“Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name.” – Psalm 119:132

How often do we treat others the way God treats us?  As we more and more love God in Jesus Christ, as our response to His death for us, we find Him to be so consistent in showing us grace.  He may not always bless us with physical prosperity or circumstances that stroke our ego, but He’s consistent to turn to us and show us grace.

What if we did this as a faith community and then consistently did this as regional communities, believers and non-believers.  Imagine if believers consistently showed one another grace and then turned and showed the community around them grace.  Gracious interaction, not devoid of truth but graciously truthful and as my wife and I have been practicing in our marriage… gently honest.  As we show one another God’s love, we learn to still be authentic and to share our concerns for one another as they come up, but we are gracious in doing so, to the point that those in our lives know our love above all.

Didn’t Christ do this for us?  Even on the cross He showed gentle and kind concern for his own mother.  How much more should we show honor and grace to those older or younger than us and patience and mercy with those in our peer group.  As we interact with our co-workers or fellow local church family members or friends, we should consistently show mercy and grace to the point of winning deeper friendship and genuine relationship day-by-day.  This is what God does through His Spirit and His Word, through the true story of Christ’s death for us.  He persuades us to deeper and sweeter belief in Him.  

So too do our actions toward one another communicate God’s love as the ultimate motivator in our lives.  We become more and more clear and resounding conduits of God’s grace for the world around us, especially the household of faith.  God’s people should be some of the most loving and patient with one another.

As we interact with this grace and forgiveness, God’s Word becomes more and more precious, and we see there how God so patiently and consistently turns to His people all through His-story and on until Christ’s return.  God is never-failing in His grace, especially toward all who have turned and shown genuine repentance and who love Him with all their hearts.  As we rely on Him and submit our wills to His, we find Him to be altogether delightful and enjoyable and sufficient for our joy and eternal purpose.  Our purpose for existing is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, so let’s live lives that prove that to be our obvious aim in every moment.

Thank You, LORD, for turning to us and being gracious to us, as is Your way with those who love You and Who You are.  You’re overwhelming us with Your grace and kindness.  You point out your concerns for us with bright lines and not covering up our sin in any way, and yet You overcome us in the message of Jesus Christ’s death for us.  You’ve overwhelmed our sin and beat it back from coloring our future, especially our eternal future!  We are now children of the Living God!  We are siblings with our Savior, the ideal Older Brother, who saw us in our sin as reckless younger brothers or in our self-righteous pride as bitter older brothers, and You, Savior, came and died in our place!  We’re broken and overcome by this awesome death and this awesome life we have in Jesus Christ.  We love You, God.  Amen.