Day 230: You Decide

Romans 14:22-23

You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Ecclesiastes 9:7

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

Yesterday we talked about not passing judgement on someone because they choose to live differently than we do. Today we are going to dive into some of those choices a bit and explore what it means to choose the lifestyle we want to live as  a follower of Christ.

There are certain things or acts within the Christian community that are deemed sinful or looked down upon. However, many of these things are not sins. We simply get the choice, we choose whether we want to or not. I think two of the biggest subjects I can think of to address this is, drinking, alcohol, and celebrating Halloween. Many Christians believe that drinking alcohol is a sin, while others think is fine to go out and have a cocktail, or stay in in and have some champagne or wine. Now the bible constantly condemns drunkenness, because of what it can lead to. There should be nothing that alters the state of our mind. However it never said that we could not drink, in fact Jesus Himself was at the reception turning water into wine for the people. I understand both sides as being drunk can lead us to act in a way that is not pleasing to God. It’s the same for celebrating holidays like halloween, or going to parties and nightclubs or bars. I think it is less about what you do or where you go but how you do it, and what you do when there. We label things a sin that doesn’t have a church involved, or a Christian name in it. In every moment we are Christians, we don’t get to set our faith aside in order to do things we deem sinful, but we must remember that just because it doesn’t involve us going to church or a Hillsong concert does not mean it’s a sin. We must conduct ourselves as  Christians at all times, now that doesn’t mean you go to a party for the sake of proving that we are down with Jesus or saving every soul the place. No it means, enjoy yourself and having a good time. God wants us to enjoy our life. We put too much weight on what it means to have fun, everything isn’t that deep. Sometimes we are meant just to have a good time. We as Christians have to lighten up a bit.  Choose to live live life to the fullest without feeling like it can’t be done without sinning.  Which leads me to my next point, When you decide that something is right, don’t feel guilty for it and don’t allow anyone make you feel guilty for it.

Let not one make you feel bad for your choices. Follow your convictions, but also if you have to ask if something is right, or try to convince yourself that it is, it probably isn’t. I think many times we as Christians try to explain why we choose to do certain things to other Christians who have chosen not to do them in order to prove our devotion to Jesus. The choices we make are between ourselves and God, we don’t owe an explanation to anyone else. When we learn this simple logic we will live much happier and joyful lives. I believe that many of these reservations and traditions we practice have a lot more to do with how people will view us than they do with how it will affect us spiritually. We are not living for other people, at some points in our lives we have to enjoy it for ourselves, not worrying about what anyone else thinks. At the end of the day, we answer to God and no one else.  

We have to trust ourselves and know that God trusts us as well. I think many times we kind of set up boundaries to keep ourselves from sinning. We live these compact lives in these boxes of comfort that will keep us out of harm's way, keep us from temptation and sin. We are so concerned with not sinning that we forget to live. We live with the fear that we will be a sinful person or are a sinful person for doing certain things. First of all, we’ll never be perfect. Second we cannot cut ourselves off from life because we don’t trust ourselves enough not to sin. We have the Holy Spirit within us, we have to trust those convictions. This is why self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit. Now there is a difference in doing what we know is wrong and having religious reservations. If we know that something is a sin and we ignore every conviction and do said thing anyway than we are sinning.

All this to say, you make the choice on the life you want to live and don’t allow yourself to be guilted for it. Live your best life and enjoy it, you only get one.

Reflection

1. What choices have you made that have been looked down upon by other Christians?
2. Have you prayed about it?
3. Do you allow yourself to be guilted by others or even yourself behind the choices you have made regarding your life?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about you choices and have a conversation with Him. Pray for discernment and conviction.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 231!

Day 98: Let's Talk About It- "Why We Serve God"

As we close out the “Let’s talk about it series” I want to bring it back to the root of why we do things and why we serve Christ in the first place.  I know we all have amazing stories of what lead us to Christ and how we got to know HIm for ourselves, and the moment we decided to give our lives to Christ. We remember the feeling of how it felt to know that you were now on a journey to eternity. It is important that we know why we serve God, and why we love GOd, and why we have chosen to live this life with CHrist. I have been asked this question a couple of times and have learned that it isn’t as complex as I made it.

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

It is the breath of God running through our bodies. If it were not for him we would be lifeless creatures. He literally blew life into our nostrils and gave us a reason to live. God is the air we breathe. We are God’s greatest work of art, He formed us in His hand. He shaped and molded us. He gave us life, literal life. It comes from Him. God is the giver of life.

