Embrace the Within no. 201

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”(Matthew 5:4 CSB).

People are not easy to love because sometimes they suffer a loss that seems too much for them to carry. People begin to live a life filled with bitterness and sadness because they have lost something important to them on this side of eternity and they have lost their hope and confidence. People are filled with bitterness and sadness because they do not allow themselves to see the goodness in life and the abundant joy and peace God promises us now and in the world to come. People are sad because they have nothing and no one in which to put their faith. Faith is an action. Hope is my confidence. Courage is choosing to change. And there is no reason for those of us that have faith in Him to find sadness and mourning as our constant state because He will comfort us. Is there a greater comfort than having faith and confidence in Him?

People are not easy to love because they are hurt by other people. Sometimes this hurt is intentional and sometimes it is merely a part of life. There are many natural and unnatural causes of mourning.

“Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart be courageous.

Wait for the Lord” (Psalms 27:14 CSB).

God is there. He doesn’t go anywhere. He sent the Spirit to abide within us as we walk this side of eternity. And the Spirit is there to be our comforter in times of mourning. The Spirit is there to bring you and I peace. He has a plan for us to rely on Him. And sometimes we need to be reminded that He is our source of comfort and peace. I can get so caught up in the comfort that is around me. I can get complacent in my living and I can feel that I no longer need God to bring me comfort or joy or peace or life. I can get so used to how things are going that I can bury myself in the comfort of this world rather than the comfort with which He provides.

I can also find the opposite side of that coin and find no peace or comfort or joy or life. I can spend my time in sorrow for the things I lose in life. I can be sad about the ways I have been treated and mourn the loss of friendship. I can be sad about the death of someone I loved and mourn the loss of their life. I can be sad about losing a job and mourn the loss of income and status. I can choose to be sad about a lot of things and live a life in pain and sorrow. Or I can choose the comfort that He provides through His grace and mercy and love. I just need to choose.

I can’t live a life in mourning with the Spirit working inside me. I will bear the fruit that discerns what sort of tree I am, “In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17 CSB). I am promised that the Spirit will abide in me and that through the Spirit I will see its fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things” Galatians 5:22-23 CSB). What does my fruit say about me?

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 200

It doesn’t matter if you believe in Jesus.

“Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me’” (John 14:23-24 CSB).

“'He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands’” (Matthew 22:37-40).

You can’t be bad with relationships and be a Christian. Christianity is all about relationships. Some folks want to have a quality relationship with God BUT won’t have a quality relationship with their parents. Some folks want to have a quality relationship with God BUT won’t have a quality relationship with their family. Some folks want a quality relationship with God BUT won’t have a quality relationship with their coworkers.

“BUT you don’t know what they did to me. You don’t know what they say about me. You don’t know how much they hurt me. I can’t forgive them and just let that go.” Stop showing your BUT and forgive. I do not understand this false Christianity that parades around as if believing in God makes everything okay. Jesus didn’t say believe. Go ahead and reread the scripture again. He said love and obey. And that has nothing to do with believing. That has all to do with action.

So you can talk all you want about believing in God. You can show up every weekend and do your spiritual gymnastics that can pave the way for your week of mental gymnastics to justify that you believe. OR you can forgive and love. EVEN when you are right and others are wrong. Doesn’t matter. Forgive. EVEN when they hurt you and you did nothing. Doesn’t matter. Forgive. EVEN when it is the worst thing that can ever happen to you. Doesn’t matter. Forgive.

“'Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24 CSB).

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH