Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Forgiven Forgive | Ep. 145 | Friday, August 25, 2023

Episode Date: August 25, 2023

As we continue our journey through the Beatitudes, Pastor Mike reflects on Jesus' teachings of mercy. Those who recognize their need for mercy become givers of it. Let today’s episode be a reminder to live a life full of grace, forgiveness, and love, as we realize how much we've been forgiven and aim to let go of judgment and negativity. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.com. dot church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the podcast. I'm bro and grateful that you tuned in the day. We are here Monday through Friday trying to get to know God better and stick some truth, some wisdom, and some hope into our hearts. And we are currently walking through a section in Matthew

Chapter 5, commonly referred to as the beatitudes. These are the pathway to true happiness that Jesus lays out in his famous sermon on the Mount. And we've been looking at them. like their rungs on a ladder, where each step builds upon the one before it, and we started with hearing Jesus say, Blessed, happy are those who recognize they are spiritually bankrupt, who are honest about themselves and acknowledge that they need God? Then he builds on that by saying, blessed are they mourn? Morn over what? The truth about their spiritual poverty, that there's a sense of brokenness, a sense of repentance, a turning away from the old life, and turning toward God. Then rung number three says that happiness comes from meekness, and we learn that meek doesn't mean

weakness, the original word meant to bridle wild horses to get strength under control. It's that step where you come to God in humility and you say, I relinquish control of my own life and I surrender to your leadership. Then Jesus talks about the deep fulfillment that comes when we hunger and thirst for God. And these first four rungs are all inside out kind of things. We talked about them in our last episode as preparation steps, things that are continually going on in our character as every day. We may that kind of honesty and brokenness and dependence and humility and hunger. And as you and I do that, some outward things start to flow from the inside. We said yesterday that both preparation and presentation are important. And I love how one of the first things to flow out of you and me is the thing

we have just received. Here's what Jesus says about rung five. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. I just think of it. it's cool how mercy is a cyclical kind of thing. Those who know they need mercy and receive it are people who give mercy. And as they give mercy, they are shown mercy. And as they gratefully receive that mercy, they gratefully dispense that mercy again. And on and on it goes. It becomes a lifestyle of grace and love, a presentation of what God has done for us. So let me ask you, would mercy and grace describe your life these days? Would people say about you, man, he is. He is, she is just, they're just so full of grace, man, they're so full of mercy. They just look at the

world through grace-heeled eyes. I mean, what a cool thing to be known for. Jesus once said that those who know they've been forgiven much, well, they love much. Those who think they have little to be forgiven for, well, they tend to love little. So what do you say you and I love much today? We've been forgiven much. So let's forgive much. Let's move through our day-to-day without judgment, Without critical comments, without a negative attitude, without a sense of superiority or any harsh reactions, what do you say we let go of grudges and bitterness and thoughts of revenge, and just walk today as those who have received so much mercy that it just flows out of us to other people? I'm praying that people will see that in you and in me today.

Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our Church Online Live Weekend service. on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe. Church slash daily drive.