Difficult People.

In his book, "The Life You've Always Wanted," John Ortberg writes about dealing with difficult people.

"The ministry of bearing with one another is more than simply tolerating difficult people. It is also learning to hear God speak through them. It is learning to be "for" them. It is learning that the difficult person I have most to deal with is me."

"Bearing with them" does not require becoming best friends, but means learning to wish them well, releasing our right to hurt them back, coming to experience our common standing before the cross."

I have a "difficult" friend. But I have learned so much from her. In the middle of a conversation she will start praying for whomever we were talking about. When I was feeling very weak, she anointed my head with oil and prayed for me. I was healed when I found out I needed vitamin C. Although she is poor, when she has extra she shares with her neighbors. I won't tell you her "difficult" traits. They are minor compared with the beautiful, growing Christian that she is.

Of course, there are people who are toxic - who hurt everyone they touch. These people are more than difficult, and they are best avoided. But we can still forgive, love and pray for them by the grace Christ gives us.

Loving Unconditionally.

I started reading "How to Succeed at Being Yourself," by Joyce Meyer. The first chapter opened my eyes about loving other people. Joyce says she knew she was supposed to show love to others and she tried, but without success. She didn't understand why until God showed her that she didn't love and accept herself or believe God loved her.

"My problem was a lack of love. I had never received proper love in my life; therefore, I had never learned to properly love myself." She says most people do not like themselves.

I remember when I was first a Christian at 19 years old I was judgemental and critical of other people. I was that way because I believed God was always judging me and finding fault with me. Every little mistake or sin made me think God had left me and didn't love me. That was my image of God so I treated others the same way.

When I finally came to see God loves me just as I am each day, the woman who sometimes swears, gets angry, smokes, and does things she knows she shouldn't. When I finally believed He loved me in spite of all this, I could love people who were not perfect too.

"We must develop the kind of mature love that says, 'I know I need to change, and I want to change. In fact, I believe God is changing me daily, but in the meanwhile I will not reject what God accepts. I will accept myself as I am right now, knowing that I will not always remain this way."

If we can feel that about ourselves, we can feel that about others.

I Am a Little Church.

Photo by: Heavybluesman

i am a little church(no great cathedral)

By e.e.cummings


Original Language English

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/C/cummingsee/iamalittle/index.html

I like this poem so much. I guess because I also feel like a little church, not a great cathedral. In fact, I can relate to everything in this poem. God bless you all.

God Control.

1. The Holy Spirit controls your mind (Romans 8:5-9).

For Paul, there are only 2 different mind-sets, only 2 different thought patterns=they are opposites. Your mind is either controlled by the Spirit or the sinful nature. Remember Paul is talking to Christians, who have the Holy Spirit. He makes it very clear in Romans 8:9 that if you don’t have the Spirit, you’re not yet a Christian.

"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

Romans 8:9

"For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death." Romans 7:5

http://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-5-romans-8

I remember learning in university about the philosophy of determinism which says we have no control over what we do. There is no free choice. We are led by our genetics, upbringing and circumstances. I could see the logic in that when it was explained and realized that the only free choice we have is whether we will follow God or not. If not, then Satan and evil control us. If we follow God, then He will control us. 

This is an awesome truth. Those without God believe they control themselves, but they are wrong. It is frightening to think how many follow Satan all the way to the grave. It is so sad. If they only knew what a life with God is like they would run to Him.

A Mother's Love.

I have a friend whose son is a cocaine addict. He went to rehab and was clean for 9 months, then he slipped and started again. We always pray for him, and recently he went to a Christian group home trying to get clean again. I talked with him on the phone once and he sounded very sick and depressed.

My friend told me last week that someone had taken him to a Campus Crusade for Christ event. Afterwards, a Christian family took him in. He sounded well on the phone with his mom and we were praising God.

I like these kinds of churches who help the helpless and take people in. It is a wonderful act of kindness and love.

I've been feeling pretty weak and sick lately myself and I thought it was my fibromyalgia and my friend anointed me with oil and prayed for me. A few days later I found out I had a lack of vitamin C. I'm allergic to citrus fruits so I never eat them now. I started taking vitamin C every day and have noticed a big change. I have a lot of energy now and I just want to thank and praise God for helping me.

Selling the House.

My husband and I live in the bottom level of our daughter's house. Now that my grandchildren are grown they don't need me to babysit so we are selling the house. People have been coming to see it almost every day so I am constantly cleaning and leaving the house etc. I don't have much time to write on my blogs.

I'll write when I can and let you know when the house sells. I pray it will sell soon. God bless!

Take This.

If someone says to you, "Take this," you are given the choice of taking it or not. Jesus said, "Take up your cross" and "Take this yoke and put it on." Not alluring offers - until you see the truth that they are the best offers you will ever have. Taking up a cross and a yoke from God means the God of the universe lives within you. It means you will know you can talk with him any time and He is right there. It means your soul will be saved forever and death means nothing. 

"Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

 When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. Thus, Christ carried his, until he fainted from fatigue and exhaustion. See notes at Matthew 27:31. The cross was usually composed of two rough beams of wood, united in the form of this figure of a cross It was an instrument of death. See the notes at Matthew 27:31-32. To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment. So "to carry the cross" is a figurative expression, denoting that we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. It consists simply in doing our duty, let the people of the world think of it or speak of it as they may. It does not consist in making trouble for ourselves, or doing things merely "to be opposed;" it is doing just what is required of us in the Scriptures, let it produce whatever shame, disgrace, or pain it may. This every follower of Jesus is required to do.
http://bible.cc/matthew/10-38.htm

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29

It refers here to the religion of the Redeemer; and the idea is, that they should embrace his system of religion and obey him. All virtue and all religion imply "restraint" - the restraint of our bad passions and inclinations - and subjection to laws; and the Saviour here means to say that the restraints and laws of his religion are mild, and gentle, and easy.
http://bible.cc/matthew/11-29.htm

Taking something offered is a voluntary act. God never forces Himself on anyone. I pray all of us will say yes to God today.