I've got a few more verses than normal, but just stick with me for a minute.
"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." -Luke 6:27-38
It was quite interesting looking through these verses and others similar to it. I love the bible verses that tell what our responses SHOULD be in certain circumstances.
We can make excuses and pull our versions of specific parts of the bible for whatever we want to use them for but sometimes there's no way to misinterpret/misuse them.
(For me, having something that is simply laid out before me is much easier on my brain.)
These kinds of texts are those that can't be used for our own personal use; they cannot be used to justify our actions. Unless our actions are based on love, we're in the wrong. End of story.
These are the kinds of verses that can't be used in the "Well he/she started it when he/she was unkind and unloving first. It's their fault and it says right here that my actions were totally okay." No, no. Sometimes this quote just sounds like a broken record by my own mouth/heart and others I hear using it, as well. These verses are plain and clear. Right to the point.
We are to love even if we're not loved in return. We are to give all that we are asked of with no expectations of getting anything back.
The past few months I've noticed I haven't been very loving... at all. I've been pretty snappy and rude to my family. I got to the point where everything I did caused me to have memories, good and bad, and I decided it was time to cut everyone and everything off; cut everything I loved from my life so I could find peace. Part if that has helped me, because I've been spending a lot of time with God, but whereas that relationship has had deep, tearful, and heartfelt moments...I snap out of it and return to my heartless actions to the rest of the people I'm around.
It's made me very sad realizing how much I've become irritable, impatient and grumpy. I've always told myself I would watch my actions so I wouldn't end up like that but the more I tried to keep from turning into that, I've done just the opposite...just as I've told people countless times. I pushed so hard that I became the very thing I hated.
My outward love for those close in my life started fading away. I've been noticing it more and more. It's like the pain I've been feeling has just turned my heart off to having any kind of feelings. Because we all know...no feeling is better than a bad feeling, right? This is one thing I'm trying very hard to turn back around. There are day when I just want to lay around the house all day; do nothing and feel nothing. I don't want to see anyone, talk to anyone, do anything and just roll in my self pity. Sounds like a ball, I know.
Let me tell you something; pushing away problems, hurts and scars doesn't make them any less painful. When you act like nothing is wrong, it only eats you more inside. Dealing with problems, the right way, is to work through them...not hide them from everyone who cares.
As I sat in church on the New Year reading through Isaiah 44, it talked a great deal about idols. I've always known an idol didn't have to be a carved image or a statue of Buddha. It is anything that is valued above God. I sat thinking to myself.
Well, when I become unloving, unkind, easily offended or irritated...that is the opposite of love; we are told to live like Christ; Christ is God Himself; the bible says, "God is love"; so when I don't love, I am not acting Christ-like, therefore I'm putting something above God. All of the sudden, my negative actions have become like an idol to me. I no longer allow God to work in my heart and mind; I no longer heed His voice but push it aside so I can try and bury my feelings.
Okay, so it may not seem like an idol to you guys, but how much time I spend listening to the pain and hurt instead of God's Healing voice...that's putting THEM above HIM.
Life is rough, it's just that simple, and I've learned that. Growing up I only had a few things happen that affected me in a huge negative way (non of which had to do with my family) and every time, I have drawn back into a hole and pushed everyone out. Part of growing up is realizing how my actions SHOULD be in these kinds of situations. Learn from mistakes and failures and move on.
Claim God's grace and mercy and just move on. Get on with my life because, in reality, if I'm still breathing God still has work for me.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 says, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate (Proverbs 8: 13); a time for war and a time for peace." (this wasn't every verse)
Sometimes it's difficult to understand why things happen the way they do. It's easy to excuse our drifting from God and blame Him for not showing His plans to us.
It is so easy to place the blame on someone we cannot see and, in our minds, cannot come up with a come back for our accusations.
It's easier to put our faith in the seen than it is to have faith in the unseen.
It's easy to place someone or something over God when we don't feel His presence there with us.
- - - - Anything we put over God is an idol - - - -
It can be our job, activities or hobbies, family, friends, hurt, material things, thoughts...any of these things can be created into a god in our minds if we let it. WE make them idols when we put them above God.
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--"
- God has a reason for every single thing that happens.
- God doesn't allow us to be in pain just for the sake of pain; He has a reason for the pain, a *purpose for allowing it in our life.
- God has a reason for loss; if He takes something away it's only because He has something *better planned.
- God has a reason for being silent sometimes. He never leaves us, ever, but rather wants us to *trust Him and be *faithful even when we can't hear Him.
Just because it seems like God isn't speaking doesn't mean He isn't working. "We Shall See Jesus" in every area of our life. Look around you. You see creation, trees and plants giving us food and oxygen. Babies cuddled under the arm of their mom/dad. You see animals and insects....they aren't just "there"; each one has a special assignment for their life, a special task they were made to do. The breath of man himself is proof of God's faithfulness. He could have destroyed us long ago, but His love ruled out over destruction.
Our God is always there.
Our God is ALWAYS faithful.
Our God is always God.
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