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A Remedy That Makes All Things Well

January 17, 2017 By Jennifer H. Yates

17 Jan
A Remedy That Makes All Things Well

The Outcast

The outcast, he watches, expecting

The horror of the others he’s met

Who turn in disgust, leaving him alone

He expects what he’s seen before:

Revulsion

His home is hell, not protecting

Him from the evil he’s met

In life, no; rather, by casting their stone

The people demonstrate even more:

Compulsion

We hide behind masks, pretending

We have never with sin met–

Our skin covers our blackened bones.

With reminders of our core:

Expulsion

This outcast has seen it all–

The hypocrites who watch him fall.

He expects it now from all who call–

But this new visitor shows only grace.

She smiles warmly now, approaching

And looking past the faults

All others do see; she laughs

And dispels the darkness with a gift:

Blooming love.

He wonders who this girl, encroaching

His cold heart–his vault–

Could be; she laughs

And whispers, (his spirit to lift)

“I am Love.”

“What is love?” he asks, not knowing–

He only knows of faults

And sin. Love smiles and laughs,

Drawing him in, she says with a kiss,

“I am Love.”

And thus, a heaven is made of hell

By love, a remedy that makes all things well.

No longer reminded of how he fell,

He is accepted by the arms of Love.

by Josiah Lee Yates

I found this poem recently in the very back of my file cabinet at school, the beautiful words penned by my son, Josiah. God had me pull it out and reread it at just the right time–when the Lord is teaching me slowly, day by day, what it really means to love.

How appropriate that the reminder to love should come to me through the words of my own–flesh of my flesh, student becoming the teacher. As it should be.

I read the poem and grew silent as I pondered what God wanted me to learn from these words.

As I have been meditating on this theme since January first, I have looked up many Scriptures on love and studied the Hebrew and Greek meanings.

In the weeks to come, I plan to share many posts on love and all its various elements. But today I want to embrace the idea that God IS love. If we want to understand love, we have only to look to the Master of love.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:7-11, NIV84

The greatest example of love is that of a Father giving His Son and that of a Man who would willingly lay down His life, not for those whom He deemed worthy, but for those He deemed worth it. He didn’t wait for us it get it all together, to walk away from our sin, to get our junk all straightened out first. No, He came for us when we were at our worst.

“But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Did you get that? He died for us, knowing the depths of sin we would plunge. He left the splendor and majesty of the throne for the loneliness and death of the grave. He knew the very worst thing you or I would ever do. And still He came.

Why can’t we do that for others? Why do we feel as if we have to point out others’ faults and remind them of their failures? Why are we so quick to point out the sins of others, but slow to see our own? Are we truly afraid that if we love someone in sin, we are approving of it?

Jesus wasn’t afraid that by loving us He would condone our sin. He was honest with people: woman at the well (Go, call your husband and come back.); woman caught in adultery (Go now and leave your life of sin.); rich young ruler (Come, follow me.) So why are we so afraid that if we love people who are living a sinful lifestyle, they will assume we agree with their sin?

If they claim to be Christians, but show no fruit of repentance, we should gently and lovingly lead them to the truths of Scripture and pray that they will see the error of their ways and repent.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”

Galatians 6:1

We are warned because we are all susceptible to sin. Every last one of us.

“If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

Galatians 6:3

The truth is we love to point out the sins of others because it makes us feel better about our own failures. “At least I’m not that bad!” So we can stay in our “not so bad” sins, while we fixate on others’ “really bad sins.”

The problem is we are not the one who decides the weight of sin. All of it separates us from God. We are nothing apart from Jesus. We are hopeless and helpless without Him. We need Jesus just as much as the next person.

If that person is not a Christian, how much more do they need what we have? Instead of condemning, we should be shining the light of Jesus, and the only way to do that is to love.

Call the Midwife is a British show set in Poplar, England in the early 60s, about a group of midwives and nuns who deal with the poverty of East End London.

A recent episode told the story of a young teacher who found herself pregnant by a married man. She was fired from her job, kicked out of her apartment, and rejected by the father. The young girl, in her fear and desperation, tried to abort her own baby.

In the episode, one of the midwives, who quietly judged her in the beginning, is brought to tears and remorse when she realizes that she failed to just be a friend to the girl. The episode ends with these words:

“Shame is born in public and lived out secretly;
what is not seen cannot be scrubbed away.
But so much can be made bearable by love,
by cherishing what is,
and not condemning fault or flaw;
by never locking doors,
by keeping hearts open,
and holding each other forever in the light.”

-Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife

If I am ever in doubt about how to respond to someone in words or deeds, I always remind myself of this one truth: Err on the side of love. I may make a mistake, but at least let it be said that I loved too much and not that I failed to love enough.

Everyone knows John 3:16, but most of us couldn’t quote John 3:17. Funny, I seem to recall that being one of my son’s favorite verses, though.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17

Yes, there will be times that we need to confront people in their sin, but we need to be led by the Holy Spirit with much love and prayer when we do.

Most of the time, however, what a friend or spouse or family member really needs is not our pointing finger but our loving arms. They need to see us model the example of Jesus, who said, “Has no one condemned you?…Then neither do I condemn you…” (John 8:10-11).

Let’s model true love and give people the space and grace to grow. Sometimes a smile and a warm embrace speak volumes more than a pointing finger ever could. Let’s err on the side of love–a remedy that makes all things well.

Need more encouragement as you grow your faith? Join our private Facebook community, Growing Your Faith.

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Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: A Remedy That Makes All Things Well, Bible study, Christian devotional, devotional, How to love sinners, Jennifer H Yates, one thing, quiet time, religion vs. relationship, seeking God, spiritual battle, spiritual warfare, The Outcast, worship

« How’s Your Love Walk? (And a Quiz!)
First Love | Free Printable Devotion »

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  1. Four Ways to Love Our Husbands Better - Jennifer Hayes Yates says:
    August 26, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    […] A Remedy That Makes All Things Well Devotion on Love […]

Hey there, my friend

Hey there, my friend

I want you to know that you don't have to be overwhelmed, confused, or too busy to be fruitful and productive. You can be grounded in the Word and growing in your faith.

Even if you have encountered chaos, hypocrisy, legalism, or suffering. God's Word is the truth we must be grounded in to thrive and bear fruit.

I'm Jen, and I want to encourage you with practical strategies and helpful resources to grow your relationship with Jesus one intentional moment at a time. Even if all you can give right now is 15 minutes, you CAN seek Jesus and grow your faith.

Come hang out with me in my Facebook community, download some free resources, or take the FOCUSED 15 Challenge to get started.

You can get God's Word into your heart so that you can be transformed to live a life that is fruitful for the Kingdom!

Jen

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jenniferhyates

jenniferhyates
I hear from women almost daily who struggle to hav I hear from women almost daily who struggle to have daily time in God's Word.

The biggest challenge is finding the time.
The second is being able to focus.
The third is knowing where to start.

But here's the thing: If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.

The key to having consistent time in the Word is the desire to be changed by it.

If you KNOW you need God desperately, you will find the time, the focus, and the ability to study the Word. 

It really comes down to priorities.

And if you need a little encouragement and direction to get started, check out my FOCUSED 15 Challenge. #linktree in bio
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👉 Do you doubt your value and identity as a wom 👉 Do you doubt your value and identity as a woman?

👉 Do you long for clarity about your purpose in life?

👉 Do you wrestle to overcome fear, doubt, and insecurity?

You're not alone. In fact, the need for validation, acceptance, and approval dates all the way back to the Garden. In the Bible, we have examples of women who were just like us, who struggled with these very same issues.

Women such as Sarah, Hannah, Rahab, and the woman at the well also faced questions, doubts, and fears. But their stories teach us God's answers to the questions that nag our hearts and leave us restless.

In her new book, Just Like Us, best-selling author Jennifer Hayes Yates takes us on a guided tour through the pages of Scripture, stopping to visit each of these women and what the Lord longs to teach us through them.

In Just Like Us, you'll encounter our God's surpassing love for us. His Word overflows with the answers our hearts hunger for in this life.
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Join this biblical journey and find your place in the kingdom as a beloved woman of God. 

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Do you consider yourself a student of God’s Word Do you consider yourself a student of God’s Word?

The English word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetes, meaning “disciple, student, follower; a committed learner and follower."

Sometimes we shy away from the word disciple (because it sounds too much like discipline) or the word student (because it sounds too much like school), but our hearts should be drawn to know and understand God’s Word.

“Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands" (Psalm 119:65-66, NIV).

Women in Jesus’ day were not allowed to go to school or learn under rabbis. They were considered unable to learn or understand the Torah, and so they were taught to take care of the home.

But Jesus countered their cultural traditions. He had many women followers (Luke 8:1-3), and He taught women, considering them capable of learning and understanding His truth (Luke 10:38-42).

Jesus affirmed women’s thirst for truth and encouraged their role as disciples.

Our roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers do not exclude our role as students of the Word. I love being a wife and mother. I love taking care of our home, providing meals (okay, I don’t really love cooking, but I do enjoy choosing healthy foods for our family), and I like decorating our space to make it cozy and inviting.

I also enjoyed many years of teaching and working outside the home. But I have really loved the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet as a student, to listen to His Word being preached, to study the Word for myself, to search out its meaning, and to seek to apply it in my life.

We don’t have to wait for others to spoon-feed us the Bible. And as influencers in our homes, we need to know and understand God’s truth so we can teach our children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

I’ll admit, there are areas of the Bible that are difficult to understand and that can cause confusion. But with a few principles to guide us, we can learn to be students of the Word.

Read the rest at jenniferhyates.com #linktree in bio.

#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #justlikeus
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the "But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:21-24, NIV).
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #justlikeus #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a c Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

I am rewriting Let's Run, my very first book, a Bible study on Hebrews 11 and the faithful call to endure.

I'm so excited to go back through this study and add things I've learned since then. I pray it will encourage the faithful to endure to the end.
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Competition has no place in the kingdom of God. J Competition has no place in the kingdom of God.

Just think how God's kingdom could grow if we rooted for each other and encouraged one another's faith?

Paul said if you want to outdo one another, try outdoing each other in love and honor.

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10, ESV).

When you encourage a sister in the Lord, both of your faiths grow. 

Let's root for each other and watch each other grow, 🌿
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
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