Friday, November 30, 2007

Forgiveness

Speaking about love.....

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I highlighted the parts of the verse that are on my heart right now.

I think sometimes the best act of love is forgiveness. I like to think that I have become real good at forgiving others; probably because I mess up all the time and need a lot of forgivenes frequently....so because I receive it so much, I know to give it a lot! I am pretty aware of my faults and weaknesses and I like to think this keeps me from being prideful in my relationships. I genuinely love people and I believe their intentions are good and having this optimistic thinking has really helped my relationships. When there's a question, I just assume the person didn't intend to be offensive and I am usually right. I think to always give a person the benefit of the doubt is one of the best people skills I was taught. If you really feel offended -- ask the person to clarify what they are saying. Most likely, there was a miscommunication and things were heard or read the wrong way! Miscommunication is the #1 reason for strained relationships. We "hear" so much more than what is really said!!

or maybe the person has lots of issues going on in their lives, they are just a mess and took it out on the wrong person... their blow up at you might not be really against you at all --- and that might have been a perfect opportunity to witness to this person and show love and forgiveness even when you've been wronged!!

Do you give people the benefit of the doubt? Or do you read into what they are saying to you and assume they are trying to be offensive to you? Do you automatically assume the worst of people? If you are offended by somebody, do you tell them directly or no?

There are some people I have crossed paths with - that absolutely just don't forgive and always assume the worst in my words. We simply don't "click". I can honestly say there are only probably about 5 people in my whole 24 years on earth that this has happened to... and most of the time it's people I've only had very little or no face to face interaction with at all (one I remember is a swim coach I had once... but the rest were only on message boards, my mom's groups, phone calls, and quick face to face interactions). These people won't talk out differences and don't try to see things from others point of views.. they just simply either ignore the problem and think less of you as a person.... automatically using their judgements against you (even if they aren't right)....or they just banish you from their life all together.

Neither of those 'solutions' are healthy or what God would want us to do... in my opinion.

When somebody has done you wrong (or better yet, when you THINK you have been wronged or when you FEEL wronged), and you get hurt and simply ignore the problem, you are putting a deadstop on the relationship. The relationship will not be able to grow or deepen without dealing with the issue. You have left a huge hole in the connection you had and it wil eventually get broken down. There is a verse about this... how when you and a brother have a difference, even if you're in the middle or worshipping - go to him and work it out.... but I can't remember the verse.. ANybody!?!

When you don't try to work things out, you are showing that person, their point of view is not worthy of your attention, and you are showing them they are not worthy of your friendship anymore. It is a selfish act, a prideful act. You are not showing love at all. I know that people make this decision thinking they are protecting themselves from future pain... but the opposite effect will happen. Unresolved issues eat away at you.

There are times where the 2 people do talk and work out their problems and at least try to see each other's points of view....and their relationship still ends. but that's okay. Sometimes people were not meant to be a long term relationship in our lives. What matters though is that you loved them even when you felt wronged.

It is very very very easy to love somebody when they are always good to you, when things are great in your relationship. But what made Jesus truly different and incredible was that He loves/loved people who wronged Him bigtime. He loved when it was NOT easy!! Love and relationships can be hard!! just like life!

So.... that is what was on my heart today. I was just thinking about love from my last post... what love really is... and forgiveness was just so big on my heart. The fact that Jesus sees all my ugly horrible sin and forgives me for it is just incredible! He loves me when it isn't easy!!

So for all the broken relationships I have out there - I hope I have done my part to continue to love, forgive and accept the person. Whether they will love me back, is not up to me. and I want my heart to be okay with that.

I hope you can say the same! :)

Have a great weekend! What are you all doing!??! Anything fun planned!??!?! :)

Thursday, November 29, 2007

P.S. again (so read the 1st one from today FIRST!)

P.S. on my previous post.

I hope anybody that reads these blogs.....realizes that I get so passionate about these politicians because they claim to be christians!!! (and YES there are exceptions to every rule - it's not EVERY democrat, it's not EVERY liberal... but I know the people who read my blog who are politically savvy and who I talk to regularly, know exactly who I'm talking about haha).....I hold christians to a different standard than non christians!!! What makes me so passionate and upset about our 'leaders' and people running for our government is that they claim to know God and Jesus yet all the things they do go exactly against the Word of God!

