Mercy Me!

2 Chronicles 30:6-20
 At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:
   “People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. ⁸ Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. ⁹ If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
   ¹⁰ The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them. ¹¹ Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. ¹² Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD...

¹⁸ Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets their heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

An attitude of mercy can be an incredible thing when wielded by a heart turned to God.  Hezekiah sent couriers out to invite everyone - EVERYONE - to come and celebrate Passover.
There were those who mocked the couriers, but there were many who came.  The nation(s) of Israel were divided and idolatrous and for some the invitations to turn back to the Lord fell on deaf ears...some, but not all. 

Of those who came to celebrate most had not been ceremonially purified - normally a big "no no" but in this situation Hezekiah just wanted the people to turn back to God.  They were "unclean" - the whole nation was a mess politically and even more so spiritually - but the point was to come back to God.  Hezekiah prayed, ""May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets their heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people."

Believers can be so judgemental, especially of those who have fallen off track or are not yet believers.  Judging non-believers is pretty irrational and totally unbiblical.  Irrational because no one is going to come to a church if they feel eyes glaring at them or hear condescending remarks, and why would an non-believer have to live or think like a believer.  The expectation is ridiculous.  Unbiblical, well just read - Matthew 7:1-5, Luke 6:37, 1 Corinthians 5:12 - there are more. 

Here Hezekiah recognized what was important.  The people were coming back to God.  They had "set their hearts on seeking God".  These people who knew better or should have (they were Israelites), received mercy from the king as well as from GOD.

When new people come to our church or people who have fallen away from the faith return for a visit (a very brave thing in some churches) welcome them with love and sincerity of heart.  Don't be foolish enough to think that you are so far ahead of the game.  First, not one of us would be in relationship with Christ if not for His amazing grace and infinite mercy.  We all at one point were "nonbelievers" and we all still sin.  Even if you were 3yrs old when you decided to follow Jesus you are still just a sinner saved by grace.  Second, it only takes a moment for someone - anyone to fall flat on their face, but it can take a lifetime to get back up again.  We should be the steady hand that reaches out to help them stand back up. 

Hezekiah presented an opportunity for Israel to turn back to their Lord.  He didn't waste time on the people who didn't respond - not even to wag a finger.  He stood as a mediator of sorts for  the people did come back, to God.  Jesus does this for us 1 Timothy 2:5.

So here is a question.  Are you willing to embrace the lost as you were embraced?  Are you willing to have tea with the believer who turned back?  Are you willing to stand in the gap?  Start by shaking a hand and smiling instead of turning a cold shoulder.  Start by saying a sincere "Hello" instead of looking a person up and down in judgement.  Start by loving others.  Start by bowing your heads and bending your knees instead of turning your nose up.  Start somewhere - Israel did and God blessed them. 

Sometimes it is easy (especially for those of us who grew up under the sheltered care of the church) to be "shocked" by people we encounter (insert mind picture of older lady in a frilly pink dress and wide brimmed hat fanning herself and fainting being caught by a man with an equally bad suit and comb over).  We shouldn't be.  If we truly understood the saving grace - the SAVING grace of Christ we would more truly understand "There but for the grace of God go I".  If Jesus is in you, His love and grace is in you too.  It just gets hidden a bit sometimes by our own stereotypes, insecurities and self righteousness.  Let His light shine and you'll be amazed at the increased frequency of smiles that come your way - including the one flashing back at your from the mirror.  Who knows you might just start a trend.

Let Us Pray Today and Always, In All Our Ways

My sister-in-law Helen shared this devotional with us this morning.  I hope you find it a inspirational reminder of including God in every aspect of our lives.  Make time for spending alone time with Him, but don't forget about Him once you stand up and walk away from your "prayer closet".

To Invoke The Name Of God      
     
(The LORD said) ... "Call to Me and I will answer you ..." Jeremiah. 33:3a
     
     
Some friends and I went fishing at a river.
 
When we gathered to begin our trip, one of those friends requested that somebody invoke the Name of God and ask Him for His protection for our trip.

With the respectful silence of everyone, that was done.

To invoke the Holy Name of God is to pray, praise and thank Him in all situations. As Christians, this is what we are called to do.

Unfortunately, there is a problem here. Some people are of the opinion they don't have time to consult with the Lord, while others find no value in praying to God.

When our Savior walked this earth, He didn't hold to either of those positions. Although He was incredibly busy fulfilling the Heavenly Father's directive to save us, Scripture records Jesus spent considerable time in prayer.

Maybe the Savior knew if a person is too busy to pray -- he is too busy. It's also quite possible He wanted us to realize that if the all-knowing, all-powerful Son of God took time to pray, sinful human beings ought to do the same.

That doesn't mean we have to be tied to schedules and timetables, nor do we have to use 25-cent words when we come to the Lord. The truth is we can pray anywhere and anytime. As for topics, just the living of the day will present many, new and very specific needs which will provide the springboard to raise our voices to God and invoke Him in our prayers.

Please, do not forget to praise God for what He is and always thank Him for the gifts we receive through His grace. Let us pray today and always, saying,

THE PRAYER: Lord, for the love of Jesus, stay by our side with Your blessings. God, our Lord and Father, thank You for Your love and for Your gifts. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: This devotion is based on a text submitted from Pastor Egon M. Seibert serving with Lutheran Hour Ministries in Paraguay. Established in Asuncion in 2000, LHM-Paraguay operates as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones and is active in door-to-door ministry, radio programming, Project JOEL, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and Equipping the Saints (ETS) training

Good right?  This is my heart's response to Helen and the devotional.  My gracious sister-in-law encouraged me to add this to my blog.

That was a great devotional reminder.  It brought to mind a book I have read a couple times "Too Busy Not to Pray".  I find its when I am most busy that I need to quiet myself and spend time reading the Bible and talking to God...and listening.
The other thing I find is the better I am at recognizing God's ever presence in my life I am become better at  "Blessing the Lord at all times" and "praying continually". 

My mom had a friend who drove off the road a couple of times and when asked what happened by her "rescuers" she said "I was praying" or "I got caught up praising the Lord"- she closed her eyes.  Before we add a disclaimer to 1 Thess. 5:17 and several other verses (Do not pray or praise or worship while operating heavy machinery. Doing so may cause serious injury...), I think that prayers and prayer times should and need to include quiet, alone prayer time, but should not be limitted to those times that we get down on our knees, bow our heads and close our eyes.  I think God desires us to include Him in every part of our lives.  When we are driving and view an amazing sunset, it should be natural for us to simply respond "Thank you God for this amazing sunset.  It is beautiful!"

Intimacy comes from a deeper knowledge of someone and that deeper knowledge comes through intense and deeply private conversation as well as the familiar interaction that occurs through our day to day lives.  Our approach to deepening our relationship with God needs to be an all day approach.  So invoke His Name and presence on a fishing trip, worship Him during a hike, praise Him while baking cookies, seek His comfort and wisdom sitting in the doctor's office.  Our knees should feel comfortable when ever they bend for prayer but our hearts should be kneeling throughout the day.

I don't know how a "that was a great devotional" turned into all that but... There it is :D.

Hope you spend some time talking with God in the midst of life and that you are able to take time out of your lives to spend time alone with Him too.