Complain and Remain, Praise and Be Raised

So I was reading through my daily devotional on YouVersion, a great bible app I use daily, and the message today was head on. The phrase: Complain and Remain, Praise and Be Raised is going to be my new saying!

It said that words are containers of power. When we grumble and complain, the words we are using are carrying destructive power. They affect no only you but those you are speaking with, polluting the mind. When we complain about our current situation we remain in it, when we praise God in the midst of it, He raises us out of it.

This is powerful to me because in my situation over here in Romania, I find myself complaining and venting with teammates. Although it helps me feel better and releases some anger, by finding community in this, I remain in the painful or destructive situation. Constantly complaining and thinking about "how bad things are" or "how frustrating things are." But you will never be able to move on and get past if if you are constantly complaining about it.

I need to Praise the Lord in my struggle. Like 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says "my strength is made perfect in weakness...for when I am weak I am strong." After giving praise to the Lord, He will lift me up, and beyond the situation, and I can refocus on the next thing. Instead of staying in the never ending cyclone or distress and complaining about what happened. I need to let go of my frustrations and move on. 'Nail it to the cross and press on.'

Also something I try to avoid is complain to others or gossiping about the situation. Not only does the bible say we shouldn't gossip, Proverbs 26:20-22, but it does the same thing. Keeps you wrapped up in the past, what has happened. When I continue to complain or talk about what's frustrating me, I tend to get even more angry or frustrated. So confiding in someone about the situation to get it off your chest is one thing, but like Einstein said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." By continuing to complain, nothing is going to change. So I need to surrender it to the Lord and move on. 

Just a realization I had this morning and thought I'd share it, maybe it will help someone dealing with the same thing. I just love when the Lord reveals things to me and love growing in my faith.

The Merciful Life

So like I've blogged about before, I am working through and learning how to be forgiving and merciful to those who strongly wrong me. It's difficult, isn't it? Someone who has done something tremendously wrong to you, how are you to forgive them and show them mercy? It's only with the Holy Spirit that we can over come our human nature of revenge to forgive and show these people who have wronged us mercy.

Watching a podcast from my church in Los Angeles, I was encouraged. Pastor Tim helped me realize what mercy does and does not mean (not being a doormat as I thought). Pastor Tim explained that those who take on another's needs are truly the ones that are blessed and show mercy. Usually those who need mercy most are people in need and in the wrong.

The Merciful Life. If you aren't convinced yet, take a look at what you would look like if you don't chose to be merciful. Here are the other options to being merciful. How are you approaching life?

Alternatives to Merciful Life: other ways to live life instead of living the merciful life

1. Life of Malevolence of Another: Wishing evil on another person...day dreaming of destruction upon another person. Driven by bitterness and consumed by what the other person can get (revenge). Maximize the faults of others...they aren't the only ones that are sinful, you too sin and deserve mercy. 
2. Indifference. Don't have and try for destruction but just don't care. Majority of people take this position (it's their life, not your problem.) A true living faith produces and acts with people (not indifferent and not help). To look at people the way God looks at people. 
3. Avoidance: Deliberately avoid for particular reasons. Jesus names this again and again. For religious people, righteousness is dependent on all externals (exclusion of internals). Have to be seen and serve in the "right" way.  These people can be very moral however, they do not have mercy. Jesus points out that morality without idolatry. This is because they live by their own believed truths (what they think is right). Example of these avoider: Pharisees 

When it comes to mercy we tend to be very selective. Are they worthy of my mercy?
We tend to be occasional with mercy; our circle of kindness tends to only to be used towards those in our circle. Christians, friends and family, the group you belong to, etc... It's easier to show mercy to those we like or see ourselves in, rather than someone me may not understand, who is completely opposite of us.
Those who many not believe in God, they decide when, where, and how they show mercy. Relative to how they currently think (morals of right and wrong). In the end, the relative and religious persons both pick and chose when to show mercy. They are the same.


REFLECTION: Which one of these are you? Or are you living the Merciful Life? 

Evidences of a Merciful Life: let them off easy and pretend it doesn't happen? NO.