1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved us

God loves us so much. We respond to His goodness with love. We live our lives knowing that we are loved by the most magnificent being in all of creation. God loves us unconditionally, we didn’t do anything to receive His love and there’s nothing we can to for it to be taken away. God never needed a reason to love us, he just does.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, He gave his only son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

This is an example of how great God’s love is. He sent His own son, His child for us. He made His son, Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Because He loves us so much that He cannot bear to be separate for us, He is in constant pursuit of our hearts. So He made a way for us to be cleansed and forgiven and the opportunity to live an eternal life, through Christ. He wants a relationship with us, and Jesus is our direct line to Him. He made a way for us to have a constant connection to Him. God is just that great.

There are so many reasons as to why we serve God, and why we choose to life this lifestyle and continue to make that choice everyday.

God is love

God is Faithful

God is merciful

God is gracious

God is unfailing

God is patient

God is the giver of life and everything in it.,,

The list goes on.

For me I have learned that I am nothing without God. I don’t exist without Him and I cannot live apart from Him. I have seen God’s faithfulness first hand, and I have learned to trust him more and more with my life. God is the only person who has never let me down. God is the only person who is constantly there for me even when I didn’t acknowledge His presence in my life. I need God every second of everyday. But I also want Him near me every second of everyday, I’m clingy when it comes to my relationship with God, I have to be under Him always. I have to or I won’t make it. There's nothing I can do without God and there is nothing I can’t do with God. Most importantly, I love Him. I love God with every piece of my being, I love Him so much and I know that it will never add up to how much He loves me. I fell in love with God, and I fall deeper for Him everyday. He is my everything.

Reflection

1. Why do you serve God?

Prayer Time

Take the time to thank God for who He is. Take this time to honor and give reverence to God. Just thank Him, talk to Him about what He means to you. Praise God, just honor and glorify Him. He is worthy.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Make sure you share this with someone, share your story with someone today, and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 99! Have an awesome Day!.

Day 97: Let's Talk About It- "Sex and Relationships"

Romance and love is a big part of many of our lives at the moment, rather we are dating, in a committed relationship, engaged to be married, or married already. I think the biggest questions we have when it comes to question is, what is a Godly relationship, and how do we have one. The first step to having a relationship with anyone else is having a relationship with God, and finding our worth and identity within Him. Same as yesterday, there are a few topics of discussion.

It’s about love

Song of Solomon 8:7

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

Love is known to be complicated, it’s one of the choices on facebook relationship status, but it does not have to be. When you love someone and are in love with someone and you know for sure it takes away all the complications. Complications arise when we are in a relationship trying to figure out if we really love the person we’re with. Often times we move too quick because we are lonely and just want someone to have when we want to feel less alone. That is not love, it’s selfish. Love is selfless, We see a true example of love in Genesis 29, when Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, verse twenty states, So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

He loved this woman so much that he was willing to give seven years of his life in order to be with her. His love was so great that seven years felt like a few days. That’s love.

Many of us have stories or testimonies where we find ourselves saying we were looking for love in all the wrong places. I know I do. If love is what we’re looking for the best place to search is in Christ, God has all the love we need.

A lot of times we get into relationships with people for what we can get out of it, and what we can benefit. I think the best lesson we can learn for having a relationship with God is that it’s a two way street, and we have to give to get sometimes. It’s not all about receiving, sometimes we have to be willing to put ourselves on the line for someone else, especially a potential spouse.

Seek Christ first.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thing will be added to you.

One thing to remember is that no matter where we are in life, or who is in our life, God should always be number one. Before we fall in love with anyone, we fell in love with God. Christ is our first love, and that should never change, He should be the one we love above any and everyone else. We find our worth in Christ, not in man or a relationship.

We won’t always get it right the first time.

I think many of us in our twenties have been in love before, I have and it ended terribly. We are wrapped up in love, and sometimes that person was only meant to be in our lives for a season, and that is probably the hardest thing to accept. We have to realize that not everyone will find their one true love in their first relationship, and it does happen for many people. But sometimes we have to go through some cycles of lessons before we reach the real thing. All that to say is that sometimes we won’t get it right and that is okay. The hard part is learning when to walk away and accept that, the person we were with is not the person we will spend our lives with.

Sometimes we hold on to relationships that are toxic for us because we want them to work so bad, and that could mean we are trying to hold together the very thing God Himself is trying to separate, and let me tell you it will lead to a world of misery and heartache.

