April 20, 2024

Loving Our Enemies

September 15, 2015 by

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If only You would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of You with evil intent;
Your adversaries misuse Your name.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord,
and abhor those who rise up against You?
I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
Psalms 139:19-22

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Did Jesus agree with sinning?  No.  But yet he was still able to mingle among sinners.  Jesus did not stand apart from them and shake his finger at them. Not our Jesus.  That is just not how He operated. Remember last week, I said God shows us our yuck without making us feel yucky.  Jesus jumps right on in and mingles, he builds a rapport with people instead of throwing stones and He makes connections.  When Jesus met up with the Samaritan woman at the well, He did not tell her how horrible she was, instead He stated, “… then neither do I condemn you… Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

We are so quick to point fingers at other people, especially non-believers.  We cannot hold non-believers to the standards we would believers – they don’t believe what we do.  Our first goal should be to win them over and show them God’s love and mercy.  I say this in regard to Psalm 139:22, where it says, “I have nothing but hatred for them, I count them my enemies.”  The psalmist does say this, but we have been called to love those in the world.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:44

As followers of Jesus, He obey His commands…and if He said that we are to love our enemies…then we are to love our enemies.  He is not saying  “Love all the sin that your enemies do.”  Nope.  He is saying—love the person, hate the sin.

Sin is something that we human beings have been cursed with; so we all are familiar with it.  Some us run from it…some us hide from it…some of us try to ignore it.  But how we deal with OUR sin as believers is different than how others outside of our belief system do.  It’s so easy to say, “Well, that <someone else’s actions> is wrong.” But have you ever stopped to think why it’s wrong?  A lot of the stuff that we believe is  wrong is based on things that we have read in the Bible.  We believe that our Lord God has set forth instructions so we can tackle this life we are living.  But, if someone does not believe in God or serve Him or read the Bible, why should they care if He thinks they are sinning?  (This is geared towards people who truly see nothing wrong with what they are doing.)  We, as believers, can introduce them to God first, and let God work his ever-changing-power on them.

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Lord, help us to know how to handle the uncomfortable situations we experience in life and give us guidance to know what to do.  Thank You, Lord!

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What He Thinks Of Me

September 8, 2015 by

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How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17-18

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Have you ever been out of sorts because someone you know (or even someone you don’t even know at all) said something about you?

“Wow, she’s fat.”  “Well, isn’t she just stupid!”  “She’s mean.”

This happens. Most people aren’t so bold to say things to your face, but some people don’t know how to whisper. I think the worst of it is when you have someone come to you and tell you that someone else was talking about you. How do you handle it…what do you do? Do you mull it over? Do you try to take the comments as criticism and determine whether it is legit or not? Do you confront the person? Or do you internalize what they say and let it effect how you think of yourself?

The thing is this…I believe that it is important to listen to our trusted friends. If your boss gives you constructive criticism then you should mull it over and take it into consideration. However, not all opinions should be accepted. In fact, before we accept anything about ourselves we should prayerfully go to God. He can show us our flaws in a different light and show us what He thinks and show us how to change. God does that. Now, if God says that it is so, then it is so.

I remember one day I was driving home…something had happened at work and I was very upset. I started to pray. Through tears and screaming I began to explain to God why the situation wasn’t fair and how I was being mistreated! I can’t remember now exactly what it was about, but I do remember clear as day that the Lord spoke to me and told me, “But you do the same thing to me.” I was stopped dead in my tracks. The very behavior I was upset with was a behavior that I did myself…and to the Lord, of all people! The Lord has a way of showing us our “yuck” without making us feel “yuck.”

In our focus verse this week, the psalmist says to God,

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand
—when I awake, I am still with you.

We are loved and thought very highly of.  God sees our potential and loves us right where we are.

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Lord, help me to address the areas in my life that are lacking Your light. May I seek Your guidance in shedding Your light on these areas. Help me to cast away, and not internalize, the negative things people say about me and to me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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To Be Known

August 4, 2015 by

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O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me,
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
Psalms 139:1-3

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These three verses focus on one of the many aspects of God that I truly love and adore—He knows me.  Coming from a place in my life where I felt misunderstood, weird, different, and alone into a relationship with my Lord Who knows everything about me has been amazing.  Some people have things about themselves that they want to hide or hope others never find out…and they behave the same with God.  I’ve never been that way.  God knows everything about me, whether I tell Him or not.  And He knows everything about me whether I want Him to know or not.

