THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE (From my archives)…

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Relationships make our lives richer….better. God created us because He wanted relationship with us.

As our relationships evolve, whether it be marriage, parent/child, siblings or friends…we are also all evolving as individuals.

For example, If you’ve been married any number of years, then neither of you are the same people you were when you first married.

The truth is some things get better, and some things don’t.

There will always be some things, attitudes, behaviors, moods, etc., that you hate about those who you love most….it doesn’t mean you hate them.

In fact, daily living and loving beyond those things is what makes it love.

Think about God…do you think He is always pleased with you?

Are there ways He is still expecting you to change?

Even at our best, we don’t measure up go God’s level of righteousness…

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)

 But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

It’s only through God’s abundant grace and mercy that we are able to be in His Holy presence.

That’s why His gift of justification is so valuable, and should never be taken for granted. Even though we are unrighteous…through the blood of our Lord Jesus, we are ‘counted as righteous’.

Romans 3:23-25 (NKJV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Just as we don’t measure up to God’s standard…We disappoint each other because at times don’t measure up to one another’s expectations…whether reasonable or unreasonable.

Just as we continue to disappoint God in our individual relationships with Him, we will continue to disappoint one another in our relationships with each other.

As years go by, even though we grow to know one another better, there will still be things about each other that ‘drive us up the wall’…things that ‘drive us crazy’.

Think about some things that you hate about those people who are closest to you.

Does it mean that your relationship is flawed?

Well, yes it does…but so is your relationship with God.

But, just as God loves us through our flaws, He expects us to love one another through ours as well.

So, the next time your notice your husband…wife…parent…sister…brother…friend doing something you don’t like…or even hate, after all these years remember…

Theirs something they can’t stand about you, and…

It makes your relationship normal…not over.

Love each other through it, just as God loves you.

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

If this blessed you, please follow my blog…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

YOU CAN SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY WITHOUT TELLING ALL OF YOUR BUSINESS…

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There is great power in a transparent testimony. Sometimes people just need to hear that you’ve been through what they are going through…and made it.

But, remember this…

You can give your testimony without telling ALL your business. You can bless their spirit without feeding their nosiness.

You don’t have to give every intricate detail of what you’ve gone through, what you did, what you endured to be a blessing to someone else. In fact, some parts of your testimony could do more harm than good. We still need to give people something to aspire to.

Think about this…

While he was president, we didn’t know every detail of John F. Kennedy’s business. We didn’t know every detail of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s business. We didn’t know every detail of Martin Luther King Jr.’s business.

Yes, we know that David sinned with Bathsheba, but we don’t know every detail. Yes, we know that Peter denied Christ, but we don’t know every sin he committed. Yes, we know that Paul (Saul) persecuted the church, but we don’t know every sin he did. Yes, we know Paul had a ‘thorn in the flesh’, but we don’t know what that sin or weakness was.

1 Corinthians 15:9 (NKJV)

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

The fact is that many of today’s scandals simply aren’t any of our business. We live in an age that people that not only does the public want to know everyone’s business, but they feel they have a right to it…especially public figures.

Pray for wisdom, discernment and discretion to know what you need to share and what you need to keep between God and yourself.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

TBT: THE LIES WE DON’T INTEND TO TELL (MOST OF THE TIME)…

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SOME OF THE BIGGEST LIES WE TELL ARE…

Not intentionally (most of the time)…have any of these come from your mouth????

I love you…

I’ll pray for you…

I’ll call you back…

That’s okay…

I’m okay…

What’s wrong? “Nothing!”…

That’s hilarious…(and you don’t laugh)

Oh yeah, I remember that…

I don’t remember…

I don’t have it on me…(when asked for money)

That tastes great…

You look great…

I like that…

I’ve got your back…

I love everybody…

I don’t see color…

I’m doing this for you…

That didn’t bother me…

I don’t even care…

I’m over it…

It doesn’t matter…

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 12…

 Matthew 12:36 (NKJV)

 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

Take a moment and thank God for His grace and mercy for the lies we tell…intentional and unintentional.

 BE BLESSTIFIED!

GIVE GOD A ‘HOLY HUG’!


Praise is so powerful. And, I’m not talking about using it as a tool of manipulation to get God to bless us, but I’m talking about a powerful way to BLESS HIM.

Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Yes, God wants to be blessed by us, just as much as we want to be blessed by Him. How can you bless God who has all power, possesses all things and has control of all things? The same way a baby blesses a parent when he or she reaches up to them.

Why does a baby reach up to his or her parent?

To get their attention…

To be picked up…

To be hugged…

God wants our affection. Our affection is a blessing to Him. Every parent wants to be ‘loved on’ by their children.

