Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 2 John 1:3 NIV
“Keep your eye on the ball!” I said to him a little weary from coaching.
“I am trying to do that” he said a little dejected.
“Let’s do it in slow motion”. I took the ball in my hand and then acted like I was throwing it to him. I kept the ball in my hand in front of me and started walking it through the air toward him. As I got closer, I started pointing to the ball and giving instructions for him to look at the seams. “Slowly start to swing”, I was being careful not to have him hit me with the bat. “Keep watching the seams”, as I made the ball connect with the front of the bat. “See the bat and the ball connect.”
“Will it be a homerun, if I hit it like that?” he questioned.
“Focus first on connecting with the ball with the proper swing, then we will work on what happens next.”
John, the apostle, writes with passion for others to engage in meaningful relationships. God sent His Son because He loves us. We are to receive His love and respond with our own love and devotion toward Him and others around us. Sometimes with the swirling of emotions, the drama of living life, the pressures of finances, the stress of work, and the strain of relationships we take our eyes off the ball.
John says we are to abide, be immersed, walk moment by moment in the grace, mercy and peace that God provides through Jesus. These are the core foundations of our faith that we live in, everyday. We interact with these each day as we apply God’s truth and love toward us.
Mercy is not getting the punishment that you deserve. You can’t earn mercy or negotiate mercy. You can’t turn over a new leaf or wait for time to change the verdict. Those who have blown it, again and again, are still recipients of God’s mercy. One of the men on the cross next to Jesus captured the essence of mercy. “Forgive me Lord, I am a sinner.” That was truth. Jesus responded with love, “Today you will be with me, in paradise.”
Grace is living moment by moment in a favored status of receiving blessings in which you also don’t deserve them. We deserve death as punishment for our sins, He gives us eternal life. We deserve NO friendly relationship with God, NOW He calls us His children. He even gives us His Spirit to live inside us as we become temples of His presence. The truth and love of grace in our lives transforms our character into gratitude for all things, humble hearts, and appreciation for all that is good.
Peace is the shalom of God that permeates our mind and heart as we experience the now of living and look toward our future. Peace brings the promises of God into our present situations. If God is for us, who can be against us? Peace grabs the atmosphere of heaven and lets us breathe it here on earth. Peace lets us know that nothing can separate us from the love of God, not peril, not destress, not sickness, not abuse, not hatred, not persecution. God’s peace remains unmoved and unsettled in the worst of life. That is truth, and His love makes it real.
Perhaps there is a lot of commotion of life happening around you today. Focus once again on the ball of grace, mercy and peace. Use God’s bat of truth and love to connect the dots for you. You will be a winner in every arena of your life as you experience the applying of God’s grace, mercy and peace.
Blessing Love y’all