto the Lord, He will listen, He will respond.   Let God give you a reason to rejoice.

Well Seasoned Words of Grace

Colossians 4:5-6 "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

There are 3 parts to this verse that we must consider today.  The first part is the phrase, "Let your speech be alway with grace".  That word alway, does not give allow us any room for anything other than that which is pleasing to the hearer.  The second part is the phrase, "seasoned with salt". What we say needs to leave a good taste in the minds and hearts to the hearer. The third part is the phrase, "that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man". Everybody is different, and you may be able to one thing to one person and something different to another.  When we make sure that what we say has been well seasoned and with grace we don't have to worry about whether or not we have offended who we are speaking too.

These are some principles that I am still learning to apply in my own life.  I don't always consider what I am saying, or at least consider how someone may take what I am saying.  Sometimes how we say something is more important than what we are saying.  I want to become one who is always mindful of what and how I am speaking to others. And may it be well seasoned with grace and love that Christ may be seen.