December 7

Hosea 6-9

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings (6:6). Mercy is easy to receive, but hard to give–it means letting go of an offense. Few of us have what it takes to let things go without speaking our minds. A human giving mercy has to become almost inhuman, for mercy is not the human way! Revenge is human. Heaven help us from the mad crowd that loses its collective mind in the face of a socially perceived wrong–there is no mercy in that crowd.

God is the only one qualified to judge, He is the only one who hands down justice, and yet, He gives mercy like it’s cheap. And mercy is what God wants to see out of us. He wants us to act like Him, which requires a lot more trust than most of us have (based on how we behave). He appreciates our sacrifices–tithes and offerings do not meet with heavenly apathy. Mercy is, however, more desired. Why is that?

To give mercy, one must first let go of their ego, mercy-giving starts with trusting God. The merciful one calls off the dogs, the criticism, the lawyers, the emails, the Facebook fights, the backbiting, and any hope of getting back whatever was stolen, which is often one’s dignity. The merciful one trusts God to correct wrongs, and for that trust, Jesus says that God gives mercy to the merciful (Matthew 5:7).

3 John

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. I want my children to read this and do it. I cannot think of anything I’d rather see.

Seek God. Be kind. Love one another. Stop the politicking to get your way. Stop putting second things first and read the Bible. Pray enough. Stop bickering. Bless people. Care for the helpless. Do what Jesus taught us to do. You’ll increase everyone’s joy, especially your parent’s!

Proverbs 29:12-14

The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both. God does not play favorites. He blesses everyone; grateful is the least we can be.