Do you see a mountain or a mole hill?

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

You’ve probably heard the expression before – “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”

When you look at the challenges in your life, do you see them as impossible to overcome?  Do they look so big, you want to throw up your arms and say “I quit?” Maybe you’ve tried to climb the mountain in front of you many times before only to be met with repeated failure.

Well, God wants to adjust your view today.

Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

God’s grace is able to cut any mountain down to the size of a molehill.  When we draw from His grace, our mountains shrink in size and our trust and reliance on Him grows. However, when we look through our natural eyes and focus on the issue, it becomes a mountain.

Are you going through a difficult time?  God is inviting you to come today, and to come with confidence!  You have unrestricted access to the throne room of God and all the grace you will ever need to overcome any challenge is yours for the taking.  You are His child and the King’s scepter is always extended to you.  He is waiting for you to draw from His grace.

It is not my intent to make light of the difficulty you are facing.  My goal is just to get you to look at it through God’s eyes.  When you do, the actual challenge may remain unchanged, but your view of it will not.  You will see a molehill, instead of a mountain.

The bible declares “you are more than a conqueror through Him who loved you” (Romans 8:37).  Let God adjust your view, so instead of seeing a mountain that is daunting and insurmountable, you see a molehill that can’t hold you back from becoming all that God wants you to be.

Examination Revelation

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;

my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—

the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24

 

 

How different might your life or my life be if the words above were truly taken to heart?

How different might our world be?

Imagine the impact of an army of people who values their God given task more than their own life.

We often say that we do, we certainly agree that it is a noble goal, but how many of us live each and every day in a way where we can look back and say “Today, I did just that!”

We not only value our lives, our reputations, our financial security over the tasks that Jesus gives us, we sometimes can go for  days on end without examining how we had an impact for the Kingdom of God.

These words are not written to condemn but rather to give us pause to stop and think.

How can I change that?

How can I partner with God to be sure that my aim takes me closer to the finish line established for me?

Someone once said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

If we trudge through our daily lives unaware of what God has for us we miss opportunities for personal growth and opportunities to bless others in His Name.

Examine your life but do so by inviting the Holy Spirit into the examining room.

He can show us what we often cannot see ourselves.

His motivation is through love and for the purpose of making us more like Jesus.

That’s an examination worth having!

 

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Mark 2:15-16

 

 

I wonder just whom Jesus might sit down with tonight if He came for dinner?

Would He make His way to the Vatican to sit down and break bread with the Pope?

Do you think He would stop by the home of Billy Graham in the Carolina mountains?

Surely He wouldn’t pass up an invite to Joel Osteen or Dr. Younggi Cho’s churches!

Or would He?

I think He probably would.

With all due respect to these individuals I think He might seek out the least and the lost.

I don’t know which city in our nation has the greatest homeless population but perhaps He would be found there.

With little or no fanfare He would minister and touch those forgotten or forsaken.

It wouldn’t make the next newsletter because there would be no newsletter.

Probably not even a Jesus Facebook page.

But I think wherever He would be, crowds would gather.

People are hungry for the truth.

Some don’t even know it.

Matthew didn’t leave his tax collecting until he came face to face with Jesus and His call to follow Him.

I think we sometimes behave like people must be ‘clean’ or at least ‘decent’ before they come to Jesus.

Cleaned up before they can be washed clean?

Sounds too much like someone who doesn’t believe there is enough power in the blood to still do the work.

But there is!

I cannot cleanse my own sin let alone someone else’s’.

Let’s stop trying.

Let God do the work only He can do.

We can love them.

Only God can wash away their sin!

Listen, listen, listen…

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:

Everyone should be slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to become angry,”

James 1:19 (RBV-Revised Brisson Version)

 

Did you catch it?

No?

Go back and read today’s verse again.

Now, did you catch it?

Good!

The verse, as re-written above, reflects what we often do.

The verse, as actually written and inspired by God, reflects what we should do.

Like Paul the Apostle, what we should do and what we actually do can be quite different.

