On forgiveness...

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

I have been pondering lately about forgiveness. It isn't an easy thing to do yet we are commanded to do so as our Father has forgiven us of our sins. Years ago my brother Marty once gave me good advice during a time I was not living a well life and hurt a lot of people, especially my parents, he said, "As long as you're doing the things you are 'supposed' to be doing, you will be fine." I realize now what he meant but at that time I didn't know how to apply it nor did I have a relationship with Christ.

There is much more great insight in the book of Ephesians beginning in verse 17 that have great instruction about losing touch with God by allowing to keep hardness of heart and being calloused. But ultimately the verse I posted above makes the clear point - to forgive as we are forgiven. If we know God and our scriptures we know then that we must have trust and faith in forgiveness is it produces many fruits of the spirit and without it how will we grow in character as well as our relationship with our heavenly Father and expect to live with Him someday?

I often think of those that have not forgiven people. I feel sorry for them in that they don't seem to get it. They must not be aware of grace and love that will pour on them by trusting in this act that Christ teaches us by His own example. I pray for them that they will realize it isn't about being right or wrong, that it isn't about who hurt who or who is stronger willed and will not step down give up and say sorry and try and work things out. I hope they realize that it is a sin between them and God and until they acknowledge this I have to question will they ever have a desire to forgive?

I have lived with much question and anger off and during my life however year and a half ago I found who I am in Christ and that is when my character began changing after accepting my Savior. I finally realized that the unanswered questions no longer hurt me, that the enemy didn't have power any longer. Christ's gift of light instilled in me, as it is said in the book of John, and withstood the darkeness - the darkness cannot understand the light! What a transformation I have been going through. I was done with feeling hurt and recognized it as work of the enemy. I can only pray now that they will not let the enemy take use of the circumstance forever, after all we are here for only such a short time.

As I still grow in this Walk with God and continue in this new life in getting to know Christ my Savior I am continually a changed person. Daily I take inventory of all the things I do, my thoughts, my actions and even though I pray to God and know he knows my thoughts before they are thought, I still ask Him to show me where I may need to forgive others or how I may show them love. I find that I am still this new being all the time with the Holy Spirit bountifully alive in my heart just anew as it was when I first came into it and as long as I obey and keep close to Him I am filled with His joy!

Weeds

So I've been aggravated lately with the amount of weeds I've been getting in my front yard this spring. Why are they so bad? Why don't the neighbor's lawns seem to have them so bad? I sprayed them over and over last year so where did these all multiply from? This has created an eye for looking around and noticing other weeds everywhere I go - so I think to myself, "Why did God make weeds? What is the purpose?"

And as often as it happens to me my answer is revealed in the middle of the night and there it was. Weeds are there to be noticed and removed just as are the people in this world who do not believe in Christ. They live among beautiful flowers and grass sharing the soil because they too need to have a chance to grow, but little do they know why they there or that they are actually planted on purpose or what that purpose is so they are often short lived.

The weeds in a sense provide discernment and discipline to the gardener to take careful care to the garden they are tending to. They provide diversity in that they provide a way to recognize right from wrong. However to those that don't know the danger, the weeds have their way to tempt us to sow their seed. Remember being a child and how hard it was to resist your mother's instruction to not blow those fluffy parachute feather dusters just to see them float in the air? In fact come to think of it you and I fell in love with that dandelion the first time we saw it when we were children because it was so appealing! But now we know better, right?

The parable of weeds is spoken in Matthew 13:38, "The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." NIV

So how can we learn to love and exist with weeds in this field we live in? How can we bring them to the Word so that they too will believe? How then? We can be examples, we can pray, we can provide revelation, we can help shine the Lords' light and life by our continuing to witness the truth to them. Most of all we can persevere in living for Christ and following Him because the way we live probably impacts these weeds more than ever. I want someday someone to seek God for the same blessings for that which I have received and for that person to find Him in their life during these end times.

So the weeds in my lawn will continue to be more noticeable than I want them to be as they grow faster than the grass trying to the reach the sun and that is when I too see myself, someone who isn't always perfect, not always beautiful to the eye that beholds it, but alive and strong just the same given His light. I too am a weed, a sinner, but now I am living for a different purpose and knowing what that purpose is and every day is a new start and I am forgiven of my sins!

Because of my Savior I have been able to discern things right from wrong but am far from perfect. I will constantly be molded by Him to learn to harvest the soil around me. I know by hope, faith, trust, and perseverance I will become the good seed that is spoken about in Matthew. There are so many things that provide growth for even a small mustard seed; trust, faith, kindness, forgiveness, and love. This is all God wants from us and while I don't understand it, I don't need to. It is the truth and the way. Love is God and God is love and God sent his only son to the world, not to one religion or the other but to the world! Praise God! Just think, there is always a new season for a new harvest and you can never be too late to accept Him! Never! Never too late, not even for a theif on the cross!

So today I pray for the perseverance, strength, enlightenment, and love for God that I have to remain to continue to focus on my purpose and then I shall always know it! AMEN!

On Moving

We have officially put our house up for sale. The time is right in that Charlie's job in Wisconsin is looking like he will get to remain working after his temporary assignment. I think a lot of things just happen as they should, in the order they should, and that is when I know it is God's will.

We were given an option of Charlie gaining a job out in Phoenix Arizona, however he and I both feel we are being tested. You see ever since Charlie's job was announced it would end a year and a half ago I was led by the spirit that we would be moving to wherever that was. I didn't think a lot about it as I mentioned in past posts other than a way to get out of some bad habits in life, but as time has passed and I have grown more in my walk with Christ I find that there is a different purpose He has for us.

Some people ask me if I really want to live there, and I know there is not a lot to do there or the weather is so extreme in the winter, but I do want to for reasons that people don't understand and I know we will succeed. I think of Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." - We both have a really good feeling about the move especially after being led to go to a church out there. I get excited in anticipation of what the future holds for our little family. There is just so much more in this world than things to do and things to look at where you live, things that I cannot explain to someone that doesn't have a relationship with Christ. Doesn't mean our life will be perfect but as long as we have faith and trust in where He is taking us, it will work out fine.

I have to tell you about this God led church though. It isn't anything fantastic or hugely large, but it is an answer to a prayer and is God sent! You see I have been praying since Charlie left in April to find a church or some way for him to connect to being involed in church while he is out there so that if we do move out there this part will be in place. I don't think I could move and adjust to such changes without Christ in my life so it was important to me that we meet Him wherever we go and if Charlie got a head start on this part of it, I would know God's plan for us. Our church here too also prayed for this.

So one day I get a phone call from Charlie with ecstatic news, he was out in the company vehicle and got a flat tire. While he was waiting for the tire to be fixed he went across the street to Taco Bell to pass the time and he met up with a Pastor of a local church. We went to this church the next week and found it was only a 5 minute drive from his apartment. It was awesome and the sermon was geared to family and children. The people were very nice and very welcoming and since then Charlie has gone back. I can't wait until we go again and have Savannah go to the children's service.

So it is officially time to start this move, I trust in the Lord who is leading us and no matter where a person ends up living, life is full when He is present in your heart. My prayer is that our family will be closer in unity with Christ and as one and that we may grow in Christ there. And that by letting His will be done we will learn to always be obedient to the Holy Spirit.