At one point in my life I was engaged, too young, but I was engaged. I was in this relationship and I was eighteen and I was okay with just dating, and taking things slow. I loved this person very much and this stopped me from walking away when I needed to. I held on to it for as long as I could even though I knew that one this relationship was unhealthy for me, spiritually and mentally. I held on because I loved this person very much and did not want to hurt him. By doing so not only did I hurt myself but I hurt him, and we both came out of it bitter and angry. I regretted being in the relationship for a long time, but I realized that God had me in that position for a reason, and I learned and grew in so many ways. I just had to learn to walk away when it was time.

-Dyamond

2 Corinthians 6:14

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

• With that being said, there is also the other side, when we see red flags from the very beginning and choose to ignore them. Sometimes we have to put our hearts and feelings aside and listen to God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We must be obedient or that will also lead to a world of trouble and heartache.

• We must not compromise or drop our morals for anyone. No relationship is that important. When we are planted in Christ it defeats the purpose to be in a relationship with someone who isn’t. If we cannot go to our significant other for prayer, or to have a bible study with them, or if they refuse to go to church with us, then they’re probably not the one. We have to be on the same page, lifting one another up and
• growing together in Christ. We should love God more than we love our significant other and they should love God more than they love us. That is the only way a relationship and marriage will last, is if Christ comes first in both of our lives.

It’s not about sex. (expanded passage 1 Corinthians 7:1-40)

Relationships are not about sex. I repeat, RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT ABOUT SEX. Sex is for marriage, and marriages are not built on sex.

Sex is a pure gift from God, a gift between husband and wife as a means to bring life to this earth, to reproduce and populate the earth, As we see in Genesis 1:28, And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Sex is beautiful thing, and it has been corrupted because it has lost meaning and is now looked at as mostly a sin. But sex between a husband and wife is not,

1 Corinthians 6: 18-19

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

Prayer Time

We talked about a lot today, take this time to talk to God about whatever is on your heart. Pray about your relationship or marriage. Whatever it is talk to God, have a conversation with Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening, Make sure you share this with someone and open up a discussion. Have an amazing day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for day 98!

Day 95: Let's Talk About It- "Broken People"

Psalms 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Psalms 34:28

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

This generation gets a lot of slack for acting out, we are constantly told to get our lives together. I think many times when we see people who are acting out, or having a hard time giving themselves to Christ, we must consider that these are broken people. We live in an age where people are walking around completely broken with a smile on their face. People are walking around ready to take their own lives but will smile and say, “I’m okay”. Why do we wait until tragedy strikes to notice that someone needed our ear, or they needed our prayer. They didn’t need us to beat them over the head with a bible, they needed us to be there. We have people walking around feeling unloved, and never knew that someone could love them. We are often told what we did to be in the position that we are in. Something we have to realize is that sin isn’t the only thing that causes brokenness within humanity, There is heartbreak, relationships gone wrong, death, mental illness, tragic accidents, natural disasters. There are so many things that can break a heart, but only one can truly heal a heart. Yet we have people walking around because they are unaware of this magnificent healing. We know of this healing, we know that Christ is our healer, but can we relay that message to the young girl who suffers from an eating disorder and cuts herself. Can we tell that to the young boy struggling with body image issues. Can we acknowledge that there is a deeper issue to the brokenness of people.  We are good at acknowledging pain and hurt, but what are we doing to make sure these people receive healing from God? Why are brushing off people’s pain? We have been told to let it go, let God, surrender, but what about when the wound is fresh and we can’t let it go that night or day. What if just lifting our hands in church won’t take the pain away, I have to be honest. Why do we sweep these things under the rug and act as if they are not there. There are broken people, we were once one of them, and many of us still are.

As the body of Christ we must see past what we think of people, we must look past our judgements and see the heart of humanity. We have to take our eyes off of ourselves for a second and look outward to see the brokenness of this world.

We see the flaws of humanity, and but we don’t see the heart of man. If we did we would know that the person who is walking down the street talking to themselves isn’t crazy they lost everything including hope and no one took the chance to listen to their story. No one took the time to sit with them and lend an ear. No one stopped to pray for them. No one took the time to tell them that there is healing in the Lord, that He sees the hearts of humanity even the ones that are in pieces.

