Thursday, August 8, 2013

Things that fade...

















Paintings fade too...
Not so, the Words of God.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Recipe for Becoming a Lonely Soul, or as Christ said a 'Wicked Servant'.

If a person cannot learn forgiveness (their need to forgive others and their need to be forgiven) as a necessary and practically constant way of life, they will never feel like they belong and are a part of a family or a community. Honesty, truth, vulnerability, give and take, respect, allowing for different opinions, convictions and choices are all important... but people are sinners and sinners always and repeatedly offend one another, sometimes intentionally and sometimes quite by accident. We must be willing to deal with offenses according to God's word, which is in a forthright and healthy manner and then, no matter the result, let them go. If a person cannot or will not do this they will ultimately live in an emotional lonely-land, nursing eternal grudges.  That is a life of self-torture. 

Humans are easily offended, yet when it comes to our own carelessness, unkindness or sharp words, we often cut ourselves great slack and make excuses.  We seldom extend that same light treatment to those who offend us.  (Jesus' brilliant speck and log illustration comes to mind)

It is actually frightening how many verses there are commanding us to forgive others.  Verses promising God's action toward us if we fail to heed the command.  Here are a mere two. 
 
 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." 
Ephesians 4:32
"...Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”   
 Matthew 18... go on, read the whole chapter.  ;) Then act on it what you've learned. If not, you are choosing loneliness and wickedness... no one else is at fault.