Guarded

 Happy Sunday!

"Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and PURE HEART come the good and noble things of life."(Proverbs 4:23 Voice).

Life can be hard.  We each have our own trials and tribulations. It's so easy to focus inward and forget about the other people Jesus gave his life to save.  During hard times, I remember my mother saying she hated people.  Everyone that knew her knows she was a people person.  How could she hate people?  I didn't fully understand then, but I can see now how it can be possible to hate.  People who are without God's Real Love are harsh, cruel, deceptive, conniving, vindictive, selfish, inconsiderate...and the list could go on and on.  Sometimes even the people who profess to know Jesus as Lord and Savior are amazingly despicable.  BUT God didn't command us to love the LOVABLE, he commanded us to love them ALL just like he did. 

Jesus said it best, in Matthew 5:44-48, "But I tell you, LOVE your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly.  If you do this, you will be children who are TRULY like your FATHER in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.  If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that.  And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. What I am saying is that you must be PERFECT, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Perfect means mature.  We have to mature in this walk of faith.  Jesus said our Father God is our example to follow. We must ensure our hearts don't become harden because of things that have happened to us.  Yes, stuff happens, but don't let that stuff change you!  

Love and Prayers, Cynthia