“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” – Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)
While it may seem unnatural to come “boldly” to the Creator of all, that’s exactly how God desires we approach Him; certainly not from a position of arrogance or entitlement, but instead completely confident in His infinite love for us and knowing that He would move Heaven and Earth to come to our aid.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:34-35 (NLT)
In this commandment to His disciples, Jesus directs us to employ a more intense kind of love in our relationships with one another; one based on a standard higher than love of ourselves…
Love one another as He loves us.
For when the world sees us reaching out to one another in truly pure, selfless, and practical examples of the love Jesus fills us with, there can be no doubt as to it’s source.
““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” – Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)
As followers of Christ, we’re not only called to profess our faith and humbly serve others in love, but also to place our every thought, word and deed under the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit that we may ensure that God’s will is indeed being served.
“As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”” – John 8:3-11 (NLT)
We all sin. We all fall short. And yet, how many times each day do we find ourselves judging and condemning others for what we perceive as their failings, while we gloss over or justify our own misdeeds… In this powerful example from John, Jesus addresses this hypocrisy head on by reminding us to recognize our own sinful natures before decrying the deeds of others, and that the exercising of compassion and mercy is often the most direct way for our hearts to be transformed.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