“To be known”…to some this is a great fear but to me it is a great freedom. Nothing I do, say, or think as well as nothing I have thought, said, or done,  can change the fact that God loves me.

  • He loves me just the way I am.
  • He doesn’t separate the good from the bad.
  • He doesn’t only love me when I behave.
  • He doesn’t only love part of me.
  • He loves all of me.

God can love all of me because He made me.  He knows me.  And when I give Him my life and work with Him, He can take the bad things in me and transform them to good things.  Being bad does not hinder God’s ability to love me one bit.  It is impossible.  He loves me because He chooses to and I have nothing to do with that.  NOTHING!

How awesome—that we serve a God who knows our everything and still calls us to be in a relationship with Him!  You don’t have to be perfect.  You don’t have to ‘get your life together’.  You don’t have to stop a certain behavior or learn a new trick in order for God to love you.  He just loves you.  In a world where a lot of things are conditional, God’s unconditional love can be unfathomable to some.

What does God gain from loving us?  Think about it…
What could the Creator of the world possibly gain
from loving you and I in our imperfection?
I say—ask Him.

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Lord, thank You for loving me unconditionally.  Thank You for seeing me for who I am here and now.  Thank You for caring enough about me to take the time to help me grow into a better me.  Help me to see that I have to do nothing to earn this love.  Amen.

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Blessings Are Better

July 27, 2015 by

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The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed.
A stronghold in times of trouble;
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You.
For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalms 9:9-10

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“Why isn’t God helping me?”  {We feel like this sometimes, don’t we?}  “I mean, if God was helping me then I’d have food to eat, money to pay bills, a job, a happy marriage…” and the list goes on.  Truth be told, God never promised us rainbows and sunshine.  Jesus Himself said,

“… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33b

Not something you think you would be hearing from the Creator of the world.  Frankly, I don’t see why He couldn’t have said, “In this world you will have easy times.”  That sounds so much better; but that isn’t what He said. He warned us that things were going to come our way that were not going to be so pleasant in nature.

This doesn’t mean that we are meant to just lay down and take every trouble that comes our way.  God is a good God; by His nature, He cannot do bad things.  There are very logical reasons as to why some things happen.  If you don’t eat right and exercise, you are going to gain weight and that weight gain left unchecked can cause health problems.  God didn’t give you those health problems…this all started back when you decided not to make the right choices.  If you decide not to go to sleep on time at night and your work performance slips and you end up getting fired, God didn’t take your job from you, you chose to make poor decisions.  These examples have results—they are called “consequences.”

I believe that God can make anything right.  As long as we go to His Word, turn from our ways, and do things His way.  If we are willing to learn the better way, God will show us a better way.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:8

Here’s a thought: instead of asking God to give you money, why not ask Him to show you how to biblically manage your money so that you are better equipped to avoid money shortage situations.  Here’s another thought: instead of asking God for a better job, why not ask Him to show you how to appreciate the one you have.  My pastor told us that miracles are nice, but blessings are better.  At first I didn’t get it, but he explained that miracles go against natural happenings.  You know…the impossible.  Blessings go with natural happenings, i.e., blessed with a promotion for your great work or money in savings because you managed it correctly.

So, are you asking God to do all the work? Or are you willing to do your part?
God loves to help.

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Using Blessings To Share God

July 21, 2015 by

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How great is the goodness
You have stored up for those who fear You?
You lavish it on those who come to You for protection,
blessing them before the watching world.
Psalm 31:19

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God blesses those who love Him and live according to His Word.  This is a known fact.  We as believers have seen this happen over and over.  And what do God’s blessings look like to the world?  Hopefully, they are seeds planted and beacons that draw them towards God.  I say hopefully because we can be blessed and yet fail to give credit where credit is due—to God.

When I first got saved I always thought it was odd that people would say “God willing…” or “Glory to God!”  I had this mentality that not everything had to be “Glory to God!” or that God was willing.  I used to view these statements as zealous or at least unnecessary.  I get it now, though.  Given, when talking to an unbeliever, I feel some explanation would be helpful; but we need to give God credit where credit is due.

Psalm 31:19 says “…blessing them before the watching world…”.  I like that!  God blesses us before the eyes of the watching world.  He is using us to draw attention to Himself so that others will be saved.  God reaches and searches and hunts down. Truly, I cannot see how any one person might be able to say that they did not know of the Almighty God.  In this world of evil He has done so much.  So, let the world watch!  Let them watch and let them see!  But don’t forget to point them upward.  Use your blessings as the opportunity to point someone to God.

