Day 3: God Cares

Luke 6:27-49; Genesis 6-8; Psalm 3

God cares just as much, if not more, about the state of our hearts and minds as he does our outward appearance at actions. That is why Jesus is doing so much teaching about the blessed in God’s kingdom, the problem of anger or bitterness, and the concept of adultery. Christians’ hearts should be changed, they shouldn't just look good. The Lord would rather I suffer the pain of losing a body part (maybe figuratively, maybe literally) than go to Hell because of my sin. I pray that he would reveal to you and to me areas of sin so that we can work to remove them. I do not want to live life with sin, either known or unknown. May God show us all areas where we fall short so that we can remove them and grow closer to him and be more like Jesus.

Loving enemies—that is so hard. It is so difficult to love and be generous to people who don’t, in my eyes, deserve it. However, I must constantly remind myself that I didn't deserve Christ’s sacrifice, and yet he gave it freely for me, before I was even born.  Each person is an eternal soul, often struggling with battles that I know nothing about.  If I treat them as my sinful nature wants me to, I don't demonstrate love to them--the kind of love that Christ has shown me.

The world was full of sin.  All people are guilty of living for themselves and pursing evil.  I can totally understand why God would be grieved. He made this wonderful creature to be like him, and it decided to defile everything it originally stood for. Only Noah found favor because of his righteous life. I can’t imagine how difficult his time must have been. First, that he was living according to God’s ways surrounded by people who were not. Even with all the evil around him, he managed to remain uninfluenced. And secondly, God tells him to build the ark and despite the ridicule, he continues faithfully. “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Obedience has great rewards, as seen with Noah. I hope and pray that we can all be obedient to the call of God.

Noah spent a year inside the ark. He had such patience, even when the rain had stopped and the waters began to recede. He waited for God's timing. I want to make sure that in my life, I wait for the Lord's timing on things, whether it be personal or professional. I know that God can and will speak to us and communicate his message through our hearts and in his Word and I pray that we are open enough and quiet enough to hear and ultimately listen to his voice.

This Psalm is all about help. God is the supreme helper; however, I don’t want to simply take advantage of that without regard to worshiping him. It seems selfish to ask for help if I am unwilling to surrender my whole life to God.  He is also the great Protector. There is no reason for us to fear. God shows himself to be truly loving and truly capable to save anyone from eternal danger.  He also provides opportunities for us to avoid dangerous situations if we are willing to pay attention. And the way for us to repay such an amazing blessing is by loving my enemies and praying for those who do not like me.  Lord, I pray that in every situation, every moment, that you would be my focus. I pray that my life reflects my love for you and more importantly your love for your people.