loving others.

There are some people I just don't want to love. I'll be honest. As a challenge I have been reading 1st John through daily; It speaks a lot on love. It seems almost every other verse is says to love the brothern-The Children of God.
Granny has been telling me how I need to love people. I don't really like people. People are sinful, and icky, and mean, and selfish (my self included.) And I don't like having to face sins. I rarely know how to respond to them. So, I just don't like people.

1st John talks about loving those that also follow God. Okay, great, lets leave it there. That means I don't have to love so-n-so, or so-n-so, or him either. But day after day God pulls a section verses to mind and says "That's not where I left it. Aren't you glad I didn't leave it there?"

Matthew 5:43-45
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Some take it farther even.

Luke 6:34-36And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:27-30

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

It is not that you will feel love toward, and that's why you will pray for them, or do good to them, or let them take whatever they please... But it is that you do these things, and you will love them.

Love is an act of the will. It is setting yourself below others.

God's love is far beyond what we can even truly comprehend. He set for as an example to follow in word and in deed. He had(has) all the power in the universe, and yet he let people hurt Him. In much of His life, you see that when people are out to kill Him, He simply fades into the crowd and vanishes away, until the time came to give us a chance at freedom from sin. Then, on that day, He allowed people to tear down His body. 

We were His enemy. And He did it for us-for me-anyway.

clothes.

Deu22:5"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God."

I believe this is the verse most used for why women shouldn't wear pants.

I believe this verse is saying that one should dress so that they look like the opposite gender.

If it means not to wear anything that even might kind of look like something a man would wear, than any woman that took the coat of a man on a cool night is an abomination to God.

Fruits.

Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Galatians 5:17
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

Fruit of the Spirit (of God), is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.

The fruit of the Flesh it the opposite of the spirit; "These are contrary"

They are Indifference, Sorrow(depression), Discontentment, Short temper, Roughness, Sinfulness, Disbelief, Prideful, no self-control.

Before you act, look and realize which fruit that action shows. If it will show the fruits of the flesh, take a deep breath and pray.

Blessed.

The Lord has blessed me greatly.
Sure, I have problems, I'm living on earth... BUT the light of the blessings of my Lord make these problems of darkness fade away. I look ahead and I see eternity... Bright, shining with the Light.

Some times I let the troubles and sins of the world block my view for a time, but never long. My Lord is my hope and strength of every day. Without Him I am in darkness, sin, and sorrow, doomed to live in hopeless pain forever. But blessed grace has set my free from sin.

I still struggle. I am human, and I will struggle until the blessed day my Lord comes and takes me home to Glory. Then, on that day I will be perfect. I will be complete, incorruptible, focused always on my wonderful Savior.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Job 23:10-11 

Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.


Romans3:23-26
 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Psalm 145:3
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

1 Chronicles 16:24-26
Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

Attitude!

prov22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.

1pet5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.


1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 John 1:4
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Matthew 6:24-34
 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

I am to be joyful, humble. I am not to be worrisome. I am to be thankful, and content.

Just these things (and I am sure there are others), can transform how one sees life. I know it's been transforming how I see.

Love-How much would you give up?

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Would you give you life?

Would you give your time?

Would you give you attention?

Would you give up a "bad habit"?

What would you give to keep your family?

Would you give your money?

Would you give up your pride?

Would you give up a sin you want to keep?

What would you give to save a soul?

Would you give up coffee?

Would you give up fear?

Would you give up "safety"?

Would you give up an awkward silence?

Would you give up that friend?

What are you willing to give?

Would you give everything?

Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Authority and Power.

John 1:11-13
 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

2 Timothy 3:5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

1 John 4:4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you,than he that is in the world.

As a Christian, my power comes from Jesus Christ. I have the authority over things of the world, I have the power to overcome; THROUGH Christ I have this power.

Today began the first of a week of revival meetings. God spoke to me in many matters. In matters of Faith, Humility, Service, Trusting not in my own power, but in His.

He told how the Isrealites often told God "Yeah, But..." as I also have.

"Yeah, I know you can... but..."

In sunday school class, we are going through Hebrews. Talking about the superiority of Jesus Christ to angels, people, and priests.

It amazes me how I belittle God Himself! The Living God who created all that exists. Who died for me, and walks with me each step of live. How I can think that I have to do things on my own, to think that I CAN... how that must hurt Him. He knows the moment I say "I can do it myself", is the moment I will fail.

In all the things of God I am learning, the hardest is to trust Him in all things, allowing Him to be the Power and Authority in my life. When I don't trust Him, I end up like this poor dog, stuck in a desert place. Frazzled, and at the end of my rope-the end of my power.