That NONE Should Perish

"God has shown me that He doesn't think anyone is unclean or unfit" -Acts 10:28

The Lord has pointed out a common element as I've read through the gospels and Acts, and now Romans; along with points made in church, Bible study, in books I'm reading and what I've heard on the radio, and I love the way the Lord weaves His point through different threads in my life till it is permanently imprinted on my heart.

GOD LOVES EVERYONE.

Simple, in theory, to nod and to agree. But to claim of the most hateful people we can think of? ehhhh......
Its intrigued me the way that God unfolded His plan for all peoples through the disciples. How strange it must have been for them. Jews set apart as God's children is all they ever knew. They built their lives around this truth, as did their ancestors. They completely disassociated themselves from any other culture based on this truth. And now that was all changing.
Jesus eats with the tax collectors. He's chatting up samaritan women!
You can ALMOST empathize with the Pharisee's who's knickers were tied in knots over this. We don't handle change well, do we? We cling to what we know to be true with all our strength because that's where we are most comfortable. Of this I am shamefully guilty.
Post resurrection, its finally clicking with the disciples, this message of Jesus Christ, thanks in large part to the gift of the Holy Spirit. They are nodding in a collective, "oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, THATS what He meant!" They are taking the Good News to the far ends of the earth! Paul made it His mission in life, once the Lord got hold of his soul, to reach out to the very people He was far too indignant to acknowledge in his pre-Demascus days!
Don't you love that our God is a God who shows NO partiality?! Who loves every sinner who ever lived and whoever will live?!

It sort of baffles me, the prejudice in Jesus' day. Those Jews, they really considered themselves superior. I mean, God had set them apart, but to not even acknowledge others because they were not Jewish? We circle back to that often. Sadly, racial prejudice, although not legal, still exists at catastrophic degrees in our very country today. And aren't we (generally speaking) a nation of snobs? We cast off others for every reason in the book!!

We ought to see others as Jesus does. We ought to embrace those who are different than us, not as right/wrong, but as uniquely designed by the Maker of Life! To that woman who has a rough, blunt personality. To that guy who insists on showing off all his possessions repeatedly. To that neighbor who relays the story of her husband's passing and her dog's various ailments every time you say hello. Oh, Lord, You love them all, just as You love me! Please let me not judge or condemn those who aren't "enough" like me. I pray I'll see them as You see them, dearly loved! Thank You, Jesus, that You did not come to earth to offer salvation to only the best of the best, for which I would never come close to qualifying. But You adore every single soul, and died on the cross for each and every person. Be glorified for your unwavering and relentless love, Lord! Amen.

The Prayers of My Heart

Lord, give me Your eyes so that I can see as you see. I want to to view others in the light of Your love and Your mercy. I want to cast off all the trappings of this world, the cultural views that poison the pure heart. In the most righteous and godly sense, I want to live my life with eternal perspective, I want my actions to reflect an eternally minded heart and soul. I don't want to wait till death to begin living fully for You. My eyes have scales, Lord. I recognize that my vision is impaired, my heart is still calloused. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me open arms and open doors.
Lord, I just want to honor You with my life. I can't figure out what that looks like on a daily basis, but I hope that each day, as I seek You, You will show me clearly. Help me to be busy, help me to be kind and forgiving. Help me to consider others better than myself. Help me to act in confidence of who I am as Your child. Thank You for loving me so dearly. Thank You for giving my life purpose. Thank You for the masterful and supernatural way You weave our lives together and guide us along the path of righteousness. May all glory be Yours forever and ever. In the precious and Holy Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.