My soul is deeply disturbed today. My spirit has been angry since yesterday. Actually, my spirit has been disturbed since March and even before. I am wanting to lash out, call others out and attack them as they, from my experience are hurting their proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior while causing great harm to others in the name of said Jesus. I find it difficult when we proclaim the love, grace and mercy of Jesus Christ as our God but when times are difficult we lash out and live little like the example Christ gave us. My heart is wrong in desiring to lash out.
God I seek forgiveness for my selfish anger at the selfish pride of your children who, I believe, choose to not live like the example you modeled for us in the Holy Scriptures. Lord forgive my human desires to lash out and help me to live and love all your children who proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and all who reject your gift of love and grace. After all my God and my Redeemer, you set the example of unconditional love through our redemption from sin by evidence of the empty tomb and live eternally until you take us home to celebrate Easter with you forever. Please forgive me and help me make a difference instead of adding to the angst of the world. Amen
We are in a deeply emotional time in our world and our vile reaction to our selfish desires and what we believe to be our freedoms being infringed has exploded. I read a lot of me, mine and I statements. Please, understand that I realize that our worldly situation has had devastating consequences for people around the globe. I do not diminish that experience. Please understand that I am a student of the Constitution, please understand that I believe in the freedoms afforded us in our country. Please understand that I love my country, am blessed to be a citizen and have zero desire to lose the rights of citizenship under the Constitution. I understand many are in the worst and lowest circumstances of their lives wondering what tomorrow holds. I pray expecting God to show up and take care of all as God promises in the scriptures.
I do expect me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to live like Jesus did. He was not a slave to his freedoms and rights. He lived in a selfless way not bound by human laws, but bound by the humanly unnatural way of Agape, unconditional, love from God. He left the presence of God on this earth in the form of the Holy Spirit so that we may live as aliens in this world with the same ability he had to love unconditionally and live unconditionally.
But Christian, the fruits of the Spirit are not anger, hatred, selfishness, pride, name calling, lying, deceiving, fighting and on and on. Honestly the arrogance of many Christians as privileged and right disturbs me. Please understand my observations of all of this is no respecter of theological leanings or of extremes, my observation is from what I see and discern in general about the way we as Christians are living and responding in our circumstances.
Are we living like God desires us to live as representatives of the most high God? Please think about what we say, who we attack and what our selfishness brings. Please keep our proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior first as a filter to all we say and do. Please carefully discern our words used in prayer as words to uplift and bring praise to God and not as a personal powerful tool to attack others. Please think about what we write and say to others in the precious name of Jesus. Remember we are examples of God who is bigger than all of our rights and all of our struggles and all of our painful distress and circumstance.
John Wesley reminds us, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as long as ever you can." My addition is no matter what my circumstance is like.
Friends, as I seek forgiveness from God, I seek forgiveness from all of you who I wanted to lash out at and attack. Honestly, there are many so do not take this personal! You really do not know who you are! My heart and actions are not lined up with my proclamation of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. So forgive me I pray.
I also implore all who proclaim Christ to live like we proclaim Christ and stop living with a selfish, false proclamation. Get better taking on the character of the One you follow and stop letting the world see our falseness in giving God our praise in the best of times but not during our suffering.
I truly love you my friends.
PB
God I seek forgiveness for my selfish anger at the selfish pride of your children who, I believe, choose to not live like the example you modeled for us in the Holy Scriptures. Lord forgive my human desires to lash out and help me to live and love all your children who proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and all who reject your gift of love and grace. After all my God and my Redeemer, you set the example of unconditional love through our redemption from sin by evidence of the empty tomb and live eternally until you take us home to celebrate Easter with you forever. Please forgive me and help me make a difference instead of adding to the angst of the world. Amen
We are in a deeply emotional time in our world and our vile reaction to our selfish desires and what we believe to be our freedoms being infringed has exploded. I read a lot of me, mine and I statements. Please, understand that I realize that our worldly situation has had devastating consequences for people around the globe. I do not diminish that experience. Please understand that I am a student of the Constitution, please understand that I believe in the freedoms afforded us in our country. Please understand that I love my country, am blessed to be a citizen and have zero desire to lose the rights of citizenship under the Constitution. I understand many are in the worst and lowest circumstances of their lives wondering what tomorrow holds. I pray expecting God to show up and take care of all as God promises in the scriptures.
I do expect me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to live like Jesus did. He was not a slave to his freedoms and rights. He lived in a selfless way not bound by human laws, but bound by the humanly unnatural way of Agape, unconditional, love from God. He left the presence of God on this earth in the form of the Holy Spirit so that we may live as aliens in this world with the same ability he had to love unconditionally and live unconditionally.
But Christian, the fruits of the Spirit are not anger, hatred, selfishness, pride, name calling, lying, deceiving, fighting and on and on. Honestly the arrogance of many Christians as privileged and right disturbs me. Please understand my observations of all of this is no respecter of theological leanings or of extremes, my observation is from what I see and discern in general about the way we as Christians are living and responding in our circumstances.
Are we living like God desires us to live as representatives of the most high God? Please think about what we say, who we attack and what our selfishness brings. Please keep our proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior first as a filter to all we say and do. Please carefully discern our words used in prayer as words to uplift and bring praise to God and not as a personal powerful tool to attack others. Please think about what we write and say to others in the precious name of Jesus. Remember we are examples of God who is bigger than all of our rights and all of our struggles and all of our painful distress and circumstance.
John Wesley reminds us, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as long as ever you can." My addition is no matter what my circumstance is like.
Friends, as I seek forgiveness from God, I seek forgiveness from all of you who I wanted to lash out at and attack. Honestly, there are many so do not take this personal! You really do not know who you are! My heart and actions are not lined up with my proclamation of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. So forgive me I pray.
I also implore all who proclaim Christ to live like we proclaim Christ and stop living with a selfish, false proclamation. Get better taking on the character of the One you follow and stop letting the world see our falseness in giving God our praise in the best of times but not during our suffering.
I truly love you my friends.
“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.” - Galatians 5:22-24 The Message
Peace,PB
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