It's ONE thing if you lead a lifestyle because you don't know The Truth!! We need to teach those people through love and acceptance and The Word. But it's a TOTALLY different thing if you claim to be a christian and still approve and stick up for these lifestyles and sins that are totally against God's word!!!! Do not claim to know God just to move you ahead politically because you know the majority of our country is still christian!! And if you do know God and if you are a christian -- what in the world are you doing trying to change His moral code!??!? We need to keep these people accountable... because "If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share it happiness (i Cor 12:26)...."You are the body of Christ and each one of you is part of it" (i Cor 12:27)..."the body is a uniue, though it is made up of many parts; and though all it parts are many, they form one body" (i Cor 12:12)

Christians need to encourage each other to be better. They need to speak positive and the Truth into each other's lives. We need to stop expecting so LITTLE of each other!!! We are better than we show!! Our leaders will be judged on a much more strict level and I fear for the judgement God will pass on them if they continue to lead our innocent youth to hell. God speaks very bodly against people who stop children from coming to Him... and guess what our "leaders" are doing! The one side of our political government is trying to take God out of EVERYTHING. I don't think He is happy!

I love America --- and I want to continue to be a nation who is one nation under one God. I want America to continue to be based on the FREE enterprise system. I don't want Raymond's peers to be raised by the government. I don't want it to be okay to kill babies --- yet NOT okay to discipline them...and on and on and on

So that is where my fire came from if you were curious. Thank you so much for letting me get out my ranting on here. I don't get that chance a lot. There's a lot of passion between this smile and bubbly optimism that I need to type out sometimes!

My thoughts:

**You can not be against what he is for and still be for Him.
** You can NOT be FOR what He is against... and still be for Him.

It ONLY works this way:
**If you are for God.. you are against what He is against... and for what He is for!!!

We are called to love! encourage! and challenge each other!

Ya know how whenever I have a passionate post....God always follows up with some extra lessons for me. Well He did it again! I get daily devotionals from the Purpose Driven Life to my email and I thought the one I read today fit very appropriately into what was on my heart! It was all about Love.. then I checked out my favorite blogs and 3 of them all had that same theme! I love how God does that! So it got me thinking of some ideas I had to add onto my passionate 2 previous posts:

As can be shown from my last 2 passionate posts, I LOVE the Truth and I LOVE people. I want to be more and more like Jesus. He always always always stuck up for the Truth yet at the same time always offering love to all.

I just genuinely love people. I'm a people person. I love meeting new people, learning about them and talking. I am very compassionate... actually I used to be way overly compassionate (a bleeding heart) never really giving credit to people as to how strong they could be. And never giving credit to God that He can help people overcome. I'd feel so BAD for people -- but I realized that was unncessary. Have compassion - but then use it to help them. Help them realize things can and will get better! Help them put on their big girl (or boy) panties and move on! I was soo compassionate/sensitive that I had to call my mom at least twice a year in school to pick me up early because I was too upset because I saw somebody eating lunch by themselves..or I saw somebody get picked on or whatever.. but literally I went home from school crying quite often up until 8th grade. I remember when I didn't do it in 8th grade, the WHOLE family was excited - I was getting stronger!

But ...like I was trying to get across in my last posts, enough though I love people and have so much fun with them and have so much compassion for them, I want to make sure that I always stand up for my beliefs even if means that I have to give somebody a Truth they don't want to hear.... I don't want to ever give an answer that doesn't boldly speak from my heart. My grandma would never tell me something that was not a Truth just to make me feel good about myself... and I LOVED that about her. I think it was a Jesus quality. I don't think it's possible to truly love somebody and lie to them.

Sometimes loving somebody means setting a higher standard for them, a higher standard then they have for themselves... sometimes loving somebody means you want what's best for them in the LONG TERM (eternity) not just their immediate happiness. And sometimes loving somebody means that you express your love for THEM but let them know you don't approve of their actions/lifestyle/whatever it may be.

I don't believe we ever have the right to "call anybody out" or put somebody down unprovoked. Unasked-for "advice" is called criticism... and one of the first people skills I was ever taught was to not criticize, condemn or complain.

Above all else we must love God... and we do that by putting Him first... and His Truth first... and Then we are to love others above ourselves. We will never win people to our Kingdom while wearing robes, we must leave the judging to God .... but we will also never help people live to the fullest and best relationship they can have with the Lord -- without challenging them to be better!!

