Ready for the Mercy
“…carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying…staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!” Jude 1:20 (MSG)
Most people are familiar with the Twelve Steps to recovery developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and now applied to other destructive patterns. At one time, I sought in vain for literature that incorporated Scripture and the Twelve Steps. Now, I see it everywhere, especially in Scripture itself.
A Principle to Live By
This teaching focuses on us—we can change only our own lives, not others’! What a principle to live by, and Jesus taught it clearly. How could I not have noticed this in my early faith days?
“Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5
There it’s been all these years. Ah, well, no use regretting the past—I see it now.
Keeping the Focus
But how to keep this focus? Jude tells us: build ourselves up, pray, keep open and ready to embrace the gifts sent our way. In so doing, we turn from old thought channels that declare us unworthy, unlovable, incompetent, and doomed to fail. This turning requires practice and effort, but it’s do-able. And we maintain this steady focus one day at a time.
Prayer
Just for today, dear Lord, help me to build myself up in faith, rejecting the inner thoughts that would tear me down and pull me away from your constant love.
Gail Kittleson
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A passionate reader, I began writing as a young girl. After graduating from college, I became a teacher. Over the course of my career, I taught high schoolers, college undergraduates, and public school teachers how to write personal narratives, expository and persuasive essays, as well as poetry and short fiction. I continued to write: publishing professional articles, two textbooks, short stories, and poetry. In 2013, I won first place in Romantic Suspense in the ACFW Genesis Contest.
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