Grace Like Chocolate Syrup: Good over Everything
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Best Friends
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:22–23
Preschool and kindergarten offer time to play! These years also provide a time of learning and making lifetime friendships. Did one of your best friends in your class or on the playground ever take your crayons, marbles, or jump rope? Did you go home and tell your parents what they did and declare vehemently that you no longer wanted to be friends? Then perhaps you went back to school the next morning and shared your crayons, marbles, or jump rope with the child who took it from you the day before. Maybe you even shared some of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich with him or her because you really liked the child and wanted to be friends. You go through the rest of your school days—and even life—with a true friend who has been with you through all of life’s ups and downs and with a heart and mind of grace. You have a best friend for life! Maybe this has even happened recently in the office or at church. Imagine if Jesus declared to His Father the things that we do when we hurt Him: the cutting words we say to others, gossip, bad attitudes, lustful thoughts, complaining, and lying that we do every day. Imagine if He didn’t want to be our friend anymore. What if Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane was when He declared these things to his Father? Could Jesus, who was a witness to sin but absent of it, have declared your every known and unknown sin? He knew he would have to possess, bear, and wear them in the presence of His Holy Father in order to make us free from it. Would that not cause us to tell Him how sorry we are for hurting Him and repent of our wrongdoing? Would we ask Him to come back the next day, share with us, and continue to be our friend? Do we want to be His friends?
We know there is no end to Jesus’s loving-kindness, mercy, and grace. If there were, He would not have taken our sins to the cross, risen from the dead, or made a place for us with Him. We have a difficult time making room in our hearts and lives for those who have wronged or injured us. We do not show them the loving-kindness, grace, forgiveness, and mercy that our Savior has shown us. He died on the cross for us! He stands by us no matter what. There is nothing he won’t do for us. He is faithful, loving, kind, and full of compassion and grace. Those are some really great friend characteristics.
Close friends often begin to resemble each other in their character traits. Our attributes should reflect those of Christ if we are to use his name in ours as Christians. He does not offer us His everlasting loving-kindness or shower us with His unfailing compassion only when we share our crayons with Him. He showers us with the newness of loving-kindness and compassion all of the time. He does not give us what is left from the day before. His gifts are new and full every day. He begins from scratch. There are no stipulations for his faithfulness, loving-kindness, compassion, and grace. These are true Christ-follower characteristics. Jesus just loves—period. That’s how He is!
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About the Book
Everyday life—we all have one. We all are living our everyday life. But there is living your everyday life, and then there is living life every day knowing in your heart and soul that everything in your life is good, even the things that others may not think are good. Everyday life can be good when you are in trusting-God-fully mode. You trust him with all that your life is about. You trust him with everything that is in your life and in the lives around you. You trust in his sovereignty and that he knows and has his best for you, and you want it all the time, so you reach out and grasp it and grip it because you do not want to let go of it. You may think your life is good but deep, deep down there is something missing or lacking and you just can’t seem to put your finger on it. There is only one way to find out and that is going all-in for Jesus. After all, he is all-in for you as he went all out for you on the cross.
About the Author
Carol Jimerson is a wife, mother of three adult children and grandmother of two delightful boys. She is a United States Postal Service city letter carrier in her hometown of Corning, New York and loves giving smiles while interacting with her business customers. She has recently graduated from Ohio Christian University with a degree in Leadership and Ministry. She began her devotional writing on her blog www.coffeeonmydeck.blogspot.com. She has been published in Light From The Word a Wesleyan Publishing House devotional. She is also pursuing writing her Jonah story that she hopes will encourage others to share their story to uplift and encourage all of their need for Jesus. She receives her inspiring thoughts and words from God as she can be found out in His creation as much as possible, even when she is off the work clock, in her vegetable garden or walking through the woods with her camera in hand.