SO HOW do we talk to people about sin while still showing them love... and do it without criticizing, and acting like we are better than them???? see this post: http://therooksfamily.blogspot.com/2007/10/keeping-each-other-accountable-for-sins.html those are some of my thoughts on that

We are called to ENCOURAGE one another -- never to Condemn!!

Jesus loved on everybody --- but He challenged people to be better. He saw them for what they COULD be yet loved them where they were... and loved them enough to help them get there and not stay unchanged!

I want to be like that! :) I want everybody to feel my love... but I also want God to shine His light through me so I will offend the darkness in others!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Updates from previous post -- my viewpoints

To followup from previous post....

We are ALL sinners and I believe it's very important to always speak the Truth, yet in a way that is full of love and compassion. We need to speak the message that we are ALL sinners, we all have our weaknesses and we can ALL be forgiven if we ask for it!! But either way... the Truth needs to be spoken. On the 2 issues mentioned in comments... my opinion is:

Did you know that out of all the MILLIONS of abortions in a YEAR - less than 1 % are because the mother is at risk? Less than 1 %!! Let's be serious --- abortion is used as a common form of birth control - the statistics are TERRIFYING. 1 out of every THREE teenagers right now will get pregnant pre marriage! AHHH Premarital sex is at an all time high - and it is soo disheartening. As a society we ALWAYS try to "put on a bandaid to cure a hemmoraging broken leg". There are deep routed issues here and we need help! And it isn't going to be helped by going the exact same path we have been! We need to run toward God and the black and white TRUTH and stop tiptoeing around this grey area of trying to make the majority happy and not be offended.

I think acting on gay tendencies is a sin. I think killing babies is a sin. Just as much as I think lying and stealing and taking the Lord's name in vain are sins. (Have you read "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson -- I will write a blog on this later.. it was great)

I think as a society we make a mistake in thinking that if we don't stand for anything - then we are just neutral - but there is NEVER neutrality - you either stand for the Truth, or you don't.
There is not and never will be a society full of people-pleasers, offend nobody, relational peace and harmony until the Lord comes back and restores our broken souls and broken relationships.

I don't know why many supposed "leaders" in our country try to ignore Right and Wrong. Why do they try to ignore what this country was founded on!? Why are they even HERE in MY AMERICA!? Why are they trying to change this beautiful and wonderful God created country which has been the most influential and most positive power for good in our world in centuries!!? These are the same people that don't think english should be our official language.... and who want to change America, depending on the viewpoints of the people who are moving into it at that time.

So that's all I got for tonight. Point is..... I have friends who lead homosexual lifestyles, just like I have friends who had abortions, just like I have friends who lie, just like I have friends who get drunk, just like I have friends who take the Lord's name in vain.

The common denominator is that their SIN is not acceptable. I LOVE these people - I do NOT like at all their sin. Just like I hate my sin. Although I can love on these people and give them approval and accept them as a person... I can't accept their sin. I probably will end up spending less and less time with these friends if they continue on the path they are on without ever admitting their sin... mostly they end the relationship because they will be offended by the light God shines through me and through my other friends who are running toward the Lord. I won't fit in with them anymore.

I want people to turn from their ways --- I don't want anybody to ever mistake my love for them to be my acceptance of their lifestyles.

I DO NOT accept people who run away from God and then try to change the moral truths that He has laid down (and that our country is founded on)....to make THEM happy and feel better about their sinful actions!!!

How do you have a debate with people who have no moral code? They live and make decisions according to what will bring them pleasure, immediate gratification and happiness..... I feel like I am back in the Roman Empire right before it fell.

Love yall, as they say in the south. Have a great night :)

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Why is it so wrong to disagree?

I don't understand so many things about our society.

Why is it wrong to have different opinions from each other? Why is it so wrong to disagree and stick up for your beliefs? And be passionate about them!? And why does it have to be so offensive when we do stick up and disagree with somebody?

Did you know it IS possible to "get along" yet disagree!? It really is! I mean, who wrote the book that said we all have to have the exact same viewpoints? And that viewpoint (according to the left) is whatever the majority thinks at the time. Don't people realize that it's impossible to please everybody all the time? I learned that in 2nd grade from my dad when my siblings and I couldn't agree on something and he had to make a veto decision.

