“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”  Psalm 23:6 .

Number 33 in the series “The Lord is My Shepherd”

Looking back over my life and all the sin that I was involved in and all the sin done to me, I can clearly see God’s goodness and mercy in my life. I am constantly overwhelmed at God’s goodness and mercy in sending Christ to die on the cross to pay for all of my sins. His goodness and mercy healed my abusive childhood, gave me the power to forgive, and healed my broken marriage. So I have to ask myself a question: “What does God and other people say about my life?” Do I extend the same goodness and mercy to lost sinners that Christ gave to me? Wherever I go, whomever I meet, do I leave a blessing or a curse behind me? Are people sorry or glad to know me? Does my life bring pain or joy to God and to all whom I meet?

As I teach the Bible throughout the U.S. and other countries, I meet a lot of people and live in alot of homes. I often return to the same churches to minister, so I have a lot of opportunities to evaluate my life. Matthew 5:10 (NIV) reads, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This scripture tells me that if I am living according to the Bible, I can expect to be persecuted. Many people were offended at Jesus’ life and His teaching. Many are offended as we live and teach the truths of the Bible today. However, I do not want to see people turn away from Jesus because of the ungodliness in my life.

God proved His love to me by sending Jesus Christ to die for me. Jesus proved His love for me by freely giving His life and dying on the cross for a sinner like me. The Holy Spirit proves His love for me by daily giving me His peace and joy; by comforting me when I need it; by helping me read, understand and obey the Bible daily; by giving me the power to resist temptation; and by giving me His wisdom for every situation I encounter. I want to show the love of God to everyone I meet, to forgive my enemies as He forgave me when I was His enemy. I want to extend the same patience, goodness, mercy and gentleness that He daily gives to me. Wherever I go, I want to be a blessing and not a curse. I want to follow Jesus’ example to serve others and not expect them to serve me.

Beloved, God’s amazing grace and His goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life. That is why I want to minister and leave behind me a blessing in every place I go and bless every life I touch. I want to leave a blessing, not a curse. Beloved, how about you? When you look back over your life, are you leaving a blessing or a curse behind you? Is your life impacting others for Jesus? My hope is that you are leaving a blessing. If not, I encourage you to treat others as Christ treats you.

— Janice McBride