Tonight as I was writing in my journal about the events of the day, I wrote the following and realized the truths not meant for my eyes only:
One of the most important responsibilities Christians have is that of being edifying and kind, not rude and unfeeling. Sensitivity is not usually something that I am or am partial to, but the world would be lost without just the right touch of sensitivity paired with sensibility. It is one of the key ingredients in the recipe to be a human of integrity and selflessness. Just like an entire meal can taste bad if you mix up the salt with the sugar, so can one ruin a ministry or relationship with a single word that does not glorify the Father.
A good recipe for a man or woman of God comes straight from God’s magnificent cookbook itself: the Bible. It is from a passage I have been learning from so much this past month.
Colossians 3:5-10
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked when you were living in them.”
(Note, WHEN is past tense. are is present, and is not written there, meaning you have put off the old self and that is a part of your past and you no longer live in sin. Remember that).
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have out off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Any attempt deliberately add salt instead of sugar in a recipe without salt is not going to yield the pleasant sweet taste of what the recipe calls for it to be. Meaning: if we blatantly disobey God and choose to let the saltiness of flesh get in the way of the Spirit, the effects of our sin will destroy the sweet assurance in the taste of choosing to put away our pride and selfish ambitions in order to choose to follow God’s recipe for being like Him.
Colossians 3:12
“Put on then, as Gods chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”
Yes, my time in Malawi I have been hurt. It has been a harder month than I expected, but I have been learning that if I simply choose the Spirit over the flesh and make the conscious decision to edify, I can find joy I so have been finding myself lacking. Yes, it is hard, but the Lord gave us the free will to choose, and even if you think what might be the right thing, such as hurtful “truths” that only degrade someone you might have great dislike for, or think that anger is a better alternative to meekness, you have mixed the wrong ingredients together. God is not a God of “getting even”; He is a God of forgiveness and second chances even to people who seem to not deserve it.
Colossians 3:13-14
“Bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. And above all these put on love which binds us together in perfect harmony.”
(Where does it give the okay to hate?? Nowhere!!)
If you ever are wondering how some people can ever be forgiven, just think of yourself, (It is something I do on the daily, it is a great way to humble yourself) have you not sinned just as well if not the same sin? Is not everyone just as bad as those who murder? Does not 1 John 3:15 say:
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
(See previously said in Colossians 3:15 about putting to death sin you walked in before you put on the new self in Christ).
No sin is greater than anyone else’s. Does not God forgive even murderers? Did He not send His son to die for everyone, no exceptions? Then how can anyone be exempt from forgiving someone who “does not deserve forgiveness” if, in fact, no one does? What would the meaning of God’s grace and mercy be if they were only for certain people? We ourselves are just as murderers and by no means deserve forgiveness from a heavenly Father. But Christ does it without questioning and calls us His beloved children.
Now that certainly helps me forgive, even if I have been hurt. It is a choice one has to make every day, that of putting on the new self that is Christ and rejecting that of the old self which is sin. Sin is so easy to slip back into, but the conscious decision to choose kindness over malice, humility over pride, and forgiveness over hatred is one that will not only change your worldview but also have an effect and change how those around you view you. Will they see you, or will they see Jesus?
Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
I am now only $1,583 away from my fundraising goal!! I have been given some wiggle room, but need the money in ASAP!! As soon as possible!! Prayerfully consider donating!! I thank you so much for your support and prayers!!!!!