When you truly understand that point, it gives you a whole new appreciation for God’s grace.

I thank God for His grace.

I need it every moment.

I don’t always do what I am supposed to do.

How about you?

Ask God today for His grace that you might be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

They say an effective and good listener is not thinking about what he is going to say in response to someone but is actually hearing what the other person is saying.

It seems our world is filled with people pre-occupied with a response that is not a result of listening.

They engage their vocal chords a hundred times more frequently than their ear drums.

The counsel offered in God’s Word will never fail you.

Listen, listen, listen….

 

What Would You Have Me Do?

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

Matthew 9:36

 

 

 

What moves you?

What’s stirs you to act?

A headline?

An act of injustice?

A rousing political speech?

Here is a challenge for you.

Find out what moved Jesus in the Gospels.

When you find them, ask Him to make those the passion of your heart.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever so those things that moved Him when He walked on the earth still move His heart today.

We sing a chorus that includes these words:

“…break my heart with what breaks yours…”

Those are dangerous words to sing unless we really mean it.

A heart that is moved, a person that is challenged enough to actually get up out of the easy chairs of life are the ones that can truly make a difference in the world.

Are you moved by those things that move God?

If I am honest, I have to say that I am not always moved in the same way.

My flesh wants to stay comfortable.

Yours does too.

But, compassion, mercy, justice, love – these are the things that ought to move us

from ease to action.

Led by the Holy Spirit to action we are moved from useless to useful.

So stop a moment and take stock.

Ask “What moves me?” and then let the answer bring you into a conversation with the Lord.

“What would you have me do?”

Puffed Up or Built Up

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.  (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Did you know that God’s best for us doesn’t always involve having more knowledge?  Take for example the Garden of Eden.  God forbid Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Why?  Because Adam and Eve were in such close union with God that this additional knowledge of good and evil would have actually hindered them instead of helping them.

As Christians, our focus needs to be on staying in God’s presence through continually setting our mind on Him, not gaining more knowledge.  Don’t get me wrong, knowledge is important, and we should read and study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15), but our main goal should be cultivating intimacy with our heavenly Father and growing in love.

More love is always better than more knowledge.

Besides, knowledge gained by our efforts can be overrated.  Don’t forget, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit who will “teach us all things.”  As we pursue fellowship with God above all else and keep our thoughts on Him, His spirit will reveal deep truths from God’s heart.  On the contrary, head knowledge without love will lead to striving and feelings of self-pride, leaving us unchanged.

When it came to God’s law, the Pharisees were among the most knowledgeable of their day, but they didn’t recognize the Messiah standing in front of them - the same Messiah they read about so many times in scripture.  Their lack of love caused them to miss Love made flesh.

There’s an important lesson to learn from the Pharisees - we can have knowledge, but still miss the heart of God.

Knowledge puffs up, but like anything filled with air, it can be easily deflated.  But true supernatural love that flows out of an intimate relationship with God will edify and build up to last an eternity.

????????????

 

Questions!

Why do we ask them?

Usually, we ask questions to gain insight or understanding.

We ask, expecting that the answer will bring that understanding.

But why did Jesus ask questions?

Didn’t He already know the answer?

I believe He asked questions to draw out of His listeners what was in their hearts.

The questions that Jesus asked were, and still are, relevant and critical to our lives.

The next time you are reading the Gospels take some time to consider the answers to Jesus’ questions as they pertain to your own life.

Let me give you just a small sample of questions Jesus asked.

These are found in just part of chapter eight of the Gospel of Mark.

Take a few moments to consider how you might answer these questions –

“Who do people say I am?”

“But what about you?”

“Who do you say I am?”

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

“What can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

I think it is very easy because of our familiarity with these questions to just skip over them.

But I would suggest they need not be just “one time only” answers.

In the circumstances of your life today who is Jesus to you?

What have I tried to give today in exchange for my soul?

Challenging questions!

Consider Jesus’ questions in light of where you are today in your walk with him.

