Pretty stones, eh? Bright, beautiful stones…I’m sure you’ve never done this, but I went to bed, well, angry. Justifiably so, in my mind…I had it in my mind, I had the reasons, the guilt of the other party all laid out. Slept, not well, but I slept. And this morning, the Holy Spirit began to peel the layers of my “justifiable” anger. And it began with me. Well, I started to get my guard up and begin to fight my case when I opened my verse of the day. This was another instance of SIGH…
9He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.
10A reproof enters deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred lashes into a [self-confident] fool.(A)
As you may know, this was written by the wisest man EVER. Solomon. If you have some time, please read his story of receiving this gift in 1 Kings 3:1-15.
I am amazed by God’s gifts. I could have gone into my conversation with my guns blazing (well,not literally..) but I just asked the Spirit to lead and guide my apology. Mercy..I have received God’s mercy. His forgiveness. His Son. How am I to do any less?
I want to seek love..I want to seek freedom. Accusatory language in my mind that flowed quite freely in my imagined conversation would have brought chains and bondage. Instead, I choose to seek love.
May I be a “man of understanding”. I want no confidence to be in my flesh or body but instead…
Luke 9:23-24
23And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [[g]disown himself, [h]forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, [i]refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [[j]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].
24For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [[k]from the penalty of eternal death].
What do you want today? Are you going to hold onto your anger? Or are you going to choose freedom in Christ? Maybe you say, Cara, you don’t understand..this person wounded me. And I would say, who had greater cause to hate? Christ, on the cross, said, “Father, forgive them!”
Remember who you are in Christ. Today…right now. Here’s Jason Gray’s video..
Love you guys…let’s fight the GOOD fight today.
0[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[b]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
11That if possible I may attain to the [[c]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].
12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
Pray on!
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