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Letter: A Lament to my Sons
In cases of emergency, do not scream and never run. Do not raise your voice or Read More
The Upper Room is here for you in these anxious times. Click Here
HiRho Park | Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17
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Sign Up TodayHow do we experience God’s mercy? Paul testifies that he received mercy even though he was the foremost of all sinners. The word mercy presupposes an acknowledgment of unworthiness on the part of the receiver.
I am a good organizer and have a lot of energy. I can do many...
Merciful God, your invitation to “come to me” lingers. Help me to experience your mercy in my life today. Amen.
Jeremiah’s warning of coming judgment continues. The children of Israel have become foolish, have ignored God, and have become good mainly at doing evil. God is going to respond to this situation. The psalmist describes the state of all who are foolish: they deny God and follow their own corrupt desires, including the oppression of the poor. The author of First Timothy, traditionally Paul, says that this was also his former way of life. He has been foolish and ignorant, a persecutor of the followers of Christ. In fact, he had been the worst of all sinners; yet Christ has shown him mercy, not judgment. Jesus tells two parables to reveal God’s heart. Rather than neglecting the ignorant, the foolish, and the lost, God searches to find each one of us.
Read Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28. How do your actions show others that you know God?
Read Psalm 14. When have you, like the psalmist, felt that no one knows God? How did you have faith that God would restore God’s people?
Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Recall a time when you felt unworthy of Christ Jesus’ full acceptance. How has that experience made you more grateful for Christ’s mercy?
Read Luke 15:1-10. In a world full of death and violence, how do you rejoice when God finds one lost person?
Respond by posting a prayer.
While several strategies for reopening the world are being discussed, I encourage you—the people of God everywhere—to allow this season to be a formative one during which you can make new discoveries about God and increase your faith. Use this time to embark on a life of prayer, a life of study, and a life of action—involvement in the community.”
On September 19th, attend Emmaus Ministries International Virtual Gathering.
