In my prayers I always thank God for His grace, His mercy and His judgment.  Why judgment?  Because God’s judgment is the only judgment that can be completely trusted.  He made the rules.  He set the standards.  It follows that He be the one to judge.

God is the ultimate judge. His judgment is supreme and embodies perfect justice.  With Him the facts are coupled with unvarnished truth.  There are no surprises and no unforeseen manipulations to bring about a desired end.  His verdict comes from law that is written in a book and (in a supreme stroke of fair play) on our hearts.  Simply put, the cares of this world seem lighter when we remember that there is God who reigns and whose judgment comes from His absolute authority to judge.

Wait, there’s more.  For the believer, God’s judgment is coupled with His mercy and grace.  Yes, our sin is judged, but the repentant heart can obtain mercy for that sin.  This is true mercy, operating with genuine love.  The sin is not explained away or overlooked with an averting of the head and a wink.  The judgment is there, but mercy usurps it. (James 2:13)

So, the mercy and judgment are interwoven.  There are many who resist the very idea of judgment and who are especially resistant to God’s judgment.  Consider this, judgment is necessary.  There can be no mercy without judgment.  Mercy without judgment is without substance.  It is of little value and requires little effort.  Mercy without judgement is deceptive.  If there is no acknowledgment of what the mercy is for, then the act of mercy becomes complicit with the sin.  You see, without undeniable profession of the sin, the sin is still there; but the mercy is all smoke and mirrors. That mercy is useless.

Again, no judgment, no mercy.

At the end of the day, the judgment wielded by the One who has all authority is always just.  Unfortunately, without mercy it is unbearable.  What a blessing that our faith and our belief allow us to have grace and mercy attached to the certainty of judgment.  This is foundational to our eternal hope.

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Love is a living, breathing thing.  It’s always beautiful.  Always amazing.  It comes from the best part of us.  Our yearning for it is built in.  So much so, that when love is missing we contort and twist ugly emotions, and as consolation we call it love.  Not every emotion that feels good is love.  Not everyone who is supposed to love us does.

Love is completely explained in the Bible.  Honest, look it up.  It’s so simple.  Maybe its simplicity is what tempts us to reinvent it; making it more complex than it was ever meant to be.  That reinvention can cause us to say the neglectful parent or unfaithful man loves us, as well as the back stabbing friend.  The sad truth is neglect is just neglect and betrayal is just betrayal.

As a child I loved fairy tales. I often wished for details of the happily ever after.  How many children did Snow White have?”  Did Cinderella and her prince dance the night away at balls every weekend?  I thought it would be fun to glimpse the beauty of their perfect love. (yuck) Anyway, I grew up and realized that love may be perfect, but we never are.   Love is labor intensive and requires working through anger and admitting selfish motives.  It requires courage and intention.  A large part of the time even “romantic love” is not romantic.

Love is like a song on some days, and drudgery on others.

Many of us go about saying “I love you”, but we forget to partner those words with action.  We tend to think that if we look lovely and are kind then love will come to us.  The thing is , we aren’t supposed to concentrate on how to get it, but how to give it!

Love is your choice.  Be clear, you have no choice of who loves you, just who you love.  We are called to love with action and commitment.  Instead we let love slip with inaction.  Everyday, in every interaction with every person we choose to love or not to.  A smile for the grouchy Wal-Mart clerk, lunch with the lonely neighbor with whom you have nothing in common, swallowing your pride and admitting that you were wrong, withholding some perceived treat from your child (that everybody has), because its not good for them etc.  These are ways of loving.  Clearly, I could go on and on; but I’ve been asked to stop.  So, commit and take action.  Give the love you want to feel.

You’ve got the power. Use it!

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