There are few things more affectionate, more intimate, more touching, more empowering, than a well-timed hug.

Have you ever had someone give you a warm affectionate hug? Without saying one word that sincere hug said “I love you!” “I’m so glad you’re in my life!” “I appreciate you!”

A hug is a beautiful way of saying that “We are one”.

Yes, we praise God with the fruit of our lips.

Yes, we praise God in a song.

Yes, we praise God through beautiful music.

Yes, we can even praise Him with a dance…

But, there is something special about lifting our hands up to Him in praise.

Lifting up our hands (just like that baby) is almost like we’re waving to get God’s attention, “Lord! Here I am! See me!?!”

Lifting up our hands is an act of surrender and letting go of what we are holding to reach out to Him.

Lifting up our hands is stretching them forward, just as our Lord, Yeshua Jesus Christ had His hands extended and stretched when He was nailed to the cross.

Lifting up our hands toward God is an expression of affection.


Our God so big that we can’t get our arms around Him, so it’s our way of giving Him a holy hug.


If we are alone it’s an intimate personal hug. If we are in corporate worship, it’s a powerful group hug.


So take some time today to love on our Heavenly Father. Lift up your hands to Him and bless Him with a Holy hug!


Look at how we are encouraged to let go of all wrath and all doubt and lift up our holy hands to the God of our salvation.

1 Timothy 2:8 (NKJV)

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

Give God a holy hug!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

 

 

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID, GOD DOESN’T ALLOW YOU TO HATE THEM…

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It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t right, and they knew it. But, yet they still did it. They hurt you. They hurt someone you love…maliciously. They didn’t apologize. They are still glad they did it, and would do it again.

They were cruel. They made your life a living Hell. You didn’t want to get out of the bed, go to work, go to school…all because of them.

They have influenced others against you. They have taken from you that what you will never get back. They have gained at your expense.

They turned their back on you when you needed them most. They could have come to help you. They could have rescued you, but they thought about it and decided NOT to do so. You weren’t worth the trouble to them.

They hate you. They genuinely hate you. And, you’ve done nothing. Or, you have asked their forgiveness and they refuse to give it.

They put their hands on you. They murdered someone you love dearly. They wish you were dead.

They want to see you fail. They will enjoy it. They hate you. They genuinely hate you. And, you’ve done nothing. They don’t even know you but still have you.

You have asked their forgiveness and they refuse to give it.

It’s amazing the levels of hurt we can cause one another…


But, no matter what they have done, are doing or will do. No matter how they feel about you. God does not allow us to hate them.


I know it’s hard, but that’s how God loves us…and it’s how He expects us to love.

Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,[b] 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren[c] only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors[d] do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

It’s not easy, but love has the power to cover any hatred or wrong…to diffuse it…to forgive it…TO ENDURE IT.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NKJV)

…(Love)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, ENDURES all things.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

THE THINGS THAT SCIENCE CAN NEVER EXPLAIN (From my archives)…

I like to define science as humans’ attempt to give a physical explanation for spiritual things.
Every thing that exists was spoken into existence by God, so everything is a physical expression and extension of our invisible and spiritual God…

Romans 1: 20 (NKJV)

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”

I’m not against science, we have benefited greatly through scientific and medical discoveries and research. But, rather than disprove God…I feel it proves Him.

Notice the chronology in Genesis 1 is the same as what science claims…

1st water…

Then the creatures in water…

Then plants and vegetation…

Then the creatures on land…

Then humans.

Physics…

Chemistry…

Biology…

Astronomy…

All Medical Science…

Can explain many things…

BUT,

Science can NEVER explain the invisible attributes of God that define how we are made in His image…

Those NON-PHYSICAL attributes He shares with us…

Those NON-PHYSICAL ELEMENTS that make us ‘look’ like Him.

Think about it…

Love…

Joy…

Peace…

Faith…

Kindness…

Hope…

Consciousness…

Science can NEVER isolate our spirits entering our bodies at the beginning of life…

Or, leaving our bodies at the end of life.

I call them GOD’S TANGIBLE INTANGIBLES…

Those things that your senses can’t experience…

You can’t see, touch, taste, hear or smell love…

Only your spirit can experience it.

There’s no telescope or microscope that can see it…

No microphone that can hear it…

No device that can measure it…

No computer that can create it…

Because LOVE IS OF GOD.

Love is even of God in the ungodly.

This proves God’s existence and sovereignty to me more than anything else.

God will never allow science to PROVE everything.

First of all because then man would claim he is God…

But most of all…then there would be no need of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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