Living “God’s way”

Paul writes, “What happens when we live God’s way?…[We gain] a sense of compassion…[and] we find ourselves…not needing to force our way in life” (vv. 22-23 MSG). Let’s think about these two Christlike qualities: (1) You become more compassionate. You stop seeing people as objects that need to be straightened out or avoided or used for your own benefit. When Jesus looked at people, “he was moved with compassion” (Matthew 9:36). When that happens, two wonderful things occur. First, you conquer selfishness and become concerned with somebody other than yourself. Second, you develop a sense of gratitude for blessings you may have taken for granted. In other words, compassion expands your field of vision beyond “us-four-and-no-more” to those you’ve been too busy to notice. (2) You no longer need “to force [your] way in life.” You stop seeing people who have gentle, loving spirits as “wimps” who never achieve much. Paul wrote, “We behaved gently…among you” (1 Thessalonians 2:7 AMPC). And Paul was no wimp! Sometimes the reason we’re so driven is we fear that if we become more gentle and loving, we might stop getting ahead and fall behind in the race. That kind of fearful, frantic thinking drains the creativity out of your life—not to mention the joy. And any success you enjoy is in spite of your stress, not because of it. Look at Jesus. He wasn’t in a hurry, He seldom raised His voice, He took time for children, He loved people and lifted them. And the Bible says, “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into” (1 Peter 2:21 MSG). It’s what’s known as living “God’s way.”