What it means to be a Christian..
It's late and I am thinking again, sometimes I cannot rest till I get things down on "paper", Anyway, here is something that's not talked about much, but it's important. It's not a long piece, take a look if you like. This applies to pretty much everyone!
Forgiveness
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”. Matthew 6:14
Sometimes God asks us to do hard things. OFTEN God asks us to do hard things, things that we don’t want to do. But like when someone is in weight training, each effort, each lift makes us stronger and closer to who we want to be.
Forgiveness does not come easy for me, I have a good memory when it comes to offense and if you hurt one of my kids, I could hate you till my dying day, it is natural for me. But sometimes God asks us to do un-natural things, like forgiving our enemies. We were His enemies, mankind murdered Him, but He loved and forgave us anyway. It is a free gift, but there is a string attached, we are told to forgive the folks we get crosswise with. ( I see your frown, hear me out)!
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”. Colossians 3:13.
Okay, maybe we can forgive the Russians for the cold-war. And Japan for something that happened a generation ago, But what about your sister who ran off with Momma’s pearls, or your neighbor who throws stuff in your yard? What about the guy in high-school who broke your heart? Can you forgive them? No? Sorry, but I’m afraid you have to, That "Pesky" book tells us again in Ephesians 4: 32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.
Some folks throw other people away, even family members, they get mad and simply discard the offender. That is heartbreaking. WE DON’T GET TO THROW ANYONE AWAY! That is not how it works in God’s Kingdom. If they refuse to reconcile you swallow your pride and your pain, forgive and keep loving them.
We are supposed to be like Jesus, He is our pattern and our example. If we are to be forgiven we must forgive. But you can’t just by strength of will change how you feel, it takes time. I know it’s hard, but I have learned a few things about forgiveness through the years. Which seem to help.
1. Quit talking about it to everyone who will listen, this keeps the fire of anger burning and you want that to go out. If you focus on it, it will stay fresh and painful. This is important.
2. Pray, pray for the offender, pray about the situation and everyone affected and pray for yourself. Pray and praise, thank God for what he’s doing in the person’s life and bless them.
3. Stay busy, put your thoughts elsewhere, as you go about your business don’t brood about the offense. Time heals!
4. Grit your teeth and walk through it, learn what you can and don’t cuss anybody out, it would only make things worse.
5. As best you can, be like Jesus. Be willing to say you’re sorry even if you are not at fault (You are sorry the other guy’s a jerk aren’t you? But you can leave that part out.)
There will always be trials to walk through, there will always be difficult people, Remember that even though you want to wring their necks, God loves them. They have an eternal soul and you will answer to God as to how you treat them. They might be won or lost by how you react to the situation.
Colossians 3:13 “ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”. Happy Trails…Jireh’s Girl
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NIV
To be a Christian is not about taking out "fire insurance" when you are 12 by saying some "magic" little prayer. Of course prayer is a good place to start but to be a Christian is about relationship...The Bible describes it as "having a friend who sticks closer than a brother" and that is true. Being a Christian is about never being alone even when you feel lonely. To have someone as near as you own thoughts and as close as your heartbeat.
A lot is said today about the need to repent or not repent..but I don't see the big deal. When you get crosswise with someone you live closely with it is only good manners to apologize and get the matter straight. I've done this many times through the years with my friends and family...why should it be so much more difficult to approach the Lord. I have found that he denies me nothing except for my own good or the good of others.
Any relationship deepens with communication..God speaks in so many ways all around us..through the voice of his word, and in the voices of his Pastors and Prophets.. through a song, the voice of a child, through dreams and through the "still small voice we can hear in our own hearts if we will just listen.God is there each morning when the sun breaks through your window..and you receive the gift of a new day..and he's there when you lay down at night trying to be heard above the jumbled thoughts that crowd your mind as you go to sleep. And He wants us to speak to Him as well.
God is not like a political party that you join and add you name to and then go along with little thought about who and and what he is..To be a Christian should make a difference in your life. A difference in what you do and how you speak and how you treat others. He doesn't require perfection because we are not perfect creatures but he requires that we try. That's all we can do and leave the rest to him.
To be a christian is about relationship..relationship with a dear loving, faithful friend. I have walked with that friend a long time and he's led me through some rough spots..and I am fully persuaded that he will lead me all the way home.
