If only we could see things as Christ does!

Christ entered His hometown and a paralytic was brought to Him. Christ's first concern was for the condition of the man's soul, and He forgave his sins. This infuriated the people and they questioned His ability to do so. (Matthew 9:1-8)

Throughout most of the Old Testament, time after time the people of Israel are shown great mercy after great disobedience to God. They never seem to learn! But God’s patience with us and mercy toward us is always greater than our disobedience to His will. He eventually sends His beloved Son to die for us and show us that death is just the beginning!

Eternity has already begun for each of us. The moment we were conceived in our mother's womb, our eternity began! That we will always be -- is an awesome thought! This gospel helps us keep our focus on what is really important. Our lives are often fast-paced and we can easily allow the concerns of life to overwhelm us. The reality is that each decision and action we make has an impact on our future. Often it takes some tragedy in our personal or family life to readjust those priorities. We have to remember that no matter what “life” or other people hands us, Jesus is there to help us through our difficulties. Many want to turn from Him when things are going badly—they may even blame Him for the difficulties. That’s ludicrous—Jesus can’t be blamed for His creations’ poor decisions and disobedience of His commandments or even for natural disasters. We have to further remember that God can and does allow bad things to happen so that a greater good can come from it—our challenge is recognize the good, even while lamenting the bad.

One way to help us keep on track with our spiritual goals and priorities is to take time early each day and map out our priorities. A prayer to the Holy Spirit to show us the way through the day is also important. Then at the end of each day a brief re-examination of the day will help us to realize how we are doing.

We will not be perfect, but at least God knows that we are striving to be as perfect as we can be. God knows that we are human and He still finds delight in each of us!