and yet He did it anyway!

This morning in my quiet time I read a excerpt from Oswald Chambers' book Conformed to His Image. The devotional book I am using is called Daily Thoughts for Disciples which is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Oswald Chambers paired with a scripture reference. Some mornings I really don't get what he is writing, but most mornings it hits me right where I live and this morning was no exception. The base scripture for this morning was John 2:25 (NLT), "No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like." Christ never got overly excited when one of his followers "got it". Nor did he show contempt or become defensive when He encountered those who were out to get him. Being fully God, Christ knew what was in their hearts, and yet he loved them the same. He knew what was ahead for Him, yet he stayed true to what God called Him to do. He knew that he would be totally abandoned, but His love for us never ended.

In my life and ministry I get so excited when I see people "get it" and then almost as soon as that happens the wind is knocked out of my sail by people that I perceive as out to get me. If I truly want to be an imitator of Christ, I need to learn to see, to love, to encourage people the way Christ sees them. This should be much easier for me because I truly don't know what is in a person's heart. My focus should be to remember that God's love is the same for everyone. I should rejoice when I see people "get it", but I should also rejoice when they don't because that's another opportunity for God to continue doing a work in me and then through me. I am so amazed at this great God I serve and I am overwhelmed by the love and grace that never runs out.

Your prayers for me to continue becoming the man God wants me to be are coveted. I love you with the love of the Lord!