www.bible.com/111/mat.19.26.niv
How many times have we thought I can never forgive someone? Or that we can’t stop sinning it’s just too hard. You’re right, without God, it is impossible but remember, for God all things are possible. God makes the impossible possible because he loves us and he knows how weak we are, through Him He strengthens us. God bless,
Everything about God yells love, even at the bitter end of Jesus life he loved all of us. He was whipped and beaten, drug through the dirt and had a crown of thorns stuck on his head, nails pierced through His hands and feet and all He was worried about was our salvation. Do we even come close to loving others the way He did? It can be hard at times to forgive a close friend let alone an enemy. We have all experienced heartache when someone close to us said something or has done something to hurt us even if it is unintended. The only way to truly find forgiveness and continue loving that person or persons is to give it to God immediately and show the person who harmed you more love. This can seem hard at times and I know from personal experience in my past I would lash out, showing that person how much it hurt. Making them feel as bad as it felt to me or worse and the problem with this is that it gives a foothold to the devil. The little problem would escalate into something even bigger making it harder to repair the situation and can also spread to other people getting involved with gossip or taking sides. These situations are with your close friends or even acquaintances, can we even imagine what that would look like with someone who hates you. Jesus felt that with every short painful step he took dragging that cross on His back and having those giant spikes driven through His body but He still chose to forgive. It breaks my heart to know that I am weak in my forgiveness as a human but also brings a smile to my face knowing that God is right there to help me go through it. Every time we forgive others for all the little things they’ve done builds us for the major tests in our lives. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Heavenly Father thank you for this beautiful day and the chance you’ve given us to be a better Christian then we were the day before. Lord, please help us to find forgiveness in our hearts for anyone who has wronged us so that we can show them your love. Thank you for being with us, in us and around us, in Jesus precious name AMEN!
I don’t know about anyone else but I have some bad habits that are hard to shake. God has moved me to get out of my shell and rub elbows with others, forming ideas to better our church or helping the homeless through the Oakdale Rescue Mission. In doing so these ideas take alot of listening, understanding, planning but most of all getting my duff off the couch. I have a hang up however and that is I like watching movies and often times this is done by myself. Movies are not a bad thing in itself but can be harmful if you are trying to have a better walk with God. Too much watching takes time away from His words, but also dampens the miracles you could be witnessing by spending time with others. On occasion I’ve made plans to sit at home after an extremely busy week and have a movie marathon but the Holy Spirit nudged me, I left the house and had a divine appointment. This is where God places someone in your path that needs help and even sometimes ends up helping you in some way or another. We as christians need to start forming new habits and all we need to do is have the Holy Spirit lead us there. Dear heavenly father, thank you so much for this day and the chance to be a better Christian than we were the day before. Help and guide us towards better more productive habits as to have a closer walk with you. In Jesus precious name, AMEN.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone,the new is here!
It was the summer of 1954, and the new school year would be starting soon. My sister Brenda was so excited she was going to be in first grade and she couldn’t wait to see her friends again. I didn’t know what it was all about but I was excited too. Mom had spent almost the whole summer making our new school clothes that I couldn’t wait to show off. When the day finally came fear engulfed me. This was my earliest memory of fear, five years old starting kindergarten. I grabbed my moms hand when I saw how huge the school looked. My mom had told me my name would be on the door of my classroom. When I looked at the large doors there were too many for me to count. Which one has my name on it, I wondered. Then I began to cry and through my tears, I said: “I can’t read.” Mom assured me she would find the right classroom that displayed my name. When she opened the door I saw what looked like a hundred kids all my size and I didn’t know anyone. I felt like I was going to throw up so I told my mom I was sick. I wish I could say I stayed that first day but my mom took me home. It wasn’t until later in my life that I realized that Jesus was with me. I was never alone in Isaiah 41:10 it states, ” Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Fear to me is becoming a very bad word and it can eat you up if you let it. Fear is a tool that the devil will and has used in his arsenal to pull you away from God. Satan tries to talk you into making snap decisions so that you won’t end up waiting and trusting in God’s answer to your prayers. The fear sets in and we start getting anxious making a decision that is usually not good for us. I have a habit of trusting God with all the little problems and situations in life but the big ones not so much. I give it to God through prayer only to take it back thinking that I can handle it. Falling flat on my face after taking it back I end up back on my knees apologizing and asking if He can correct the problem. Growing in Christ over the last five years my trust in Him has grown immensely and the fear dulls itself quite a bit. I still have problems but I know that my God, the creator of the entire universe is on my side, He, is bigger than my problems. Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the LORD says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel : “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
God is with us, in us and around us, so we need to put Him first. Many of us go through an entire day without thinking of God even once. Join Karen and Matthew in their adventures growing in Christ, through trials, love, pain, and laughter. Learn how to have a closer walk with God through our seven-day challenges. Building a relationship that is everlasting.
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