God's LOve and Grace! (Including Allah!)

Gods Love and Grace

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God;

He is the faithful God,..

 (Deuteronomy 7 v 9)

           

In the last decade June and I have been blessed by being close to people of varied faiths. Through our association with each, we have come to a strong belief that we all worship the same God in different ways and we all experience God’s grace.

Recently a Jewish friend that I have known and liked for years shared with me that he does bible studies so he can learn about the Christian perspective. His strong family values, general positive personality and strong ethical standards make him someone I am glad to know.

This last year we have spent several Sundays in Unitarian Meeting Houses when we return to Massachusetts with my family. We are learning more about my mom’s grand parents who were Unitarian ministers. Involvement with my brother’s memorial service at a Unitarian meeting house was a bit different for us.

To avoid making this a 10,000 word essay, let me summarize some of our other relationships: A son in law who is a southern Baptist, a brother in law who is a Catholic priest, a Mormon best friend who lost touch with his faith, a Native American friend who has involved us in some spiritual activities.

In each instance mentioned, June and I have experienced good friendships and observed strong Godly values in our friends. In most instances, we have observed God working in our friends’ lives and seen God’s grace at work in many ways. Most, importantly, we have experienced God’s grace through our friends.

Thought for Today:Today let us recognize those around us that are different and try to befriend someone new. Let us seek out someone that looks at God in a different way. The Lord blesses them also.

Prayer for Today: Dear  Lord, the world is a great and wonderful creation. There are many peoples of all colors and beliefs. There are generation gaps, social differences, and economic separations. Often the differences get in the way of social graces. Today we pray that we can learn from differences to have peace in our own lives and that we can contribute to the understanding of your will and  your Grace.

Amen