John 13:34 — “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I pray as you have read the blog this week, you have taken a step back to examine yourself. I pray God has given you some new perspectives. I have shared with you photos taken from my airplane window. I am still not very comfortable with flying. I become rather anxious in the moments leading up to take-off and I calm myself by praying. Once in the air, God always reveals to me the beauty of the world below. Today’s photo was taken as I traveled up the east coast. What a beautiful perspective!

This week during your self-examination did God reveal to you times you have been judgmental? Did you realize times you have gossiped or spread rumors? Did you confess and ask forgiveness? Now that you are aware of your actions, where do you go from here? Let’s look at God’s word.

Today’s scripture are words Jesus spoke to His disciples on the night of the Last Supper. Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death and for the life they should lead afterwards. The new commandment is to love one another. We are to love those who are loveable and love those who are unloveable. In the context of our week together, how should we respond to someone who is different from us, has different opinions than us, or different life circumstances than us? We should love them. Instead of judging or gossiping, we should love them. How will you respond?

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for my new perspective on my words and actions. Please continue to guide and direct me as I learn to respond with love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

1 John 1:8-10 NIV — If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Today’s photo was taken from my airplane window as we approached Nevada. Look closely at the dark areas on the ground. When I first looked, I thought the dark areas were water. As I looked closely, I realized the dark areas were shadows cast from the clouds above. What a revelation!

I hope you have taken some time to step back, look closely at yourself from a different perspective, and gain new revelations. If you have been honest with yourself, you may have had your eyes opened to some actions and reactions that God wants you to address. God has certainly been working on me. 

In our humanness, we sin. Re-read today’s scripture. We are called to recognize our sins and ask God for forgiveness. God will forgive us our sins if we just admit our failures and accept His mercy.  Have you confessed your sins? Have you learned from your failures? Failure is good data and we can learn from it if we keep our eyes, heart, and mind open to the message. Today, let’s not only confess our sins, but learn from our mistakes and thank God for His unending love, grace, and mercy. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, forgive me for my transgressions. Give me strength and courage to learn from my failures so I can do better next time. Thank You Lord for Your love, grace, and mercy. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Ephesians 4:29-32 — Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Yesterday I encouraged you to reflect on times you have made judgments about others. Today’s photo is another taken from my airplane window. What a different perspective! Again today I encourage you to step back to gain a new perspective and insight. Today I want you to examine the words you say and the manner in which you say them. Especially reflect on the intent of your words. For example, do you spread gossip in a way that is disguised as “prayer concerns”? Have you shared another’s unfortunate circumstances with others and sprinkled in your own opinion and judgments? Be honest with yourself. Have your words about others stemmed from a self-righteous attitude? What was your intent?

After my recent experiences with gossip spread about my family, my senses have been heightened. God has revealed to me times I have been the deliverer of gossip disguised as a prayer request. I realize the intentions of my words have not always been pure and I have become very aware of the weight of my words. I pray that you, too, will be honest with yourself. Admit any wrongdoings and ask God for forgiveness. Tuck God’s word from Ephesians 4:29-34 in your heart and allow those words to shape your words. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words and be very sensitive to your intentions for sharing news about another.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Open my eyes to my use of words. Show me my wrongdoings and forgive me for impure intentions. May Your Holy Spirit guide and direct my thoughts and words. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Philippians 2:3-4 NIV — Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Yesterday I encouraged you to step back and begin a self-examination. Were you able to see things in a new way like today’s picture of my new perspective from my plane window? Did God reveal to you a time or times you have been judgmental of others? Have you had thoughts or expressed your opinion about someone whose behavior, beliefs, or life circumstances are different from your own?

As I have shared with you, I recently was the one being judged. As a result, I was hurt and disappointed that someone I knew as a Christian had verbalized judgments about me to another Christian. My first reaction was to make my own judgments about their behavior not being Christ-like. As He usually does, God stopped me in my tracks and opened my eyes to my response. I was doing exactly the same thing. I was being judgmental as a means of trying to vindicate myself. I was actually being selfish by worrying about how I felt instead of extending forgiveness and grace. 

How about you? Have you found yourself in a similar situation? Has God convicted you of your reaction to hurt?  God calls us to be different. God calls us to value others above ourselves. God calls us to be Christ-like, even when others are not. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Forgive me for times I have fallen short of Your glory by being judgmental. Open my eyes to my shortcomings and give me courage to respond like Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Romans 3:23 — For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Two weeks ago I challenged you to exude the scent of God by extending grace to those who have hurt or wronged you with their words or actions. Last week Julie had us examine how well we receive and give grace. This week I would like for you to examine and ask yourself, “Have I hurt or wronged someone? Have my words, actions, or thoughts been judgemental? Have I helped spread rumors about someone?”

On my recent trips I have had the opportunitto see the world below from an airplane. The vantage point is so different and awe-inspiring. Just as today’s picture illustrates, often when we look at situations from a distance, we are able to gain new perspectives.

Today I encourage you to step back and look from a distance. I encourage you to truly examine yourself. Be honest with yourself and with God. Ask God to reveal any failings to you and open your heart and mind to the truth. As I shared two weeks ago, as long as you and I have breath in our bodies, we will sin and fall short. However, as Christians we can be redeemed. Join me this week as I share with you ways to deal with our own shortcomings. If you are honest with yourself, this week of self-examination may be eye opening and difficult, but know that God is with us on this journey and if we allow, He will guide us to a deeper understanding and faith. 

Let us pray as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 NIV — Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV — “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Click here to watch today’s See You Saturday video to learn how being planted with deep roots allows us to withstand the rain and winds of the storms of life.

1 Peter 2:19-25 NIV — For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. “By his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

If you have been reading the blog all this week you know that each day I featured the same scripture. Each day I shared part of the message that I shared at church last Sunday. I have thought a lot about the quote from Scott Hoezee in which he said, “Getting graced by God is like getting dipped into a vat of perfume: the residue of the fragrance should waft off of you from then on.”

My prayer is that as we examined ourselves, we received a fresh dip into the vat of God’s grace over the last week. May “the residue of the fragrance of God’s grace waft off of us.” May our hearts be molded more and more like Christ each day and when others criticize us, unfairly judge us, attack us or spread rumors about us, may we respond like Christ and extend the grace of God. May each of us have a God scent.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for a fresh dip in the vat of Your grace. May I have a holy residue of Your fragrance and may I be known as being God scent. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.