1. Truthful Discernment: Mercy is NOT pretending it never happen or matter.  
•  **The bible never asks you to pretend that those horrible things that happen to you never happened. Mercy means taking needs and wrongs very seriously. Holding onto the truth helps us realize what we really need (a lot of what we want is not what we need).**  
• If God is not a God of Justice, then He's not worth worshiping. Holding to the truth we show God to be a God of Justice. 
• Showing Mercy doesn't mean you are a doormat. It will involve setting up boundaries and speaking hard truths in other's lives. This may be difficult, but it will be speaking the truth. Mercy isn't on our or their terms but GODS terms. It's not loving to make it easy for other's to sin against you, so it may involve hard truths and boundaries. 
2. Inward Compassion: those in sin, the wrong, distress (especially those who are extremely different from you). I get them, I understand I have pity for you so I'll show you mercy. Those who you don't understand or get it's harder to show them mercy. But that contradicts the whole point of mercy (choosing who to show mercy to). 
• A merciful life is deep inward compassion, that your heart breaks for people in need, those you can relate to or not. Identify with those people, as we are all sinners and have all wrong someone at sometime. Put yourself in their shoes. If you have never seen yourself as desperate and in need, you can not identify yourself with others. The mercy Jesus talks of grows up from the heart. 
3. Shown Outward Compassion: through help, aid, and forgiveness
• For most of us, mercy remains just a thought, But it needs to go somewhere. Mercy without deeds is not mercy. Mercy would include the most practical to most profound. Aid for those in need. We should be looking for ways to come and stand under them, help those in need. 
• But also Mercy means to forgive. Reconciliation. Mercy is about necessary forgiveness for reconciliation. We not only need to care and show mercy to the oppressed but also the oppressors. To pray for them, to help change what is going on. Paul says "put on mercy" Colossians 3:12. Think about it, when you put on clothing people see it. So put on mercy and those around you will see mercy (demonstrated in the community).
4. Impulses for a Merciful Life: First impulse of a merciful life we think of is God is Merciful
• God gives mercy to those who show mercy. Matthew 5:7  Does that verse totally depend on if you are merciful?? If God's mercy to us, depended on us and our perfect track record...then none of us would receive mercy or be saved. We are given the promise of mercy by the Lord. 
• Mercy is not earned! Some people have a hard time receiving mercy because they are think they have to earn it. It's all about debt and owing it. Mercy is 100% unearned. 
• How can you receive mercy when you wont show mercy to anyone else? We forgive because we have been forgiven. *past tense! 
• **Biggest proof that you can show mercy to others is the fact that you have received the mercy God has given to you** Matthew 18:21-35 is the perfect example of Mercy. The master truly gives mercy, knowing that all the debt the servant owes, he will take on himself. However the servant doesn't accept the mercy because he tries to get all the money back-earning the mercy. 

In conclusion, I learned:

1. Being merciful doens't mean I am a doormat and letting people walk all over me
2. Usually the ones who act out and are focused on hurting you need mercy the most
3. Before you can show mercy to others, you need to fully accept the mercy the Lord gives freely to us.
4. Mercy means compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation

Do We Really LOVE God?

I just wanted to share this. I was going through a devotional the other day and I found this very inspirational and humbling. Hope it touches your heart like it has mine.

Our love to God arises out of our emptiness; God's love to us out of our fullness. Our impoverishment draws us to that power which can relieve and to that goodness which can bless us. His overflowing love delights to make us partakers of the bounties He graciously imparts. We can only be said to love God when we endeavor to glorify Him, when we desire a participation of His nature, when we study to imitate His perfections. We are sometimes inclined to suspect the love of God to us, while we too little suspect our own lack of love to Him...When the heart is devoted to God, we do not need to be perpetually reminded of our obligations to obey Him. They present themselves spontaneously and we fulfill them readily. We think not so much of the service as of the One served. [The motivation which suggests the work inspires the pleasure.] The performance is the gratification, and the omission is both a pain to the conscience and wound to the affections...Though we cannot be always thinking of God, we may be always employed in His service. There must be intervals of our communion with Him, but there must be not intermission of our attachment to Him.