We live in an era where everything must be okay, and when it’s not we put up a facade. This generation has the best poker faces I have ever seen. Because we don’t have time to deal with people who are really suffering, even if that means we ignore our own pain. We don’t have time to dig deep down to the root of our issues and be healed by God. We cover it up with a band-aid until the infection spreads and we can no longer hide it.  We have lost the ability to be vulnerable, we’d rather walk around dying on the inside than go to someone with our pain. We do not want to look weak, even when we are, The scripture tells us that God is near the brokenhearted, why are we walking around harboring pain. We have to realize that it is okay not to be okay.

I walked around broken for so many years, harboring so much pain, anger, self-loathing, hate, the list goes on. From being bullied all throughout school starting at the age of five. From looking in the mirror at the age of seven and hating who I was, and literally saying to myself, “You’re black and ugly”. To choking and hitting myself at the age of eight because the bullying was so bad, I felt like I needed to inflict pain on myself. I suffered secretly for years, and alway put on a smile and pretended like I was okay. It was only when I was twenty one that I really found healing in Christ. I felt like I always had to be okay, I had to put on a mask that said I was strong and confident even though I was broken. I was in pieces, there was still a little girl inside me who never got healed. I was walking around preaching at different churches at the age of sixteen and planned out my suicide at seventeen because I was in so much turmoil that I could not handle it anymore. Or when I had a mental breakdown when I lost my father at the age of eighteen. Because I blamed myself for His death and couldn’t understand why GOd would choose to take him from me. I gave up on GOd and church, but I had people praying for me, there were a few people who could see past my poker face, and that is why I am here today. Someone looked past my acting out and my mask and saw that I was broken. I am living proof that Christ is our healer. I did not have a platform or a place to really talk about what I was going through at the time, which is why I’m doing this, If I have to air my dirty laundry to save someone else I will do it. But God healed me and repaired my heart and if someone didn’t take the time to sit with me and pray for me and see through my pain, I would not be here today. I would probably be dead by my own hand. It is important that we talk about this stuff because it can literally save a life.  

We live in a broken world and people are walking around broken. We know what it is like to be broken our have our hearts broken. If we have encountered the love of God we know what it is like to be healed by our one and only healer. We must  let people know that their is a God, there is a Savior who can take that pain away.

I don’t know who you are but if that’s you, know that there is a Savior. Jesus Christ died to save this broken world, he wants that heart, even if it’s broken. Especially if it’s broken. Even if you have to give it to Him in pieces, he will take it and put it back together. You’re not crazy, you’re not a bad person, you’re hurting. Today is the day for you to get rid of that pain, and start a journey of healing. You do not have to hide it or cover it up. God sees your heart in every condition and He wants it the way it is, so that he can fix it and heal it.

Reflection

1. How’s your heart? Are you broken?
2. Are there some things that need to be healed in your life?
3. Are you walking around like everything is okay but it’s not?
4. Do you believe that God is our healer?
5. Do you believe that He can and will heal you?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions  guide your prayer today. Know that God is our healer. We call Him, Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals. Pray for the brokenness of humanity, and if you are broken, bring that heart to God today. Talk to GOd about whatever it is, maybe you don’t even have words, maybe it's tears, maybe you don’t even have that. Just open your heart to God and give HIm what you have. Know that He can heal the broken.

If you need someone to talk to or pray with, reach out to someone. I’m open to talk as well, you can email me, (TheDyamondj@gmail.com).

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone and open the conversation up to talk about it. Have an amazing day and come back tomorrow for Day 96.

Day 94: Let's Talk About It- "Forbidden Subjects"

Mark 7:8

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

This week we are going have series dedicated to the things you told me you wanted to talk about. These are the forbidden subjects in the church. Yes we will be talking about relationships and sex, which was the main subjects people wanted to talk about. We will also talk about mental health, and other subjects plaguing our generation at the moment. There are things that we need to address and talk about, and this week that is what we are going to do. There are things that are going to be hard to swallow and we have to tough up and take. There will be things that we don’t want to hear, but it is the word of God so we must take it how it is and live the way God has destined us to live.  

We have been following the traditions and laws of man, and have neglected the truth that is in the word. We neglect to speak about certain parts of the bible, or even discuss certain topics because it is uncomfortable and it doesn’t ring holy, in our sense of what holiness is. Well this week will be full of the uncomfortable subjects.

The goal of this week is to open up a discussion or conversation within our this generation of the things that we don’t get to talk about, or the things we told not to speak on. We have to speak the truth, we have to address these things head on or they will continue to be problems within the Christian community.

