The Evil-Hearted Wretch

Happy Sunday!

"Pay attention and always be on your guard [looking out for one another]. If your brother sins (misses the mark), solemnly tell him so and reprove him, and if he repents (feels sorry for having sinned), forgive him."(Luke 17:3 Amplified).

Do you remember the song lyric, "It's me, it's me, it's me oh Lord. Standing in the need of prayer"?  I thought about this song while reading Luke 17.  Jesus was teaching about being offended and the absolute necessity of forgiveness.  Jesus said it is impossible to go through life without experiencing offense(Luke 17:1).  He also gave a warning, a "Woe" to those who are the offenders. I wonder if the Apostles felt overwhelmed by what Jesus was saying.  When Jesus said forgive your brother seven times in a day, they responded, "We need more faith; tell us how to get it.”(Luke 17:5 Living Bible).   In Matthew 18:21-22, when Peter asked how many times we must forgive a brother that sins against us, Jesus said, "Seventy times seven"!  Don't miss this!  That's 490 times!

Not only did I think about that old song and how I need help, I also thought about how many times the Apostle Paul said he didn't want us to be "ignorant"!  Our enemy really doesn't have any new tricks.  He just keeps doing the same things over and over again.  Sadly, we still fall for it.  BUT thank God for the Holy Spirit!  Jesus said, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you ALL things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."(John 14:26 Amplified).

Jesus is the Greatest Teacher!  He used parables to help us understand how to apply what he was teaching about forgiveness.  In one example, A man owed a king ten million dollars and couldn't pay it. The man, his family and everything he had was going to be sold to pay the debt.  The man fell down and begged for mercy. The  king had mercy and forgave his debt.  BUT that same man found another man that owed him two thousand dollars.  He didn't show the man mercy like he had been shown.  "He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full."(Matthew 18:30 Living Bible). Word got back to the king!  "And the king called before him the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to— shouldn’t you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?“  Then the angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last penny due. So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse to truly forgive your brothers.”(Matthew 18:32-35 Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

God the GIVER

Happy Sunday!

"The Lord God is our protector and glorious king. He blesses us with kindness and honor. The Lord FREELY gives every good thing to those who do what is right."(Psalm 84:11 Easy-to-Read Version).

Have you ever met a stingy person?  What about a cheap or selfish person?  I remember my Mother-in-law, Minnie Pruitt saying someone was, "tight as Dick's hatband".  Get the visual here.  Men used to wear dressy hats. Think of a Fedora, or Google it!  The hats have a band around them tightly affixed to the hat.  Not much can get between the hat and the hatband!  Do you know anyone like that? Now, wait don't call any names!  We don't want to embarrass anyone!  We just want to make a comparison!  OUR GOD is Never selfish!  Search the Bible for yourself!  God gives, shares, and blesses!  He's so generous the Word says, "You have heard that it used to be said, ‘You shall love your neighbor’, and ‘hate your enemy’, but I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father. For HE makes the sun rise upon evil men as well as good, and HE sends his rain upon honest and dishonest men alike."(Matthew 5:44-45 Phillips).

Psalm 84:11 encourages Believers that God won't hold back at all when we do what is right!  Don't let the Devil or the evil people in the world fool you!  God rewards those who diligently seek him!(Hebrews 11:6).  He never misses a beat!  He sees what you have done to help others! He sees you investing your time and talents to empower others!  He knows that you have sacrificed to see another person's dream come to reality!  Hebrews 6:10 says, "For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do."(NLT).

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."(KJV).  Another translation of this same scripture says, "Take great joy in the Eternal! His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!"(Voice).

God is always generous!  Be like God!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

True Freedom

Happy Sunday!

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom)."(2 Corinthians 3:17 Amplified)

Are you Free?  The Bible tells us true freedom comes through the Spirit of God.  When the Spirit of God dwells in us and fills us we are truly free to live the good life He prepared for us.  The Apostle Paul said, "Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a SLAVE to my whims."(1 Corinthians 6:12 Message).  Don't miss this! Freedom comes with responsibility and accountability!  Galatians 5:13 says, "For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other."(Living Bible).

"For it is God’s will and intention that by doing RIGHT [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons.  [Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but [live at all times] as Servants of God.  Show respect for all men [treat them honorably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honor the emperor."(1 Peter 2:15-17 Amplified).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Please GOD

 Happy Sunday!

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to LIVE in a way that PLEASES God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so EVEN MORE."(1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT).

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Believers to do even more!  Did you realize that you can do more? More to increase your knowledge of the Word?  More to help others?  More to be a godly example in a wicked world? Yes!  Anything or anyone alive will grow.  Leave the grass and weeds in your yard alone all summer and see what happens!  Don't let 2024 be a duplicate of 2023.  Determine that you will do even more to please God.

"By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he PLEASED God.” It’s impossible to PLEASE God apart from Faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe BOTH that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him."(Hebrews 11:6 Message).

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you LIVE will always honor and PLEASE the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better."(Colossians 1:9-10 NLT).

"Children, obey your parents in everything. This PLEASES the Lord."(Colossians 3:20 Easy-to-Read Version).

"And WHATSOEVER we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are PLEASING in his sight."(1 John 3:22 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia