Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing? Maybe its a job that hasn’t changed in years, or something you own that requires the same maintenance every few months. For myself, I know that there are times that I have to plow through a bunch of things, and before the end is in sight, I’m just tired of them!
Years ago, I worked for the owner of a pick-your-own strawberry farm. In the summer, students (like me) would help weed the strawberry plants, and get the fields ready for customers to pick fruit. Then, we would oversee the customers during the harvest season. The owner told us about a trick that he would use sometimes to stay motivated: he would weed out a row (or a few rows) in the middle of the field, so that when he got back there again, he would be pleasantly surprised.
This “mental boost” sounded like a good idea to me, although other people have different strategies to handle situations when things seem like they are always the same. They might change jobs, or move to a new place, or pick up a new hobby.
John starts out both his gospel (see John 1:1-14) and the book of 1 John with flowing descriptions of Jesus Christ.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1-3 NIV
And, I think that this is a great place to bring the topics of the last few articles full circle. In the Old Testament, God’s faithfulness was proven, and His promises were waiting for those who trusted in Him.
However, while bringing exiles back to the Promised Land was a big deal, this was just a taste of what God had planned for the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Israelites could look back to multiple times when God did exactly what He promised, and have confidence that He would continue to do so in the future. However, we can look to the sacrifice of God the Son for our sins, and if that’s not a compelling demonstration of God’s faithfulness, I’m not sure what else someone could possibly be looking for!
Not only did Jesus prove God’s mercy and grace, but He showed other people – people who needed Him – that same mercy and grace during His ministry. He set a perfect example for us, so that we can not only trust in who God is and what He will do for us, but so that we can see what it looks like to be fully dedicated to God, living out the love and mercy that He demonstrated to us.
So, may we live out the commandments of God (including the instructions to apply justice and mercy to our fellow human beings), inspired by the example of Jesus Christ (who exemplified the heart of God, because He was – and is – God), and guided by the Holy Spirit. It might not look like “business as usual”, but it’s better than anything else we can imagine. And, even as we show mercy to others, God’s mercies (or “compassions”) are “new every morning” (see Lamentations 3:22-23).
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 12, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, March 12, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1, 2 & 3 John, by Morris M. Womack. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 