Perhaps it will open your eyes to new or greater understanding!

Ivory Soap Lessons

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.  Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them.

 Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

Mark 7:14-15

 

 

Did you ever have your mouth washed out with soap as a child?

I did!

It was not a pleasant experience.

My parents’ choice: Ivory soap.

It tasted terrible but left the intended impression.

Dirty mouths need to be cleaned.

Of course my parents understood that the soap could not literally

wash away what was in my heart.

It was meant as a memorable lesson and a deterrent to future behavior.

I think it is a lesson we can apply to todays’ scripture for

better understanding of what we often try to do.

We put on a presentable ‘front’.

We make the outside look good.

We attempt to wash the outside, making it presentable,

because we want people to think that ‘ the ‘inside’ is just like the ‘outside’ –

99 and 44/100% pure!

But Jesus took the religious leaders to task just as His words take us to task today.

We can never be made clean, spiritually speaking, by any amount of soap and showers.

We are cleansed by the atoning blood applied to our lives!

A fundamental truth we do well to remind ourselves of!

 

 

 

The Fruit of a Grudge

“For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.”

 

“So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.”

Mark 6:18-20, 27-28

 

Nursing a grudge does not lead to anything good.

Herod’s wife Herodius was nursing a grudge against John the Baptist.

He had spoken the truth and it stung her.

She was offended by his words.

Offenses can lead to grudges.

The grudge not dealt with bears fruit.

It is not good fruit as we can clearly see from our text.

“But”, you say, “they were unbelievers”.

So

Does that void the principle of sewing and reaping?

We can, and unfortunately do, hold grudges.

We can repent, we can forgive the offender or we can bear the fruit of a grudge.

It is interesting to note that not only was the fruit of this grudge literally the life of John the Baptist but perhaps even the eternal life of Herod.

We are told that Herod was listening to the words of John.

He even liked to listen to him.

Could there have been a continued work in the life of Herod?

Perhaps, but instead the grudge bore its’ fruit.

Don’t hold grudges.

Forgive the offender.

Let go of what is holding you.

The best fruit worth bearing is the Fruit of the Spirit!

He Loves You

“The Lord your God is with you,

    the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

 

 

We gather in His name to worship Him.

When we do this His Presence inhabits the praises of His people.

At other times, like our time together today, God simply reminds us of His love for us.

We come into His presence with great joy just knowing the Father’s love.  

God rejoices over us with singing.

Think about that!

The Father loves you so very much.

He wants to lavish His love on you and me.

It’s not about who we are or what we’ve done.

It’s all about His love for us.

The Psalmist declared:

“You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,

    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 16:11

It is pure joy to be in His presence.

In that pure joy of being in His presence, we express our love to Him and He rejoices over us with singing.

That is wonderful and warming to our soul.

No man made therapy in the world can compare to being in His presence.

Let Him sing over you…

Bask in His love for you.

There are plenty of people ready to remind you of Gods’ anger and His wrath.

He reminded us today of His love!

 

https://youtu.be/X-rW528qiYw

Are You Blooming?

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

[Blessed is the man] whose his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1: 2-3)

This time of year is so beautiful.  All the plants and trees are in full bloom.  We have a tree in our front yard that blossoms with bright white flowers.  Its attractiveness recently prompted my wife to say she hasn’t seen anything so beautiful (and my wife isn’t one to gush over things like that).  We don’t even know what kind of tree it is, but we are drawn by its appearance.

That’s how beautiful we look when our hearts are filled with the word of God and His character is visible in our lives.

People who come in contact with you may not even know what it is that makes you attractive, but they will be drawn to His beauty inside you.

On the flip side, I was at a relative’s house recently and there is a tree in their front yard that is nearly dead.  There were very few leaves blooming.  Most of the branches on the tree didn’t have any signs of life.

Sadly, much of the world doesn’t see any life in the Christians they come in contact with.  The church has left its first love.  We no longer delight in the law of the Lord.  We delight in the things of the world, so our leaves wither and we don’t yield any fruit.