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Lord, help us to use our blessings to point others to You…whether through our finances, our time, or our treasures.  May all that You have given us be used for Your glory.  Help us to not live self-centered lives, but people-centered lives.  Let us be open to all opportunities that You may send our way.  Give us the courage to speak up and out about anything You may place on our hearts.  May we change the world one heart at a time with You, for Your glory, and with Your provision.  Thank You, Amen.

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Forgiveness For All

July 16, 2015 by

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Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and unfailing love,
which You have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of Your unfailing love,
for You are merciful, O Lord.
Psalms 25:6-7

Have you ever had to forgive someone?  It’s not always the easiest thing to do.  You have to process your feelings and then consciously make the decision to forgive.  Then (for some of us) it’s a daily thing—we often have to remind ourselves that we have already forgiven that person.  On the other hand, forgiving comes naturally to some people.  I am not one of those people.  If I feel I have truly been wronged, it takes me some time to process my emotions (usually 1-3 days).

Have you ever forgiven someone and then find yourself still thinking about it?  That’s when you have to remind yourself that you forgave them.  Human forgiveness is flawed.  We remember what was done to us.  Given some people can just let stuff go, but most people still remember.

God’s forgiveness is different.  God does not remember our past sins.  God’s Word says plenty about His forgiveness.

Then He adds, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

Often we as humans find it hard to accept God’s forgiveness because we compare it to human forgiveness.  God does not have to process emotions before forgiving us and He doesn’t throw our past sins in our faces.  His forgiveness is far grander than anything we know.  Yet, people still struggle with guilt, shame, and condemnation.  These three emotions are not from God…they stem from our inability to forgive ourselves. (Yes, I said ‘ourselves’.)  When was the last time you messed up?  Did you need more than God’s forgiveness?  Did that other person forgive you?

How about we try forgiving as God does – towards ourselves and others.

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Don’t Complain…Instead Know That I Am God

July 6, 2015 by

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Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;
He is the faithful God,
keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations
of those who love Him and keep His commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9

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The context surrounding this verse is speaking to the Israelites about the Promised Land—the Promised Land that took the Israelites five books in the Bible to get to.  It isn’t until Joshua that we finally see these travelers enter into the promise of God. Many are familiar with the story of the Israelites.  I’ve heard it said that the journey they took should have only taken 11 days.  However, their journey took them 40 years.

How does one take an 11 day journey and turn it into a 40 year journey?  Simple.  With God it’s all about timing…His timing. Deuteronomy 7:9 starts off, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God…”.  God decides when we are ready for something. But often how we choose to look at our circumstances effects how long something takes.  The Israelites complained and complained and complained.  {They loved to do them some complaining!}

  • Numbers 11:1a says, “Now the people complained about their hardships…”
  • Exodus 15:24a says, “So the people grumbled…”
  • Exodus 16:2a says, “In the desert the whole community grumbled…”
  • Exodus 17:2a says, “So they quarreled…”

From all the complaining they did, one would have never guessed that God would free them from captivity.  I mean, that’s kind of big!  I myself have never been physically enslaved, but I would imagine it’s a horrible predicament to be in. Yet, and still, they complained.

Here’s the deal: God doesn’t forget His promises.  Solomon said it this way,

…O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth –
You who keep Your covenant of love with Your servants
who continue wholeheartedly in Your way.
2 Chronicles 6:14

We don’t need to complain.  We do it because it is an easy habit to start.  However, complaining focuses on the negative while praise focuses on the positive.  Anytime we choose to complain, we just as easily could have chosen to praise.  Praising isn’t overlooking the bad or just ignoring it.  It’s simply focusing on the better things in life.  Just like complaining is simply focusing on the ‘worser’ things in life.  God has done so many things for us, why not focus on those things rather than the things that are wrong.  And pray.  Philippians 4:6 says,

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

Instead of the Israelites complaining about the fact that they had no water, they should have done as Moses did and prayed. Out of all of those people (a whole community), one person prayed.  One.  The nation had a negative focus.  God is faithful and follows through with His promises.