Don't people realize that if we ALL thought exactly the same things all the time.... there would be no need for any of us, except for one person. We were all created with our own experiences our own talents our own brains our own passions.... and we were created that way for a reason. We are DIFFERENT (GASP! from the liberal mainstream). YES we are DIFFERENT from each other!?? We WERE CREATED DIFFERENTLY! Can you believe it!? You might be able to physically clone somebody -- but we have souls that are UNcloneable!!

I guess liberals (I will call them 'liberals' throughout the rest of my journal.... but interchange that for whatever you want, seculars, moral relativists, clintons, socialists) hate to have differing opinions from the church of liberalism they have created... because then they would have to admit there is a Creator! They would have to admit that there IS a right and wrong... and that it has NOTHING to do with what the MAJORITY BELIEVES! For example: The Truth is is that it is NEVER okay to kill babies just because you can't SEE them! Killing babies will not solve the problem - there are much deeper routed issues obviously! Why has it become okay because the majority ignores these murders?

Liberals believe that life is supposed to be easy and should be centered on our own relative happiness, but I dont' agree! The Truth says otherwise -- and life around us proves it! Some people out there are soo bogged down in not offending anybody -- that they are offending God and all He stands for!!!!!

Wake up people and get some guts. There is one univeral Truth out there written in the word of God -- and it needs to be spoken. When we are challenged we can't back down. Jesus was not a people pleaser and was not afraid to disagree with the majority! He spoke the Truth always right up to His suffering and torture and death! What's the worst that can happen to us?

Speak the Truth in a loving, forgiving way. If you are seen as offensive because you are not agreeing with everybody else --- that's okay! because you will know that YOU were not offensive -- your WORDS were offensive - and you should have NO apology for that!

Speak the Truth in the positive. Tell people what they CAN have -- don't threaten them with what will happen if they don't listen to the Word.

We need to let the Truth be heard --- I believe that when a person hears the Truth enough - they can not deny it. Our souls can always recognize the Truth when heard enough.

I will speak the Truth today - no matter how much it MIGHT make me sweat, no matter what people say about me or to me.

SO MY REMINDER FOR THE DAY IS:
Liberals don't have guts -- they are taught to be people pleasers -- so they can't hurt you! If you speak the Truth, they might talk about you behind your back. Do you care? The worst case scenario is that they will get fired up about their Lies even more... and they MIGHT buy a bumper sticker to stick on their car to do their talking for them! And ya know what? That's okay --- in fact it's great. I love the freedom of speech, I will just choose to ignore those stickers.

I am SO thankful that God loves us enough to have given us free will. He doesn't make us do anything. We have to choose to. And in this wonderful country we have the freedom to choose what religion we want. We have the freedom OF religion. NOT the freedom FROM religion. So that protects me. I can speak the Truth when I want to, to whomever I choose. I choose My Christ and what He stands for.

If we don't stick up for christianity - we ARE sticking up for the other side!!!! If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Veteran's Day

I think it's so appropriate that Veteran's Day was set so close to Thanksgiving Day. I am so thankful to the men who have served and currently serve to protect our country, our freedom and ideals that have changed the world. What incredible people these are that volunteer their lives to protect mine...ours.



John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."



Jesus laid down his life for our personal freedom. And our servicemen put their lives on the line for our freedom as a country. I am humbled how many have volunteered to give me all the freedoms I cherish today.



I have no tolerance for people who do not respect, support and love our servicemen. In fact, I really have little tolerance for people who live in our country but have nothing but negative things to say about it. You don't like our country? You want to change all the ideals it was built on? JUST LEAVE! Nobody is forcing you to stay here. You are here and stay here because of the very luxuries and qualities that you will destroy if you keep trying to undermine our principles our country was built on. Please just leave if you hate it here and you hate what we stand for and who we are!



I am a traditionalist, a patriot and an American through and through and I make no apologies for what we stand for and the good we have done in this world!



God bless America! Thank you God for our veterans and servicemen. Thank you most importantly for your son Jesus that would give us the personal freedom and peace that this world can never offer and was never meant to offer!!


Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Bible reading

For the first time ever... I have been reading the whole Bible from start to finish this year, 2007. I am behind. Real behind on my goal. But that's okay. I am in Psalms still but actually it's not a rush. It was just a goal for me to make sure I read the Bible more than any other book I read. I'm going to be reading a LOT in these last 2 months of the year to at least try to finish my goal. I won't rush, because I know it's all about quality not quantity. But I will be very proud when I can say I've read the whole Bible through in a year.

