Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

 





Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:12-13 (NKJV)


Words of Jesus


Our Lord has been criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners. His accusers, the Pharisees, did not accuse Jesus to his face. They asked the disciples.


The disciples approached the Master, He told them that He was here to minister to those who were sin-sick, not those who were living rightly.


In today’s world, it seems those who recognize their sinfulness are the ones who listen to Jesus and His Father. Conversely, those who believe they have done nothing wrong are the hardest to reach for Christ.


Just today, I heard of a young teenage girl who has been "grounded" by her parents. They did this to protect her. Later, I realized that a lot of what we see going on in this world has resulted from a lack of discipline in the families. I can only pray that more parents see the need to discipline their children.


As Christians, we have to pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit and let Him lead us in the way we should approach those in our world when we see they are hurting, have done wrong, and guide them if that is how God directs us.


6 comments:

  1. I agree with everything you wrote. The Bible says children will disrespect their parents and we can see it happening everywhere. I was walking through a parking lot last week and heard what looked like a preschooler call her mom an idiot! She said it twice! And mom responded with, "Oh sweety." All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. We all need Him desperately and I pray more people begin to realize that.

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    1. Cindy: I thank you for your thoughts. We all know what it says in the Bible. However, when we see those scenes like you saw, it breaks our hearts. We do have to pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit as we go through each day. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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  2. My husband and I often turn to each other and lament, "What has become of this young generation? Will they ever know what it's like to love and serve God?"
    Because it's the lack of Godliness in homes where children will most likely go astray, misbehave, and create all kinds of chaos. We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
    Blessings, Cecelia!

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    1. Martha Jane: We have to remain faithful in prayer and live our faith before those who God has loaned to us to raise. I say this and realize that I have not always done these things. I can only trust God that something has gotten into my son's heart and that he eventually starts living for Him. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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  3. Thank you so much, Cecelia, for this wonderful blog. I'm really happy with it. Parenting used to be quite challenging for me in the past. Sometimes, you weren't sure what was right. What worked for one child had the opposite effect on another.

    I'm glad I found you. You've been following my blog, 'Precious Beyond,' but when I clicked on your profile picture, it only led me to the blogs you follow. However, I've now rediscovered your blog and will be adding you to my blogroll shortly.

    Warm regards, Aritha.

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    1. Arieth: Thank you for your thoughts. Parenting has been challenging for most of us. God brought me through some difficult times with our son. I have a friend who is concerned about her great-grandchildren as well as her grandchildren. It seems that challenge never seems to end. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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