Sometimes people try to replace love with material things. Widows can focus on remodeling their house to try to fill a void in their life when their husband passes away. Men or women increase their time at work when they go through a divorce to try to avoid the pain. Single parents pour more attention into their children. Much of our society is producing what I call “Little Monsters” of entitlement children by heaping material possessions on them. Teens now get ipods, iphones, and HD TVs. After divorce, some single parents compete on who can give more material things and so do the grandparents from each family. It concerns me that my grandson has so many video games. Material things may try to replace time with a child. I know my grandson misses his grandfather who spent one-on-one time with him. Television shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy are teaching children wrong values.
The Lord put on my heart to lay on the altar which are things that I love to do such as dancing and fun activities like boating. Instead of a family outing like my husband envisioned to spend more time with his children, boating has now become a ministry of mine and I enjoy taking single parent’s children on wave runners to restore some joy in their life. The children remind me of the GEICO car insurance commercial where the “little piggy” comes squealing all the way home. The children scream in delight….”wee wee wee.” Just like that little piggy the faster I go on the wave runners! It also reminds me of pushing my children on a merry-go-round when they were young.
A quality of character I look for in a person for friendship and a mate is one who does not use bitter sarcasm or anger to correct, but as the scripture states below the person has kindness in their words. If a person wants to find fault with anyone, we all have many faults. I go to Jesus on a daily basis and ask for the blood of Jesus to cleanse me. 1 John 1:9 is a favorite scripture.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. Proverbs 31:26
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Not everyone can accept a person with their faults and the way they are. God is capable of teaching us unconditional love. I had a chance to practice it in raising stepchildren in not expecting love or positive feedback in return. Parents may have been critical or they had a husband/wife that was critical. God accepts us through His son and He does not say, "Go and change, clean up your act and then I will love you." God loves us faults and all. That is what He has called us to do, to love and accept others. I currently attend a church that their main goal/mission is "no judging." That is also something that I found in spousal loss groups is no judging. I believe as a human being that a good mission statement in life: "no judging."
There have been times that the Lord has dealt with me about sharing his word which may not always be popular to speak the truth in love. I've asked the Lord to cover me if I have not done a good job of sharing his spiritual packages. I can't be a people-pleaser and be a God pleaser. I have found over and over that God corrects me by his word. It usually is a scripture that he corrects me by. I find that people correct through their own words and mind (they don't know God's word and how to share it). Many times people share from their own experiences. If their experience in life does not match what others have gone through than an experience is not a good teacher to another person. When I had a friend who had her purse stolen, a person who had lost her purse is the one that found her purse and contacted her. She had compassion on her. It's the same I find in life that usually those who have been through the same type of crisis are the ones that have the most compassion and can minister from a depth of character that a person speaking from their own mind or their own spirit cannot minister. What others are usually looking for is how did you get through the trial? What helped you get through it. Condemning a person for going through trials or grief is not helpful. In fact, God's word says to consider it pure joy when we go through trials.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
When we speak from our own minds and thoughts that is what I believe judging is. When we speak from God's word, we are not going to be judged, because it's God's word that does the judging/correcting and we are not judging according to our own flesh.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2 Tim 3:16
There is truth in the innermost being. A truth from God that he puts in your spirit is not a truth that everyone has learned in life. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Psalm 51:6
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Duet. 29:29
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Cor. 2:10
Even when speaking to another person who has lost her husband like me, I still ask God for the words to speak because I don't know where that person is in their journey, especially if they just lost their spouse within 2-3 months. There are different stages of grief, so God provides His wisdom on how to help a person. I like how the scripture says that God gives generously to all without finding fault.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Much talk can go on in life and it can be small talk. Nothing wrong with small talk and there are many things we can carry on a conversation about. I like a good joke. Whatever our small talk is about, the one important thing is that we don't put a stumbling block to another person in our conversation that it does not build another person up according to their needs.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossian 4:6
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thess 5:11
God will lead a person across my path that has the same trial I had or a trial I overcame in life. Like Job praying for his friends. For instance, you have teens and you find that your teens “try” your patience. Pray for others with teens, because then you are planting the seed you want to reep in your life which is children that are following and obeying the Lord. I meet widows out of the blue at events. An opportunity to plant good seed to help with overcoming difficulties in my life.
If we don’t step in and find our place in the Body of Christ where God has called us to go then we can be causing others in this body to miss our function or purpose. Sometimes when I fall asleep in a chair my hands tend to fall asleep. It’s because of poor circulation. I find it’s true with Christians. Christians need to circulate and find their function in the Body of Christ of what God has called them to do and then pitch-in and do it. I don’t like it when my hands falls asleep or my foot falls asleep for when I get up to walk, I can fall down because I lost the function of that foot that fell asleep from poor circulation. We lost the function of some Christians in the Body of Christ because they don’t circulate – they don’t attend church.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
The highest calling we have in life is to love each other. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13:13. We are to “prefer” people above ourselves. The least person in the kingdom of God is valuable to God. I’ve shared how I overcame the battle with men with their pants hanging down and their underwear showing walking down the sidewalks. Instead of thinking they were despicable, I’ve asked God to bless them. It is the same when Satan comes against me with thoughts against any Christian, I purposely say in my mind…"I esteem so and so more higher than myself." It helps combat negative thoughts. Some of God’s people remind me of teenagers in that they “try” my patience. One time I said, “Lord I love you, I just don’t like some of your kids! God, your kids totally irritate the heck out of me and many times it’s what comes out of their mouth that oppresses me.” Well, the Lord answered me that He had a problem with a whole generation of his kids too in the wilderness with their constant complaining. I know God loves his children. Some of God's kids seem like little monsters at time, but then other times they are a little piggy like those children I take on the wave runners. I'm sharing how I've overcome when anyone oppresses me with their words or actions is that I thank God for that person in my mind and say within my mind, “I honor so and so better than myself Lord, bless so and so.” I don't want to be guilty of judging God's kids as little monsters so in considering a person better than myself this is how I get past my flesh and judging attitudes.
Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philip 2:3
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. James 2:1
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. James 2:9
I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11:11
No comments:
Post a Comment