My grandma read the Bible cover to cover every year for LOTS of years... over 60 years is my guess, and did daily devotionals on top of that. I can't even get into how much else she did in her life and daily habits. She appreciated so much the brain and talents God gave her and used them well.


Every other year before this one, I had just skipped around... but I've gotten a LOT out of reading through the old testament page by page not just verses here and there. I have loved the stories and reconnecting to the Old Testament. They mean so much more to me as I'm older. I see so much deeper into the stories I was told as a child. There is so much to be revealed about God from the Old Testament, I used to feel like I didn't understand that God. I liked the new testament with stories of Jesus. But that was when I was a baby christian. To truly appreciate and understand just how much Jesus did.. you have to understand what the law was like before He came. The old testament shows God's power, his warrior spirit, his justice, his disappointment in sin... yet his forgiveness is shown in the old testament too. I can't really pick a favorite book... I've loved it all.


For anybody that reads my ramblings... Has anybody read the Bible cover to cover? Or do you do devotionals? When is your Bible time during the day? Do you read it more than any other book that you read? Does your Bible get dusty during the week? Does your church give the highest priority to His Word and preach directly from it?


Do you take notes while you read? I used to think it was sooo 'wrong' or just like really bad to write in my Bible but not anymore! We have a family Bible that we don't write in. But this most recent Bible I bought, in 2002, I write in, underline, make notes, jot down ideas. I like to be totally interactive with the Bible, not a passive reader. Although I have to admit, when it's been a long day, I just sit and read the Psalms so I can just pour my heart to God and "just be" as I like to say. I have a Bible Study folder on my computer that I then transfer those notes and ideas to from the Bible to have all in one place what I got from the Bible. I hope to continue doing this and be able to see what different lessons I learned over the years... and how from the same text, I could find new meanings and lessons.


I love the Bible more and more as I get older. It's truly a map for living. It's the way He communicates to me.. It's the way He teaches me about Him, and I believe it's also how I find out all about ME. The more I know Him, the more I know me.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Thought for Today

Satan is the enemy of our souls. It is his voice that whispers messages to discourage us, diminish us, and condemn us. It's his voice that suggests God could never forgive us, stick by us, or love us. It is his voice that tells us we aren't good enough to receive salvation. And it is his voice that accuses us of inadequate faith and imperfect mental health. God calls him an "accuser" (Rev 12:10). *The Holy Spirit never accuses. Instead, he woos us, he wins us, and he loves us to behave better and to commit ourselves more deeply to him*

---- Marilyn Meberg ----

Who are you letting win your heart today? Are you listening to satan's accusations and condemnations? Or are you accepting the invitation from God to commune with Him, the one who accepts you, loves you and approves of you. God doesn't want you to listen to Satan's voice. Don't do it!

This is something I am always working on. I want to make sure I always listen to God's words about me and not satan's lies. But at the same time...I want to understand that I haven't EARNED God's love. I haven't EARNED the precious ability to commune with God whenever I want. Instead I accept an invitation given in grace. I am not great because of me, I am great because I have God. I am loved and approved of and accepted not because of me or anything I've done, but all because of Him.

I haven't EARNED the ability to talk to God whenever I want... Jesus did that for me. Are you taking the time today to appreciate what Jesus did? You can go to God without shame. Christ dealt once and for all for our guilt and we can interact with our Father without shame.

God will be angry when we sin, and He will discipline us for our own good, but He will NEVER hold a grudge against us. His essential nature is gracious, not wrathful. Our actions have consequences (what we sow we shall reep), but God can turn anything around for the good.

So go to Him. He wants your pain, your thoughts, your fears and your joy. Make Him a part of every minute of your day. He has been woo-ing you since you were a little girl, He wants to be the center of your life. Are you allowing Him in?

Do you turn to Him when things are going great to thank Him. "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father". We have lot to be thankful for. If you don't know how to start a relationship, communition or conversation with God. Start there...with Thanksgiving! Nothing new can come into your life unless you are grateful for what you have.

Do you run to His open arms when you are scared or sad or frustrated. There is no worry or thought to small to share with Him.. He already knows them anyway.

Make Him the center of your day today. You don't have to take 2 hours to kneel on the floor praying. You don't have to be formal with Him. Just talk to Him. Be with Him in thought. Do all things throughout your day with Him and for Him. Show Jesus you appreciate the price He paid for you.