“Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.” Matthew 6:12 MSG
Jesus, keep us:
Right with God, right with others.
Taking stock, taking responsibility.
Receiving grace, giving grace.
Living forgiven, living forgiving.
Everyday.
Jesus lived like this and then said, “follow me”.
Forgiveness sets you free to live the adventure that God has for you.
Don’t miss it.
Who do you need to forgive today?
Who do you need to ask for forgiveness from?
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ be ‘No.”’
Matthew 5:37 NKJV
No.
A simple answer but rarely an easy one.
At some point, you will need to say NO to good things so you can say YES to the things God is calling you to.
For those who are challenged by saying “NO”, here are ten different ways to say it:
1. I would prefer another option.
2. I would love to say yes to everything, but that would be stupid.
3. Someone would be awesome at this, I am not that person.
4. Some things have come up that need my attention.
5. We should rethink this.
6. My instincts tell me I’m just not suitable for this.
7. It would cause the slow withering death of my soul.
8. Um, no.
9. My plate is already full but I will be happy to suggest somebody else’s plate to put it on.
10. No, I’m doing all I can right now but thank you for giving me the opportunity.
What do you need to say “NO” to in order to make room for the right “Yes”?
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”
Psalm 25:9 NIV
If you need clarity and direction from God today, begin by bringing your pride to the cross.
Remind yourself who the Lord of your life is (and that it isn’t you).
How you live your life is more important to God than where you go.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 NKJV
Need direction? Need answers?
1. Do what is right.
2. Let mercy be your standard in all interactions.
3. Walk humbly with Jesus.
There you go, my friend… it really is that simple.
Have a great week.
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ be ‘No.”’
Matthew 5:37 NKJV
No.
A simple answer but rarely an easy one.
At some point, you will need to say NO to good things so you can say YES to the things God is calling you to.
For those who are challenged by saying “NO”, here are ten different ways to say it:
1. I would prefer another option.
2. I would love to say yes to everything, but that would be stupid.
3. Someone would be awesome at this, I am not that person.
4. Some things have come up that need my attention.
5. We should rethink this.
6. My instincts tell me I’m just not suitable for this.
7. It would cause the slow withering death of my soul.
8. Um, no.
9. My plate is already full but I will be happy to suggest somebody else’s plate to put it on.
10. No, I’m doing all I can right now but thank you for giving me the opportunity.
What do you need to say “NO” to in order to make room for the right “Yes”?
“The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love —love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God.”
1 Timothy 1:5 MSG
The whole point is to love others and live your life open to God.
To simply love and simply be loved.
To love God and love people.
It is simple but certainly not easy.
Self-interest complicates it. It is difficult to simply love others when your innate human desire to self-protect kicks in.
It is easier to go with the flow of human nature than to intentionally choose God’s way.
It is easier to hedge your bets against hurt than it is to be vulnerable and reach out.
It is easier to build your case of good reasons to disconnect than it is to lay them down and trust Jesus.
Going down that road, you will find yourself isolated and self-righteous instead of connected and invested.
A life open to God means that you recognize when human nature high jacks the work God wants to do in you and through you.
Sin complicates it, brokenness contaminates it, unforgiveness taints it.
The cross simplifies it.
The only way to deal with your human nature is to take it to the cross of Jesus.
The place He laid down His life and took up your sin.
He took your brokenness there so he could offer you wholeness here.
He took the bitterness of unforgiveness there, so he could offer you the sweetness of grace here.
The cross is where you can lay down your nature and freely take up his.
Be set free to be who God created you to be and simply love those who God brings to you- they need it as much as you do.
What do you need to take to the cross today?
What does living your life open to God mean to you?
Who, in your world, desperately needs your love?
My friend, you are not here by mistake. You were created with a purpose and equipped with gifts and talents to pursue it. You are loved by the God who created you and wrapped within His amazing embrace. There are things that only you can do. There are people in your life that only you can love and touch today. There are some things that we all can do, and some things that others do better than you. But you must understand there are important things that only you can do with your uniqueness and quirks, how you see the world, listen to it, speak to it, understand it.
Do those things. Make them top priority.
The circle of your influence begins at your fingertips – those within your grasp today.
That doesn’t mean that your life is easy or comfortable – it means you are valuable. That you are where you are here for a reason and that reason is probably simplier than you think it is.
One of my favorite moments documented in Jesus’ life is in Marc 10:22. It is the beginning of a conversation with a young man who wanted to know “what more do I need to do”(vs 17). It says that “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”
He saw him, listened to him, looked at him and loved him right where he was. Before the man obeyed or disobeyed – Jesus loved him for who he was right at that moment regardless of the outcome of their relationship.
Jesus loves you that way. He looks at you and loves you – regardless.
There are people within your eyesight that need you to be you.
And they need you to love them the way that only you can.
Simple love is not shallow but powerful. Simple life is not small but purposeful.
Simple things done with great love make the big difference to those who God has given you.
Simply love them.
There is nothing more powerful than this.
Keep it simple, my friend. This is the great challenge, isn’t it? To uncomplicate our lives, our minds, our hearts. To keep it simple, focused, on purpose.
Today, it is more important:
• how you treat people than how much you get done.
• that your decisions are founded on love and loyalty rather than on money and time.
• that you obey God rather than over-analyze yourself, the situation, and the what if”s. Just do it.
• that you spend time worshiping rather than worrying.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:8 NIV)
When I am tired and drained, which I am this morning, it is so easy to let frustration over take my perspective. I love how the Word of God reminds what is important and to keep it simple. This is what God requires of you ( and me) today.
Have a blessed day and take a moment to shout out a hello by leaving a comment. Even when it is a smiley face, it blessing me to know it has blessed you!
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Cindy Grasso 