Be More _________

​I want to encourage you to consider that God just might be more loving, gracious, kind, & forgiving than we ever thought! Just about everyone Jesus encountered, much to the amazement of the crowd, he left them with a greater level of mercy, kindness, healing, or forgiveness than what they expected. Whether it was a woman caught in sin or a Roman soldier who was an enemy of the Jewish people or a tax collector who stole from the poorest of the poor or a Samaritan woman who had multiple strikes against her (she was a woman, she wasn't ethnically pure, & she wasn't exactly the picture of a perfect marriage/ sex life) not to mention countless other examples, Jesus left people with more grace, love, mercy, & forgiveness than what they & the crowd expected. So let me ask you this question: what would Jesus' response be towards you if you were dragged in front of him in the midst of an angry mob? How would your expect him to react to you? What would you expect his reaction to be towards the person that you are currently having an issue with? A neighbor? Co-worker? Someone from church? Your pastor? Maybe, just may his response towards you, towards them would be more gracious, loving, kind, & forgiving than what we'd expect. The next time you're beating yourself up over yet another failure or judging someone rather harshly over their failure, maybe take a minute & consider Jesus. He is after all, our example, & model in all things.

Much love to you all,
Pastor Chris