We have learned to give ourselves completely to God but we cannot do that if we have things laying dormant within us, we must know that we can come to God with anything. No one should tell us that having feelings, or feeling depressed, or wanting to know the why behind why we do and follow these commands, is a sin. It’s not, as we develop a relationship with God, there will be challenges, there will be questions, there will be things that are hard to swallow, and even understand. It is my true belief that God has the answer and He wants to give it to us. We must go to Him, we must seek His face. We must get rid of our shame and pride and lay it all out before God.

Proverbs 4:7 tells us, The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. And some versions say get an understanding.

As Christians, young Christians, we are constantly told what to do and what not to do without any context given about why we cannot or are not supposed to do it. We are just told not to sin, well yes we know that but what do we do when we feel temptations rise, what do we do when we can’t seem to shake the doubt, how about when we’re too far into addiction, or sex is the only thing we want to do. But these are the things we don’t usually talk about because it is forbidden, however there are answers to these questions, there are reasons, and no there will not be an answer for everything. Sometimes there will be things that will not be answered until we are in eternity with Christ, but as for now there are some answers that we can find in His word. There are explanations, and more importantly there is truth, whether we like it or not.

I want to create a space with this series for us to talk about these “Forbidden subjects”. I believe that it is important for us to at least talk about it. So that we can get an understanding of this lifestyle for ourselves.

This was just the intro to this week, please let me know if there are things you would like to talk about or even discuss. Leave comments, open a discussion, talk about it.

I love you, i hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, discuss it with someone. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 95!

Day 89: Dare to Dream.

We are all called to different things in this life, some of us are called to be pastors and missionaries, and work in the ministry or the church, but not everyone is called to do that work. That doesn’t make you less than anyone else it just means that God has a different plan and path for you.

Proverbs 18:16

A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

Too many times in the church I have seen young people swayed away from following their dreams because it was something outside of the church, it meant walking into worldly places, or it meant that we wouldn’t spend every waking moment in the church. I know this from experience. We grow up being told to chase our dreams and follow our hearts. When we come into the church, those words are changed to ‘find your calling’. We then must find out what it is that God wants us to do in this world. But honestly many of us already know the answer to this question, but we start to doubt because sometimes it doesn’t look holy enough. We start to put pressure on ourselves to find a job in the church and forcing ourselves to love doing it. At least we will look holy.

I will be the first to say that just because we are Christian does not mean we will have a career in ministry. Not all of us are meant to spend every minute in the church. Some of us need to be in hospitals, police stations, law firms, on sets and stages, in space, in the classroom, in business meetings etc. Christians actually need to be on the frontline of every outlet. Why do we suppress our passions, and those dreams burning inside of us. The problem with that is, when we decide to do something other than what God has called us to do we are going against His plan. We make our lives so much harder when we think we know it all. It’s so simple. God has given us all different gifts and talents, yet they all come from the same God. If everyone thought their calling was to be a priest the tabernacle would have never been built. If everyone thought they were kings, we wouldn’t have an army. God uses us in the areas we are in to build His kingdom and bring honor and glory to His name.

Our gifts will make room for us.  God didn’t give you the ability to play an instrument for no reason, play it to His glory. Just like david, his ability to play the harp put Him in the position to later become king.

I think the key to following our dreams is committing our ways to the Lord. Making sure that whatever we do, we do for the glory of God. Yes sometimes our gifts will take us away from the church but they won’t take us away from God. I think when we truly find our calling and do what its is we were put on this earth to do, that is when we will know a deeper level of intimacy with God. When we live the life He has planned for us, and not a life we think will please Him.

We know what the people on the outside are saying about the type of life we should live. But what does God say, and what do you say? I think many times as Christians we place ourselves between a rock and a hard place because we believe our passions, our dreams, the things we love the most are the things that will separate us from God. But that is not so, if God has given us the ability to do something, just taking that gift and using it is a way to honor Him. Our dreams do not separate us from God, if anything they should bring us closer to Him.

When I struggled with stepping down from being a youth pastor to return to acting the main thing I worried about was, will this interrupt my faith. I had that mindset because I was so comfortable where I was, I was safe within the walls of the church, but my spirit was slowly dying because I knew that  God wanted me somewhere else. The moment I committed to go back to acting, everything seemed to fall into place. Because I know that this is the life God has chosen for me, and I have never been closer to God than I am now.

-Dyamond

We must dare to dream, dare to go outside of the box of christianity, dare to do something outside of what religion has told us is okay. Sometimes we have to rebel in order to be in God’s will. That means applying for med-school, writing that song, majoring in science instead of theology. We have to rebel against religion and tradition. I think we all know where we want to to go in life, we all have dreams and we know what we are good at, know that those gifts will make room for you.

