Scripture:
Psalms 18 v 24-26: "There hath the Lord recompensed
me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His
eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright
man thou wilt shew thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;
and with the froward (perverse) thou wilt shew thyself froward."
Its always important to know what God thinks about us and
how He reacts to our ways. Like a child looking for approval or disapproval
from its parents to learn what is acceptable and what is frowned upon.
If your child is doing well and behaves with respect for
others you are blessed by him or her and not ashamed of their doings. If your child
is unruly and causes problems you have to deal with those issues and it brings
embarrassment with it.
Our Heavenly Father is overjoyed when we produced good
character and obey His Word as well as His individual personal guidance. He
will pour out His blessings on those who are a blessing to Him and others.
If we are merciful to others who stray from the righteous
path and bring them back to Jesus in a pleasing way then our Father will treat
us kindly when we slip up. If we pour condemnation on them we can expect God to
condemn us too.
This is the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would
have them do unto you - and it does not always work out like that as human
nature can be deceiving. But God's Golden Rule surpasses that!
If we do good to others God will respond to us in that
same goodness plus much more.
Luke 6 v 38: "Give,and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you
again."
You cannot outgive God! You cannot love more than Him,
nor have more goodness than Him. If you give to those in need He will restore
it to you in so many different ways. He responds until the blessings overtake you!
However if you behave in a perverse way by repaying
kindness with evil you will find yourself on a slippery slope into adversity.
For God's eyes are very watchful and injustice is judged with the same
harshness as it was dished out.
The Lord knows all of us and where we are at emotionally,
mentally, spiritually and physically. He knows our bank account level better
than we do. Jesus came to rectify great wrongs that were done to us.
He gave us the way out of trouble. Its easy when you have
practiced for a while. The answer is BE LIKE ME says Jesus. Follow My ways. Do
as I do. Speak like me. Be moderate in all things. Love and live peacefully
with one another. Be holy, joyful people and you will reap a rich harvest.
You will be healthy and prosperous and wise if you
endeavour to live the Christian life to the fullest extent. Forgive and you
will be forgiven. Love and you will be loved. Be nasty and nasty will chase you
all over town. Steal and defraud people and your pockets will have holes in
them through which all your benefits will disappear.
This is how God our Father responds to us - exactly like
we treat each other. So if you have lost the plot this is the map to get back on
God's good side so that you can reap the benefits of His love, mercy and power.
Prayer: Father God You are always absolutely fair and
just. You cannot lie or go against Your Word. Those who refuse Your salvation
will face Your wrath one day. Those who serve You will receive unimaginable
blessings throughout eternity. Help us to choose the right path and teach
others the way of righteousness as this keeps us pure in heart and mind. In
Jesus' name. Amen.