It's late and I am thinking again, sometimes I cannot rest till I get things down on "paper", Anyway, here is something that's not talked about much, but it's important. It's not a long piece, take a look if you like. This applies to pretty much everyone!
Forgiveness
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”. Matthew 6:14
Sometimes God asks us to do hard things. OFTEN God asks us to do hard things, things that we don’t want to do. But like when someone is in weight training, each effort, each lift makes us stronger and closer to who we want to be.
Forgiveness does not come easy for me, I have a good memory when it comes to offense and if you hurt one of my kids, I could hate you till my dying day, it is natural for me. But sometimes God asks us to do un-natural things, like forgiving our enemies. We were His enemies, mankind murdered Him, but He loved and forgave us anyway. It is a free gift, but there is a string attached, we are told to forgive the folks we get crosswise with. ( I see your frown, hear me out)!
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”. Colossians 3:13.
Okay, maybe we can forgive the Russians for the cold-war. And Japan for something that happened a generation ago, But what about your sister who ran off with Momma’s pearls, or your neighbor who throws stuff in your yard? What about the guy in high-school who broke your heart? Can you forgive them? No? Sorry, but I’m afraid you have to, That "Pesky" book tells us again in Ephesians 4: 32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.
Some folks throw other people away, even family members, they get mad and simply discard the offender. That is heartbreaking. WE DON’T GET TO THROW ANYONE AWAY! That is not how it works in God’s Kingdom. If they refuse to reconcile you swallow your pride and your pain, forgive and keep loving them.
We are supposed to be like Jesus, He is our pattern and our example. If we are to be forgiven we must forgive. But you can’t just by strength of will change how you feel, it takes time. I know it’s hard, but I have learned a few things about forgiveness through the years. Which seem to help.
1. Quit talking about it to everyone who will listen, this keeps the fire of anger burning and you want that to go out. If you focus on it, it will stay fresh and painful. This is important.
2. Pray, pray for the offender, pray about the situation and everyone affected and pray for yourself. Pray and praise, thank God for what he’s doing in the person’s life and bless them.
3. Stay busy, put your thoughts elsewhere, as you go about your business don’t brood about the offense. Time heals!
4. Grit your teeth and walk through it, learn what you can and don’t cuss anybody out, it would only make things worse.
5. As best you can, be like Jesus. Be willing to say you’re sorry even if you are not at fault (You are sorry the other guy’s a jerk aren’t you? But you can leave that part out.)
There will always be trials to walk through, there will always be difficult people, Remember that even though you want to wring their necks, God loves them. They have an eternal soul and you will answer to God as to how you treat them. They might be won or lost by how you react to the situation.
Colossians 3:13 “ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”. Happy Trails…Jireh’s Girl
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NIV
To be a Christian is not about taking out "fire insurance" when you are 12 by saying some "magic" little prayer. Of course prayer is a good place to start but to be a Christian is about relationship...The Bible describes it as "having a friend who sticks closer than a brother" and that is true. Being a Christian is about never being alone even when you feel lonely. To have someone as near as you own thoughts and as close as your heartbeat.
A lot is said today about the need to repent or not repent..but I don't see the big deal. When you get crosswise with someone you live closely with it is only good manners to apologize and get the matter straight. I've done this many times through the years with my friends and family...why should it be so much more difficult to approach the Lord. I have found that he denies me nothing except for my own good or the good of others.
Any relationship deepens with communication..God speaks in so many ways all around us..through the voice of his word, and in the voices of his Pastors and Prophets.. through a song, the voice of a child, through dreams and through the "still small voice we can hear in our own hearts if we will just listen.God is there each morning when the sun breaks through your window..and you receive the gift of a new day..and he's there when you lay down at night trying to be heard above the jumbled thoughts that crowd your mind as you go to sleep. And He wants us to speak to Him as well.
God is not like a political party that you join and add you name to and then go along with little thought about who and and what he is..To be a Christian should make a difference in your life. A difference in what you do and how you speak and how you treat others. He doesn't require perfection because we are not perfect creatures but he requires that we try. That's all we can do and leave the rest to him.
To be a christian is about relationship..relationship with a dear loving, faithful friend. I have walked with that friend a long time and he's led me through some rough spots..and I am fully persuaded that he will lead me all the way home.