Is He on display in your life?  Is His love visible through your words and actions?  Are others drawn to the beauty that resides in you or do they pass by not noticing anything different about you?

The world is hungry for God, so let’s put His beauty on display for all to see.

Oh, Did I mention This Part?

“Immediately a rooster crowed.

Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken:

“Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Matthew 26:74b-75

 

Yesterday we looked at Peter’s vehement claim to never deny Jesus.

Then we read of Jesus’ forgiving Peter and commissioning him to “Feed my sheep.”

But today’s text reveals for us a vital step that came in between those two events.

We are told that Peter “…remembered the word Jesus had spoken.”

Jesus was not with him to speak those words.

He was recalling the word already spoken.  

Today the Holly Spirit is given to believers an one of His roles is to remind us of the words Jesus spoke.

He brings conviction to our hearts, just as He did with Peter.

I believe Peter wept bitterly at his own failure.

 I also believe that it the Holy Spirit who reminded Peter of Jesus words at that very moment.

Peter road from offense to forgiveness went through that crucial step of repentance.

I believe Peter was forgiven as he wept bitterly, having recognized his own failure.

I believe that when Jesus spoke with Peter after the resurrection He was affirming that forgiveness that had already been extended to Peter.

Our walk with God is no different.

We too move from offense to forgiveness by way of repentance.

We too, are reminded of Gods’ word and have an opportunity before us.

The proud heart refuses to recognize our guilt and is unwilling to repent.

The humble heart says “Lord, forgive me I have sinned.”

Lord:

May we be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Help us to see, understand and respond to the conviction He brings.

May we be quick to repent and walk in obedience to you.

This we ask in Jesus Name.

Amen!

 

 

“…I Never Will”

“…I never will” what?

I never will abandon God?

I never will walk away from my calling?

I never will behave in a way that brings shame to the cause of Christ?

Who spoke those words?

What do they mean in context?

Well, here is the context for you:

“Then Jesus told them,

“This very night you will all fall away on account of me,

for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,

    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

Matthew 26:31-33

Peter didn’t mince his words.

He didn’t say: “I don’t think I will.”

He didn’t say: “I hope I won’t”

He didn’t even hedge a little by saying: “I’ll try not to.”

His words were adamant and certain – “…I never will.”

But his words were also untrue.

Have you ever done that?

Have you ever spoken, in no uncertain terms to God that you will

never

turn away only to fail that very same day?

I have.

But the wonderful rest of the story reveals a God of forgiveness, a God of redemption, a God of second (and third and fourth and…) chances.

A God who met Peter on the shore after His resurrection and commissioned him to

“Feed my sheep...”

Not only did Jesus forgive, He charged him with feeding the flock.

Maybe you’ve blown it.

You think there is no forgiveness.

But there is!

Peter’s story is your story and my story.

Peter’s story is no accident.

God inspired the writers to include it so that you and I could be encouraged

 even after

we declare so proudly…

I never will!

 

 

Something to Think About…

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”

Ephesians 1:16

 

Perhaps there are few things more personal than our private prayer closet.

We go in (figuratively perhaps) and close the door behind us.

We make every effort to eliminate distractions and interruptions.

We guard and value that ‘alone’ time with God.

But how about inviting in some friends?

Maybe even some enemies?

No, I ‘m not talking about their literal presence beside you as you pray.

Instead, how about taking to heart Paul’s words from today’s verse and remembering them (yes, the ‘them’ can even include your enemies) in your prayers.

“What, I’m supposed to give thanks for my enemies?”

Yes!

Let me ask you this – is time in your prayer closet alone with God a good thing?

I would have to believe your answer is “Yes, of course!”.

Are the circumstances of your life and the actions of your ‘enemies’ causing you to pray more intensely and spend more time with God?

Then I would thank God that those actions are driving you into God’s presence and not away from it.

Too often it is the unchallenged life that walks away from God.

In the absence of adversity, we are not desperate for His presence.

When we can take life at ease we see no need for God.

