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.

Love.1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Charity means love in this verse:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1 John 4:7-9
 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Mark 12:30
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

From these verses above, we see that God is love. We can see in 1Cor(above) many things that love is and isn't. And we can see that we are to love.

Jesus said:

John14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Strength!

Mankind has a very limited physical and mental strength. While many animals can like 10times their weight or more, most humans can't even lift their own weight. Mental battles with tragedies, or just a game of chess, will often baffle us.
This is where a Christian has an advantage. Not because we ourselves have more strength, but because we have a giving source that will provide that which we have need of, which is Christ.


Nehemah8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Exodus 15:2
The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Job 36:4-6
For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.

 

Psalm18:1-2 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm18:32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

Psalm 28:8
The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

Psalm 31:23-24
O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Enemies... Thinking... Life.

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. Matthew 5:43-45

Romans12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

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

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

What is an enemy? "a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something." ~Google

So, a person who is against you, fights you, is mean to you... that is an enemy.

What is the first fleshly response to an enemy?

Hate, anger, dislike, a wish to punch them in the face, ect... These are the responses of sin.

What should be our(my) first response as a follower of Christ?

Love. Service. Blessings. Prayer.

Our thinking drives our actions. Our [dwelling] thoughts are the heart of who we are. They play a large part in how we respond when shocked or hurt. We are to renew our minds, transformed from the sinful thinking, to the Christ-like way.

When we hear "life" we think of a life time. With this thought we over look the day-to-day living that makes up life. 

Matthew 6:30-34

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.

We are to live in today. Thinking on Christ, serving others in His name. We have no need for worry, God will take care of His own.

"I know He CAN, it's if He WILL"

The quote in this title was said to me once, and burned in my memory as it crushed any little bit of faith I had in God at the time. Questions came to mind that I could no longer answer...
"God CAN save me, but WILL He?"
"God CAN do anything, but would He do anything for me?"
"God can, but why would He?"
These questions lead to "God wouldn't." But only because I didn't know anything about Him.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:16 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Mark 11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

John 11:21-23
 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

John16:23-24 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 14:12-14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 15:6-8
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 16:25-27
These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

1 John 5:13-15
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

These verses show His(My Lord's) care for us. They show that He will. He is able AND willing. 

Sober Minded.

Titus2:2-6
1Peter1:13
1Peter4:7

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Sober in the bible means more than "not drunk." It means to be aware. To be steady... Self-possessed... Composed.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

After an experience with aspartame this week, I have an even better understanding on what a clear mind is, and what isn't. Even before that, I have had much trouble with my mind. I once thought "I have the devil in my head and I can't get him out." And I never could... But God got him out when I truly accepted him into my heart and life.

I praise the Lord for giving me that gift; For giving me His spirit... The Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

faith in God is power... faith without works is dead.

Matthew 8:13
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Luke 17:19
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

God rewards faith. It is by faith that God works, and the things of God work.

John3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 17:20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

But there is even more to it.....

James 2:19-21
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Matthew 7:21-27
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

for more on faith; Hebrews11:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011%20&version=KJV

selflessness=service. Icor10:32-33, Gal5:13-14

Galatians5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

1Cor10:32-33 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.


Ephesians6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

One thing I fight with God about often, is this matter of serving others. I am a selfish human being, and often I don't want to think about what "they"(any one and everyone who isn't me) may want, just what I want.

But, as clearly said in many a place, I am to serve... Both God, and everyone else in the name of Christ Jesus. Salvation isn't simply about getting to go to heaven. It is accepting that God paid the price, and giving to him the life that is already his.

Gal2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1 cor 6:17 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

My life is Christ's. He own me twice over, and still has given my life to me to live. I can never repay Him, I can only do my best to obey Him.

Philippians2:4-7 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

how little you have to know.. 1Cor 2:1-5

1cor2:1-5 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

You don't have to have all the fancy words, you just have to know what Christ has done for you.

Back a chapter, it says "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty" (1cor1:27)

The less you are, the more God can do with you... If you only let Him be your portion, and make you able.

Not knowing all the fancy words is an excuse provided by the devil himself to keep the Word of God from spreading abroad. God's Word is simple. His way is simple... not usually easy, but simple.

I challenge you to read the first two chapters of 1Corinthians, take it to heart that you don't have to know it all to spread the Word.