We begin by reading the whole chapter and learn that with our belief in Jesus Christ, we are no longer unaware of sin. The devil continues, however, to try to cause us to stumble by following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. This nature is what made us subject to God's anger and wrath.
However, through the gospel message, we receive grace and mercy because God loves us so much. He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. That life comes with forgiveness=clean on the inside. We no longer live with guilt and shame. Are you carrying any guilt or shame? He has blessed us with limitless mercy. We can define mercy as forgiveness every time we goof up. Accept the mercy God has given you, and move forward. If you don't, you are turning your back and heart on the greatest gift God has for you. New life in Him. This grace is a gift. Not to be earned. That way you can't boast about what you have done or how good you have become. Any goodness in our lives is because God chose to bless us. Even the trials in our lives are to cause us to grow in our faith and bless Him. Accepting these and seeking God's heart will then bless you in return. Winning!!!! (Thanks Charlie Sheen for that catchy saying) God also gives us all we need to show us how to live. He has given us the Bible, The Holy Spirit and the power to pray. These do take effort on our part! In the past the Jews could not pray directly to God. These verses reminded me how great we have it, that the throne of God is open 24-7 and that He is waiting to spend time with us.
Because God chose to unite the Jews and the Gentiles with the message of Christ, we are told to let go off all areas of disunity. We are one family in Christ and our job is to share the gospel with those in our lives to continue instilling the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness to all future generations of believers. We are God's heritage or history of His incredible grace and kindness. Are we living that out? Doing Him proud? Does our family and associates see God's love and mercy in our lives?What does this or should this look like? Need to ponder on this awhile? This can play out in our prayer life (or lack of), how we deal with stress, discipline and guidance of our children, love, servitude, compassion and kindness. This is how we show the world that we belong to the family of God. According to scripture, even the Jew and the Gentile are united!
So this unity is what brought us to the discussion of prejudices. Wow, we listed lots. Little ones and big ones. Think about some things you may feel that you are better than. There are different prejudices about some races, occupations, hair color, where you live... Jesus is our Peacemaker and calls us to live as His Holy People.
Not only can prejudices keep us from the will of God, but also sin. We need to recognize and confess anything that keeps us from spending time with Him. Search your heart and determine are you spending quality time in the Word, Prayer and Just Listening?
Chapter 3 ends by reminding us we are no longer strangers or foreigners. We are citizens of God's Holy People. Then (I love this) He tells us we are BECOMING a Holy Temple for the Lord.
Get it? We are not going to be perfect until we see God face to face. Our job now is to grow in our knowledge of who Christ is and allow that to change our hearts. So accept His mercy and grow in His love.
One of the things I love about Amish Country is the ability it has to quiet my heart and enjoy the peaceful beauty around me. Take some time to soak up God's beauty around you today and He will give you His peace.
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