Another thing we must realize is that we must not have selfish ambitions. We are servants of Christ, we might be serving in a different way, never the less we are servants. That’s why the scripture tells us to commit our ways to the Lord. Commit those dreams, and goals, and passions to the Lord and watch them flourish.

Reflection

1. What are your dreams?
2. Do you believe that you can follow Christ and follow your dreams? Why or why not?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about following your dreams, find comfort in knowing that the things you are passionate about are the things that God has put in your heart. Ask Him to help you commit you ways to Him and remain humble. Talk to God about whatever is on your heart.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, and make the choice today to commit your ways to the Lord and follow those dreams.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for day 90!

Day 67: The Kindness and Goodness of God.

Kind - of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person

Lovingkindness- tender kindness motivated by or expressing affection.

Affection - fond attachment, devotion, or love

Now that the vocabulary lesson is over. Let’s talk about the kindness of God. As we established yesterday, God is not some mean, evil, commanding, judgemental being. He is our father and He wants the best for us. God is the most loving and generous person in the entire universe. The kindest being that has ever and will ever exist. When we think about the kindest person we know, god is a hundred times kinder, When we think about the best thing the world has to offer, God is better.

Titus 3:4-6

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  

Second thing to know: God is so good. In a sense of who He is, God is dripping with goodness. Nothing bad stems from Him, God cannot be the opposite of who He is. He will always be good.  

God cares so deeply for us, that we don’t have to do anything to receive His affection. He’s just like I love you, here’s a gift. God is constantly reminding us of His love. Throughout the bible we see how much He loves His people, even when He was angry, He could not stay angry. His want for a relationship with us, or compassion for us led us to be forgiven. We have to realize that God does more good than we can ever imagine, out of the kindness of His heart. There is a softness to God, like a dad, He is our dad and He treats us like we are His babies.. Every father I know, no matter how hard they seem or mean they look, they have a soft spot for their children, their kids will make them melt. That’s how God is with us, He has a soft spot for His children, He loves us so much that He cannot help Himself. And he’s constantly reminding us, through little gifts, signs, and wonders. It’s almost like he’s constantly whispering in our ear, “Hey. I love you.” everytime He gets our attention, “Hey, I love you.” He means  it, He really does. He sees us as His children, why can’t we truly see Him as a loving father?

Galatians 4:6

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[a] Father.”

Matthew 18:13

And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Psalms 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

There is a sweetness in our relationship with God. We are His children, It is said that the Hebrew meaning of the word abba is, daddy or papa. Also that it is the sound a child makes when trying to say daddy. There is a sweetness there that breaks the barrier of punisher, servant or slave master, and turns it into daddy daughter, daddy son. These words are more intimate that father child. It establishes a relationship, and we start to see God as a dad. We do not fear Him in a sense that we afraid of what he will do to us, but we are in awe of Him, respecting Him. It’s like our earthly parents, we know them, others may not but we know how much they love us, we know how to approach them, we know when we can joke with them, we know when we can come and pour out our hearts to them, and cry on their shoulders. Our earthly parents run to pick us up when we fall, they teach us how to ride bikes, and navigate through life. They have a soft spot for us, that no matter how angry they get at us, they will always love us. We are not afraid of our earthly parents.

It’s the same with God, He wants to know us, He wants to pick us up when we fall, He wants to be a part of every second of our lives. But we have this image of Him in our heads that will not allow us to accept His lovingkindness. Why can’t we see the sweet sweet kindness of our Father, whom we can call daddy. Like a child. We run into His arms, not just when we’re hurt or in need but because we love our daddy so much.  

For many years I’ve heard Christians call themselves the army of God, we call ourselves soldiers for Christ. Obeying orders, and following commands. While I understand the concept when it comes to spiritual warfare, there's a problem I have with it. When I think about the army and the relationship a captain has with a soldier, I don’t think of intimacy. I cannot label it a sweet relationship. Viewing God as a sergeant or lieutenant shouting out orders and commands takes away from that lovingkindness. We become afraid of what will happen if we fail, or do not complete the order. We begin to look at Him as a punisher not an affectionate father.

Reflection

1. Is it hard for you to see and understand the kindness of God?
2. If we looked at God as our dad, how would it change the way we view Him?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about understanding and experiencing His kindness. Knowing that God is not an angry old man in heaven. Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 68!