I'm Back!! My feet were again stepped on by God's Word!!

25 So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth because we all belong to each other in the same body.[a] 26 When you are angry, do not sin. And do not go on being angry all day. 27 Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. 28 If a person is stealing, he must stop stealing and start working. He must use his hands for doing something good. Then he will have something to share with those who are poor.

29 When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you. 30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God’s proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the time comes. 31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. 

                                                                         Ephesians 4:25-32 International Children’s Bible

Yes, I am back!  Still not doing much wandering, that will have to change but that is another blogg for another time!!   The above passage was a devotion from the other day.  As I read it I thought of my own reactions to things that happen in my day and week, well OK life!!  I thought about how we tell each other the truth as we see it (aka lie to one another).   How we let anger eat us up by which we give the devil, Satan, a foothold with which he can defeat us.  How we steal, not from each other as much as as we steal from the poor by not giving to them as we see a need.    How when we talk we tend to say harmful things more than we say things that will make other stronger.  I thought about how we are bitter or angry or mad and how we shout and say things that hurt people, sometimes with intent and other times when it just happen but would not have if we would have just thought or just kept our mouths shut.    These last few are hard to miss in the passage!!  I also thought about how this makes the Holy Spirit, and God, sad.  The above is not just in the world but it is as much, if not more, within the Body of Christ!

There are two other things I noticed and they are at the end of the passage; things which we do but do less that the other things this old man has seen within us as Christians.  The first we need to do anytime we are thinking about doing that which we do so well that I have spoken of above.   Instead of all the evil we do so easily we need to: "Be kind and loving to each other". We need to think before we act.  We need to engage our spiritual life and be kind and loving; showing grace to those we interact with in the church building and those we interact with outside the church building.  Yes, I know!  MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE!!   Then again the passage also says "Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ!  If I remember that would be anytime and every time!!  In the Lord's Prayer we ask God to forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  By which would you like to be forgiven by God.  As God forgave you or how you forgive others?  If you forgive like God does then you are in the clear; aren't you!?!

David's Prayer Psalm 86 The Message

^1-7 Bend an ear, God; answer me.
    I’m one miserable wretch!
Keep me safe—haven’t I lived a good life?
    Help your servant—I’m depending on you!
You’re my God; have mercy on me.
    I count on you from morning to night.
Give your servant a happy life;
    I put myself in your hands!
You’re well-known as good and forgiving,
    bighearted to all who ask for help.
Pay attention, God, to my prayer;
    bend down and listen to my cry for help.
Every time I’m in trouble I call on you,
    confident that you’ll answer.

^8-10 There’s no one quite like you among the gods, O Lord,
    and nothing to compare with your works.
All the nations you made are on their way,
    ready to give honor to you, O Lord,
Ready to put your beauty on display,
    parading your greatness,
And the great things you do—
    God, you’re the one, there’s no one but you!

^11-17 Train me, God, to walk straight;
    then I’ll follow your true path.
Put me together, one heart and mind;
    then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;
    I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.
You’ve always been great toward me—what love!
    You snatched me from the brink of disaster!
God, these bullies have reared their heads!
    A gang of thugs is after me—
    and they don’t care a thing about you.
But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
    not easily angered, immense in love,
    and you never, never quit.
So look me in the eye and show kindness,
    give your servant the strength to go on,
    save your dear, dear child!
Make a show of how much you love me
    so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,
As you, God, gently and powerfully
    put me back on my feet.

As I read this I thought just how it should be; no NEEDS to be our prayer.  

More Thoughts From the Old Man

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.   Ask G*d to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.   1 Timothy 2:1

There is something this old man has learned over his years; that is it is hard to hate, dislike or do harm in any way some one for whom I am praying.  I would suggest that this is true for anyone who begins to pray for those around them. Then add to that the fact that the next instruction is "ASK G*D TO HELP THEM" we are going to G*d asking G*d to help people; does it matter what activities they are involved?      Whether they are in our opinion sinning or not WE are asking for our Daddy to help them. 

We are also to intercede for them.  This means we have to have deeper knowledge of them than just a two ships passing in the night; WE must get to know a person to intercede for them.   According to Merriam-Webster intercede means  "to try to help settle an argument or disagreement between two or more people or groups : to speak to someone in order to defend or help another person".  Does this sound like a passive thing?

Now "Give thanks for ALL PEOPLE"  I do not know about you but there are some people for whom I am not all that thankful!  Yet G*d tells me I have to give thanks for them.   I wonder if that is as I give thanks for them as instructed, I WILL TRULY BECOME THANKFUL?

Just a few thoughts for you to ponder as you wander!

Here's a thought!!

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.   Romans 12:9 (NLT)

 

 

How often do we pretend we love those around us?   Whether  that be part of the Body of Christ we live in or be it the followers of Jesus we see daily or the Not-Yet-Christians G*d puts in our path; how do they know that we truly love them?

 

Let us seek our Father so the Abba can teach us to love others as our Heavenly Father loves us!

 

More wondering by this Old Man

Publish [G*d's] glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things [G*d] does.  ~ 1 Chronicles 16:24, NLT

This was today's K-Love radio verse of the day.  It made me wonder if we are good at "publishing the glorious deeds of G*d" in our own community, let alone among the nations!   I have to ask myself, as well as you good readers, what we are doing to get out to the people we know what G*d is doing in our life?  How much as we talking (publishing) what amazing things G*d is doing in our day to day life?

Let us make an effort to publish (talk about) G*d's deed in our life and tell about the amazing things G*d does for us.

Love for one another by loving God

Jesus told us this in John 13:35; "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NLT)  I wonder if "all [humanity] know we are Jesus disciples?  Do we love one another?  Within the local and/or national denominational group; I have spent time in both the Southern Baptist family and I am currently part of the American Baptist family.  If one attends a Region or National (Bi-annual) gathering, at least a few years back, does it show our love of one another?

Jesus also said in Matthew 22:37,  "You must love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." (NLT)  I  wonder if this is not the way to do John 13:35?  If we truly love God, would we not develop a love one another?  Maybe not immediately but soon after we, by God's grace, developed a love for God.   Which I wonder if would not develop into a love for the not-yet-christians in our lives.   

A Reminder

For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT

 

Every little bit we need reminded that this world is only for a short while and the problems are short term as well; when compared to the retirement plan we have in Glory!