- MONDAY -

Good morning forever family,

Have have been a follower of Jesus for 45 years now.  I have studied or simply read some Scripture for most everyone of those days.  I have been doing this devotion for 26 of those years.  It amazes me that, by God's design, we are constantly growing deeper in our walk with Jesus.  For the last 8 years or so with me God has been removing my pride and replacing it with an extra level of mercy.  I have become aware that love, true love for others, is driven by mercy.  I'm also sadly aware that the closer people (as in family) possess the least amount of love and mercy toward other family members.  I went to Biblestudy.org to look at this idea that Jesus could not do miracles in Nazareth (Mark 6:4-6). This is what it said... "Familiarity does not automatically lead to contempt. Our human nature, however, is prone to minimizing the plethora of positive facts we possess about someone and maximizing our negative biases in order to justify mistreating them." Simply, it is this.  People in Nazareth knew Jesus and just couldn't bring themselves to believe God would use Him.  Fact is, it is worse in most families.  It is amazing that most people think they know someone. The bible tells that only God can know the heart. I've been trying to accept the bites and sting of family for years.  I'm reminded that they don't really know me and would give more attention to pretty much anyone other than family.  It is a weakness we all have to some degree. I believe that one of things God enjoys in any human heart is the gift of mercy.  After all it was God's mercy that saved us in the first place!

Jesus went back into Nazareth twice to minister there. Sadly this was the result...

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.  Mark 6: 4-6 NIV

This is what Biblestudy.org had to say...

"Instead of accepting Jesus' words and works at face value, the faithless Nazareth synagogue members minimized the evidence that he was the Messiah. Their biases against those they deemed were not "professionally" trained and those whom they thought slighted them also skewed their judgment. Their vanity refused to entertain the possibility that someone they knew well, who was like them, could rise to be more successful than they were.

Jesus knew that any outpouring of miracles on those in Nazareth who not only lacked faith, but also justified resentment and anger toward him, would have been spiritually wasted."

Regarding love driven by mercy check out these wonderful verses...

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.  Matthew 5: 7 NIV

³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Luke 6: 36 NIV

Forget the bites and stings of family.  Just go forth in mercy and love no matter!

Be blessed, be a blessing, 

Randy

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