It's hard to be a Christian sometimes, even around other Christians. I've been discovering that recently, but also filled with awe at the work that God is doing in each & every one of our lives.
Mat 22:37-39 And He [Jesus] said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I've been so thankful as God has revealed His work in my life, especially in this area. To love your neighbour as yourself means to put others before yourself, even when it costs you & even when it hurts you. The sinful person in us wants to be heard: "Do you know how much you've hurt me?", or even when we do put the needs of others first, we wish that someone would notice that. It's a little like that hypocrite who prays to be seen by others (Mat 6:5-6). I'm quite an emotional person & when I'm hurt, I want the other person to notice & perhaps give me a hug.
What God has been teaching me is to bring all things to Him. With God, you can cry out to Him how you feel, or better still, pray for the one who has hurt you. It teaches us to put our own feelings aside to care for the other person & desire them good & not harm. For isn't that what Jesus did?
Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.
It's such a great encouragement & joy to see the ways God shapes our characters to be more like Jesus'. As He pulls out the thorns & weeds in our hearts, He makes them pure & aligns our desires to His. We often don't pray for God to do this because it may be a painful process, but I hope that our desire to be like Jesus will enable us to overcome all of that.
Mat 22:37-39 And He [Jesus] said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I've been so thankful as God has revealed His work in my life, especially in this area. To love your neighbour as yourself means to put others before yourself, even when it costs you & even when it hurts you. The sinful person in us wants to be heard: "Do you know how much you've hurt me?", or even when we do put the needs of others first, we wish that someone would notice that. It's a little like that hypocrite who prays to be seen by others (Mat 6:5-6). I'm quite an emotional person & when I'm hurt, I want the other person to notice & perhaps give me a hug.
What God has been teaching me is to bring all things to Him. With God, you can cry out to Him how you feel, or better still, pray for the one who has hurt you. It teaches us to put our own feelings aside to care for the other person & desire them good & not harm. For isn't that what Jesus did?
Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.
It's such a great encouragement & joy to see the ways God shapes our characters to be more like Jesus'. As He pulls out the thorns & weeds in our hearts, He makes them pure & aligns our desires to His. We often don't pray for God to do this because it may be a painful process, but I hope that our desire to be like Jesus will enable us to overcome all of that.
1 comments:
Often putting the other person first means they will never see how much it costs. God sees all though and knows our hearts and our minds. Keep persevering to honour Him and do not despise the Lord's discipline if it comes. Hang in there =)
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