I don’t know about you but when I read Ephesians 1:16 my first thought of who to give thanks for and to remember in my prayers is not of an enemy but of a trusted and dear friend.

That’s not a bad thing.

But what if we started praying for those who have mistreated us?

What if we gave thanks, not only for the blessings, but also for those ‘things’ and ‘people’ that cause us to draw closer to God?

Something to think about…

 

The Greatest of these …

Today's blog post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1 Cor 13:13

We have learned, in recent posts, that faith is the key which makes the impossible possible and hope is the confidence we have that God will work it out.  Today let’s examine “the greatest of these...” The word greatest means most powerful, unstoppable. When we study the above scripture, we learn that love is unstoppable!  John 14:31 “so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me…”

Love actually empowers us to be unstoppable. What gives love its power? Remaining in relationship with Jesus and being obedient to him.  How is our love proven?  Our love is proven by The Father’s love flowing through us. 

When we combine the three, here is what we get:

Faith is your key.  Hope is your attitude.  Love is your motivation.

Father, today I ask you to open our hearts to allow your love flow through each of us.  Let everything we do be motivated by love. We ask this in the name of your precious Son, Jesus, amen.

It’s One’s Glory to Overlook

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11)

 

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Webster’s dictionary defines “offense” as annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standards or principles.

Have you ever been offended?  I’m sure you have.  We all have.  But the key question is how you handle an offense.  Do you overlook offenses or do you stare straight at them until they become so large and magnified that you can’t see past them?

Sadly, for many, the latter is often the case.  How do I know?  Just look around.  Relationships are destroyed, friendships are severed, and churches are fractured because of the slightest of offenses.  We exact revenge against those that have offended us by withholding love and friendship.

As Christians, we often quote the verse “love covers a multitude of sins” in I Peter 4:8, but did you know that some bible translations replace the word sin with offense?  “Love covers a multitude of offenses.” 

Offenses are often personal and can hit us where it hurts – our ego!  We can overlook someone’s sins as long as they don’t touch us directly, but if that sin causes us to be offended, we judge the offender more severely.

But God doesn’t make any distinctions between the two.  Sins and offenses are interchangeable and both should be overlooked and covered with love.

Proverbs 19:11 says “it’s your glory” to over look an offense.  If I may quote Webster again, the word “glory” is defined as having “high renown or honor won by notable achievements” or “magnificence and great beauty.”

The ability to overlook an offense is beautiful to God and a notable achievement worthy of high honor in His eyes.

Stay Full of God’s Love

 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I Corinthians 13:4-7

 

 

It is awfully hard to simultaneously hold on to an offense and love the offender.

So how do we deal with offense?

Look again at what that first sentence said.

A person filled with the love of God has no room for anything else!

Stay filled up with God’s love.

That will leave little room for offenses to stay or grow larger.

Let’s not complicate this –

Suppose you had a cup that measured and held exactly 6 ounces.

Now, let’s suppose we filled that cup up with 6 ounces of ‘liquid love’.

How much more room is there in that cup for anything else?

None!

It is not capable of holding an ounce of offense.

Not even 1/10^th of an ounce of any records of wrongs.

That ‘space’ is already fully occupied by God’s love.

I know, it sounds too simple doesn’t it?

It really is that simple.

I didn’t say easy, I said simple.

Our flesh wants to hold on to wrongs against us.

It is difficult for us to let them go.

We love that record-keeping.

That’s why we need to remain in His love.

Don’t make room for offenses.

Stay full of God’s love!

 

 

Dealing with Offenses

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.

 Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Give, and it will be given to you.

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,

will be poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:36-38

 

We’ve heard of all the cures.

Miracle drugs, diet, exercise.

There are many approaches to reducing cholesterol in our bodies.

But what about our spiritual life?

How do we reduce the impact of offenses

(that sort of spiritual cholesterol that hinders the flow of His supernatural love)

when they come, as they certainly will?

Well, the Great Physician offers us a remedy in His Word.

