Offence?

2012

Psalm 1 (NIV)

¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Had a great opportunity for fellowship yesterday and grabbed it with both hands. It was fabulous, we both had issues coming into the fellowship, situations we were in and needed guidance on how to proceed. We both were able to bring examples from previous situations. There was an honesty to the conversation that is rare.

The rarity of honesty saddens me. The little white lies that we tell in a false sense of kindness, but it isn’t. And yet if we don’t have honesty, what do we have. God knows everything about us:

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Psalm 139:4

so if we aren’t honest with him, he knows. If we aren’t honest in our every day life, he knows. It is right therefore to keep honesty central to our lives.

How to do this and remain compassionate can be difficult. In our relationships with each other it can sound brutal or vicious if we don’t pursue our lives with a heart of compassion. The fruits of the Spirit that are freely given help us, Christ’s strength in us, helps us and if we keep these with us all the time then it becomes easier.

Lord, I thank you for fellowship, I thank you that there is a human I can be honest with, I thank you for bringing this person into my life, slap bang into the middle of my situation, Lord help me maintain this relationship regardless of my situation.

Lord, thank you for today, it was great to spend time in your presence, I loved the nudge, thank you.

Lord, after this seasonal period our country is full of people who have a gaping hole in their lives, and Lord I know that people have been hurt  by the church. Please help me show you to them, they are aching for something, they don’t know what it is, please Lord help me to show them it is you. You are the answer to any equation. Lord I thank you for the love you have for all people.

Amen