Trust Him.  
Do not complain, but pray.  
Then… wait.
And that doesn’t mean complain while you are waiting.
It means wait.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to keep our eyes focused on You.  Let us not forget all the good that You have done for us.  I know that it is so easy to complain about the things that we don’t like in our lives or the things that are “wrong”, but this does not glorify You.  Why should we draw attention to the negative in our lives when drawing attention to You should be our number one goal? People aren’t going to be drawn to You by hearing about all we do not have…but rather hearing about all that You have done for us.  Thank You, Lord.

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Unswerving Hope

June 30, 2015 by

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Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

When I saw that Hebrews 10:23 was the verse we were writing on, my heart did a little jump inside.  This is my “most favorite-est” verse in the Bible.

When I first got saved this verse held me up through many storms and confused nights.  I’d cry from feeling so close to defeat, but would cling to knowing that “He who promised is faithful.”  Written in my Bible I have a note next to this verse that says “regardless of how things seem!” How true?!

God promises us things that seem so impossible sometimes.  We know that His promises are true.  We know He cannot tell a lie and we know He is faithful.  And yet, what our eyes see and our minds perceive is something totally different.  The question remains: “Which do you believe?” We rely on our eyes daily to show us the world around us. Our eyes are tangible. However, we KNOW that God is to be trusted. Both seem right.

A prime example of this type of situation is that of the story of Abraham.  In Genesis 12:1-3, God gave (then) Abram a command and several blessings. Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abraham was 25 at the time.  In Genesis 21:1-5, God’s promise is fulfilled.  Genesis 21:5 says that Abraham was (now) 100 years old.  Think of it this way: not only did God’s promise take 9 chapters in the Bible to actualize, but it took 75 years.  Say it with me ‘75 years‘!  God promised Abraham that he would have a son.  He told Abraham this while he and his wife were very young – “the optimized time for child-bearing” and yet! God waited until both of them were old and well passed “child-bearing” age to provide them with a child.

From his story we know that Abraham and his wife got impatient with God and (in Genesis 16) took matters into their own hands.  Abraham laid with his wife’s servant and Ishmael, a son, was born to him.  This, of course, was not God’s plan; therefore, strife resulted from this situation.  We must be careful that we are not trying to rush God’s hand while waiting.  75 years. That’s a l-o-o-o-ng time to wait, especially for children, but for anything at all!

What promise is it that you are clinging to from God?  
Does His word support it?  Yes?  Good!  
Now ask yourself: Are you willing to wait 75 years for it?

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Hope in the Glory of God

June 23, 2015 by

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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through Whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2

God is amazing in so many different ways!  I looked up the definition of the word glory.  It means “…high renown or honor won by notable achievements.”  To say that we have hope in the glory of God is very true. God has done many amazing things.  Some we have seen ourselves and others we have heard from other people and, some even, we have read in the Bible. God is amazing!

The sad thing is that some people can see the glory of God and yet they fail to hope in it.  Some cast it aside as unreal, unbelievable, or fake.  Truthfully, I can’t blame them.  If someone doesn’t believe in God or trust God, I can understand why they would have problems believing in someone who, not only rose from the dead, but has risen others from the dead.  (In their case) I can understand why it would be  hard to hope in someone who multiplies little and makes it huge. He does crazy amazing things!

I feel that in order to remind others that God is amazing, and glorious, we should continue to tell of all the wonderful things that He has done in our lives and not shy away when the opportunity arises.  To speak up and say “This is possible all by the grace of God!” is an enormous thing to do.  It points to the glory of God – the same glory that is our hope.  So, point to it…continue to point it…and don’t ever stop pointing to it so that others can find the hope that we have. So, that others can hope in the glory of God.

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Lord, Your glory is amazing.  You are awesome.  Thank You for all that You have done, are doing, and will do.  Let us never forget about Your amazing glory and may our hope stay planted in You.  Amen.

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Hope for Good

June 16, 2015 by

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

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Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?
No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:18

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.
Psalm 145:13b

Knowing these proven truths, no matter what our circumstances look like or what our eyes can see or what our minds tells us, we can rest assured that God is for us and will never let us down.  Yes, the way things work out don’t often make sense to us, but God can see the big picture.  Hoping in the Lord Almighty is the best decision that can be made for one’s family and future.

We may “lose” things.  Things may not go our way, but this does not mean that God does not have a plan.  No, it simply means that our plan does not look like God’s plan.  It’s okay to let go of the steering wheel and take the passenger seat. You’d be amazed at the places you will go.  Following God is made a bit easier when your hope is in Him.

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to keep our hope in You.  Help us to see the hopeful future and plans You have for us.  Amen.

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