Tag Archives: Gossip

Christianity, Journal activities, Marriage 101

Are you a Liar or a Lover? #TheDailyLoveWalk

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But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!” (1 John 4:20-21 CEV)

The scriptures can be pretty straight forward.  This scripture basically says if you say you Love God but you hate someone. You are a liar.  WOW I know that’s a tough thing to hear.  Sometimes we just need someone to wake us up and get our attention.

So what does that mean in your everyday going to work/school life?  Well, look at it this way.  If you love someone you won’t sleep with their spouse, steal their money, damage their property, steal their livestock, take their lunch money, shove them into a locker or give them a swirly.  Even though they might deserve the swirly if you Love like God Loves you won’t do it.  It also means you won’t gossip about people you love.  You won’t compare yourself to people you love and you won’t put someone you love down.   I know TV says just the opposite.  TV says be witty, sarcastic and slaughter people with your words so your friends will think you are cute.  When in all actuality you are showing the beast inside of you not the Love of God.

Couples  you won’t betray your spouse in word or deed.  Meaning you don’t go to your coworkers or church family and tell lies about them so you can play the victim.  If you Love them like God Loves them you will see them as He does and see what He sees in them. And a word to Divorced parents.  Your child did not ask to be born to you and your ex spouse.  It is not their fault that you are no longer together.  However you treat your ex spouse is what your child internalizes about that part of them.

They were created out of a union between two people and half of their being came from that person.   Again even though your ex  may deserve a swirly, if you Love them like God Loves them and you see them as God sees them for your sake and the sake of your child turn away from being ungodly and choose to be a Christ like person.  Jesus died for them just the same as he died for you.   I know…. “you don’t understand what they did to me…”  And I will tell you.  “No you don’t understand how much God Loves you and them.”

So let me make this clear… If you say you Love God but you hate your ex or your current spouse.  You are a liar.

I’m sorry, but if the bridge was out ahead on the road and if I didn’t get your attention you might die.  I have to try to wake you up and get your attention.   Just think of it as if I was screaming  THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!  You may not like that I screamed at you, but at least you’re not dead because I failed to reach you.

In summary,  #TheDailyLoveWalk  step one.   Love like God Loves.   If you absolutely do not have any Love inside of you for someone that may have hurt you or is still hurting you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually then that’s okay.  Ask God for HIS love for them.  Ask God to take your Love or lack of Love for that person and trade it for His love.   Whether it’s a relationship from the past that went sour or that co-worker that you just can’t stand that always knows which buttons to push to set you off.   It’s actually kind of funny when you love them like God does.  When they try to set you off and can’t…. they kind of wonder off aimlessly like a lost puppy.

Oh my friend, if I could take you by the hand and lead you to a more peaceful life of Love I would.  Love like God Loves and if you don’t know how.. pray and ask Him for His Love.  It will absolutely amaze you when His Love comes through you to the world around you.

Keep a journal of your Daily Love Walk.  Make a note of your success in Loving like God loves and set some goals for dealing with challenging issues and people. How can you Love them like God would?  Ask yourself how does God Love? Pray the prayer in Ephesians 3 over yourself.

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Bible Study, Devotional

Dealing with Temptation

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Reading through the Bible in a Year Devotion 2015.    They say it’s progress and not perfection and you can’t improve if you don’t start.    I’m starting and I hope you’ll join me on this journey in 2015.   I’m sharing my daily inspiration throughout the year and I hope to inspire others.    It’s just me hanging with Jesus so I have no idea what topic or subject matter will come up over the year.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

After Noah and his family have left the ark and are working the land, they have a vineyard. Noah celebrates a little too much with his new wine and is passed out in his tent. His son Ham the father of Canaan for some reason decides to go his father’s tent and see what the old drunk man is up to.   Well he finds his father who in a drunken stupor has left himself uncovered.   Apparently, Ham looks on the old man with disgust and maybe a little pride wells up inside him to see the one who has maybe scolded him for drinking too much is passed out from his own overindulgence.   He wants to tell of his discovery. Maybe he wants to make himself look better or just to embarrass his old man. Who knows?

When he tells his brothers, I think he is a little surprised. The juicy gossip that was to make him look good has backfired and his brothers do not join in with his delight of seeing their father’s error. They do the honorable thing and find a blanket. They walk in backwards to not see their father and drop the blanket over him covering him.

Jesus goes through a round of temptation also in Matthew 4.   He has fasted for 40 days and nights and is a hungry man.   It seems the tempter comes when we are at a certain point in our life just to kick us when we’re down.  Or to rub whatever challenge we are going through in our face.   Similar to Ham he waits for the right moment to find joy in another’s failure. He taunts Jesus about his hunger. Oh poor baby are you hungry? Well here, IF you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread and eat.   Jesus answers him with the written Word of God.

Jesus shows us right here how to deal with temptation.   However you are tempted; use the written word to fight back.   If it’s an overindulgence of food use the word. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4 KJV) Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. ( Deu 8:3b KJV)

If you’re tempted to gossip or as Zig Ziglar has said “Some people find fault like there’s a reward for it.”  Fight back with Phillipians 4:8. If it’s not of good report then don’t report it. Ham, his family, and generations were made servants to the honorable brothers due to his actions. Dealing with this can be tough. In a society that gets great entertainment out of gossip and belittling those around them, it’s easy to forget and fail.

If that’s happened to you pray about it.   Confess it and take God’s forgiveness and do a 180. If you need to make amends then go ask for that person’s forgiveness and move on doing the right thing regardless of their actions.

Even though Ham was at a different time and a different covenant, his actions took away his blessing. His position of authority was removed and he was to serve after his Brothers who were promoted due to their actions.   In today’s terms, Noah said Happy, Happy, Happy is the Lord God of Shem and Japheth shall prosper.  Now that’s a compliment and a good goal.   Having someone come up and say.   “The rightness in you and your actions must make God Happy.”

We also need to remember to be cautious around people. Like Noah, people make mistakes and we have a choice to cover them or share their mistakes. God help us all to do the right thing.

Let’s pray. Dear God, bring to our remembrance your word when we are faced with temptation. Help us keep it in our mind and use it to fight off undesirable situations. Let us focus on true, honest, lovely and things of good report. Help us to share one another’s successes and not their failures. Where relationships have been damaged show us how to make peace. Keep a guard over our mouths and help us to do what’s right in your eyes. Amen.

Scripture Reading for the Day: Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4.

an2g (c) 2015

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Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net