But like unheeded advise from a family doctor  doing no good, so too is the wise counsel of God if it is not put into practice.

Mercy instead of judgment, condemnation replaced by forgiveness – this is the prescription offered.

Yes, offered.

It is not forced upon us.

Like the doctor who makes a recommendation for a medication or lifestyle change Gods’ Word gently entreats us to choose the better way.

I can walk away from the better way – or – with God’s help, I can embrace it.

Walking away from processing offenses is a sure fire way to stop the flow of His love.

It not only impacts you but it impacts the countless others you will no longer touch with His love.

For your sake, for their sake and for the sake of the Kingdom, let’s learn how to process offenses and take the steps prescribed by the Great Physician!

Push That Plate Away!

“And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away

and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.”

Matthew 24:10 (Amplified)

 

If you are a believer it is Gods’ intention to let His

supernatural love flow through you to others.

So what could stop that from happening?

Like cholesterol clogging the arteries of a heart, offenses are akin to ‘spiritual cholesterol’.

They can both slow and stop the flow of Gods’ supernatural love to others.

Cholesterol, left un-checked, can eventually lead to death.

Offenses, left un-checked, can eventually lead to death.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” you say. “That’s a pretty strong statement.”

Yes, it is.

But look again at the words of Jesus above.

If you betray and pursue one another with hatred,

can you honestly say the love o

f the Father is in you?

And yet Jesus’ words (not mine) say that is the end result of harboring an offense.

I think we can all agree that is not a good place to be!

As we looked at previously, offenses are easy to come by.

They are attached to the routines of life like movie theatre butter on popcorn.

We can swallow them, enjoying the taste and texture, or we can guard our hearts by changing our “spiritual diets” to eliminate the ‘intake’ of offenses.

It is well past time we change our diet.

Let’s not be spoon-fed by the enemy.

Offenses may come but we need not consume them.

Push that plate away!

 

Un-Offendable

“Woe to the world because of offenses!

For offenses must come, but woe to the man by whom the offense comes!”

Matthew 18:7 NKJV

 

 

Are you un-offendable?

I seriously doubt it!

Sorry, if I just offended you with my certainty but it is true.

Offenses come to all of us in life.

So maybe the better question to ask is:

How do you respond to an offense?

Do you nurture it and nurse it and hold on to it for dear life?

Is it valuable to you?

To some it seems to be.

We hold dearly to those things we value.

Some hold on dearly to an offense.

Let them go.

Not tomorrow, not next week or next year.

Release them today.

When you understand that offenses really hold you more than you hold them it should be plenty of reason to quickly let go.

Scripture declares the believer to be dead and his life is hidden with Christ in God.

The only ‘un-offendable’ life is the life dead to self.

I am not there yet.

I am learning to let go when offenses come.

It is not an easy lesson.

But it is a valuable one.

Are you learning it too?

 

Love Responds with Mercy

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” (Romans 12:20)

As of late, we’ve talked a lot about demonstrating unconditional love to others, even complete strangers, but in the above verse, God takes it a step further. He asks us to show love and mercy even to our enemies.

How do we love someone who opposes us?  How do we show mercy to someone who has brought us harm or ill will?  It’s very difficult, if not impossible, when operating in our own strength.  But, when God’s supernatural love flows through us, love is possible in even the most difficult circumstances.

 You see, supernatural love does not discriminate.  Supernatural love is blind.  It doesn’t concern itself with the condition or behavior of the person.  Supernatural love responds with mercy, all the time.

Jesus demonstrated supernatural love by dying for us while we were His enemies (Romans 5:8) and He wants us to do the same.  And, just like the mercy of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), so may our acts of mercy bring conviction to our enemies and cause them to stand up and take notice of this God we serve.

After all, what drew you to God in the first place?  Was it not an understanding that He loved you unconditionally in spite of your sins, weaknesses, and past failures?

Can you think of someone in need who is unfriendly towards you or opposes what you stand for?  Maybe God is nudging you to respond with mercy.  That’s the only type of response supernatural love knows.