Skip to main content

“God does not coerce us into kindness.”

A thought by Jon Tyson from his book, The Burden Is Light: Liberating Your Life from the Tyranny of Performance and Success (p. 145). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Isn’t that a good thought?  He doesn’t say, “You better be kind or else.”  No, He doesn’t.

Jon says, “He melts our hearts through love. He doesn’t want us to show mercy only in a particular situation; he wants mercy to become the posture of our hearts.”

Later Jon says, “I recently caught up with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in more than twenty years. I was a touch nervous to meet him. The last time we had spoken, I had the condescension of a Pharisee and a self-righteous smirk that makes me cringe upon recollection. I was aggressive and rude to people who were dealing with incredible heartache and wrestling deeply with their faith. I said a lot of horrible things in that season of my life, and I look back on that time with sadness. When my friend and I got together, we caught up on the last couple of decades, and after an enjoyable conversation, I let him know that I had to leave. That’s when he asked this final question: ‘What’s happened to you, Jon?’ he said. ‘You are nothing like I remember. You’ve become so kind.’ I was dumbfounded and unsure how to respond, but as I left that meeting and walked down the street, tears flowed down my face. What had happened? It’s simple. Jesus lifted the burden of judgment from my heart and replaced it with mercy. He freed me from the weight of having to judge the world, and he fitted me with a yoke of kindness that is graciously light. When I prayed, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” (Luke 18:13) he answered my prayer. For God’s name is mercy.”

Earlier Jon said, “Will we pick up the rocks of criticism, judgment, and condemnation and use them to heap a burden of guilt upon others, or will we drive a wedge between the accuser and the accused, a wedge called the mercy of God?”

 A very good question for us isn’t it?  So, will we?


Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...
Post a Comment
Read more

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...
Post a Comment
Read more