Wounded Love

Genesis 42:26-28

Do you find it easy for you to give, after you’ve been hurt, or do you cling to your possessions, not trusting that your acts of love and kindness will be appreciated by those whom you’ve forgiven? When a man abides in the love of God, it causes him to behave differently from those who are unaware of what His love truly stands for. God’s love is “patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV).

It should never be hard for a Christian to bless others, even after experiencing hurt and shame. This was proven to be true in our text, where Joseph not only blessed his brothers with food supplies, but he secretly returned the money which they used to buy the goods. This simple, yet commendable act says a great deal about the character of Joseph. It was proven that he had forgiven his brothers, by the selfless acts of love he rendered to him.

As you continue on your journey through life, be mindful not to hold grudges against those who have wronged you. Instead, keep your heart open to forgive them, and your hands extended to offer a helping hand (within reason, of course… also be mindful of those who willingly try to take advantage of your kindness, and allow the Holy Ghost to give you discernment to know the difference).

We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.

Ell

Gone Too Far… Smh

John 13:31-35

This lesson’s text is filled with so many teaching points, that I would be writing for days expounding upon them all. Instead, I prefer to bring your attention to verse 31. At first glance, many would skip to verse 32, without noticing a valuable lesson written in plain sight in this verse.

Jesus was the most true, honest, reliable, and dependable friend anyone could have ever asked for. His obvious connection to God should have been a dead giveaway of the character one could expect from sharing experiences with Him, and those who shared the most experiences with Jesus during His ministry were, His disciples. Jesus selected 12 ordinary men, and empowered them to perform some of history’s most extraordinary works. Can you imagine, walking, talking, laughing, crying, and enjoying all the experiences of life, but in the presence of Christ? I can’t fathom how that would feel, but I am certain that every disciple who followed after Jesus, was changed from the moment they gave up their past, to the very instant they saw His power in action.

Although Jesus proved to His followers that He indeed was sent by God to save the world, this amazing truth did little to influence a man who shared in those amazing works and experiences with the Son of God. Judas Iscariot, was handpicked by Jesus, to become one of the chosen disciples. In the same way as the other 11, Judas also left all, to follow Christ, but his experience was on a level his brethren knew nothing about. If Jesus had not known the thoughts of Judas, I’m apt to believe, He would have carried Himself a different way. But, from the beginning, to his betrayal, Jesus knew full well, the heart of Judas had been hardened to the point of no return. It’s sad to fathom how a man can become so consumed with the cares of this world, that even God in the flesh, could not influence him to change.

Judas had gone too far, and although he was blessed with power to do things ordinary men could only dream of, he couldn’t let go of his lust for the world, which caused him to make the most devastating decision of his life. Yes, God’s plan was that Christ be sacrificed, but maybe… just maybe, it could have been triggered by someone other than Jesus’ disciple.

No man will ever face betrayal on a level as Jesus did, but I’m 175 percent sure, that someone in your “circle of friends” has been holding a blade, and waiting for the opportunity to stab you in the back. Unlike the average human, Jesus showed love to Judas, despite knowing He was never really true to his confession.

Will you continue to love those who you know hate your guts, but haven’t been bold enough to confess it yet? Those in your life who have gone too far, and allowed the opinions of others to dictate their perspective of who you are, can you still smile, hug, and shower them with the love of Christ?

After Judas had left the table, Jesus said to those who remained faithful, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (vs. 35). Judas betrayed the Son of God, yet the Son never stopped loving him…and the Son will never stop loving you, but you must give the same love to one another.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Weigh the evidence carefully

Deuteronomy 19:15-20

If all members of the body of Christ loved each other as they were commanded to, according to Scripture, then there would be no reason to establish matters concerning false witnesses and reports. This is because, the love of God that dwells in each individual would permeate so deep in their hearts, until any thought of evil, or deception would be clipped at the root, before being birthed from the lips. Rather than seek to deceive, or manipulate a brother or sister, members would instead look for opportunities to bless them at all times. God is giving, and gracious in doing so, and those who abide in His love have the capability of operating in like manners. Unfortunately, men are fickle, and tend to give in to the pressures of sin, which cause them to turn against the brethren in the church.

In those moments, when someone brings up a false report against another, our text teaches that the two involved parties are to come before those in charge of handling such matters, in order to find the truth of that matter. In addition, one man’s word alone isn’t enough to convict the accused, but two or three witnesses are required to validate the alleged report. This is similar to our court system today, where it takes more than one man’s word to convict another, because witnesses and evidence must be presented to prove the assumed claims. God stands for truth, and shuns lies, so in order to rightly justify, or sentence a man for a claim, the matter was to be carefully investigated by judges, who were instructed to make “diligent inquisition” of, or carefully and thoroughly seek the truth of reported cases. It’s never a good thing to quickly condemn someone based on a false accusation, without thoroughly seeking the truth, because you could be responsible for wrongfully judging an innocent man, and according to this text, if it’s discovered that the accusation was indeed false, then the one who presented the lie would be judged by the same judgment he intended to be brought upon the innocent.

This example was intended to bring fear in all who were present at the hearing of such cases, so that they would think twice about making the same mistake of falsely accusing their brother or sister.

Bearing false witness sucks on so many levels because, if you claim to have the love of God in your heart, how could you even imagine thinking evil of your own people? Love covers a multitude of faults, so even if you witnessed a fellow believer fall, or make a mistake, you don’t put their fault on blast, instead you approach them in brotherly love, and hope they receive your rebuke in love as well.

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:25-32).

Walk in love,

Ell

Love your neighbors

Romans 13:1-10

The one thing that binds all men and women together is, love. Everyone created by God shares the same likeness and image as Himself. Although some choose to live according to the original standards set in place by God, many have veered off track, and taken a liking to ungodly living. Regardless of who refuses to abide by the principles of conduct God demands, Christians are required to continue in love, and extend it to all who cross their path.

There’s no other way to escape this world of evil and wickedness, except by death, or Christ’s return, so while we remain in this finite realm, God expects His people to maintain a holy balance in all areas of their lives. Whether we’re required to subject ourselves to “higher powers” in governments or other arenas, or show love to simple strangers, our mission is to live in such a way, that we keep peace with all men, while not disobeying God’s commands at the same time. Not all men will reciprocate kindness toward us during this life, but there are times when our ways can please God to the point He’ll make even our enemies be at peace with us.

When a man has a full understanding of what love truly is, there are things he just won’t do. Real love will never cause a man to transgress the moral law, deprive any man of his wife, take another man’s life, rob a woman of her virtue, hate anyone, take someone’s property without permission, defame a man’s name, live selfishly, or execute malicious intent toward anyone. Treat others the way you would want to be treated, and love them how you’d expect them to love you, because showing sincere love is the fulfilling of the law.

Walk in love,

Ell