Love Feast #5
“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” 1Corinthians 13:5 kjv
Nothing pierces the soul as sharp as a spouses memory against their mate’s past offense. Hardhearted, they take their ready made case they have streamed throughout the night with countless hours of thoughts listing all the past reasons, why they are right and their mate is wrong. The tormented one once again becomes victorious, or so they think. They itemized all the evidence and the verdict declares, guilty as charged! The tormented seeks to torment. Carnally armed, they ignorantly developed a new habit. Twisted thinking blames their spouse when disagreements arise. All it takes is one misguided word reacted by evil thoughts. Ordinary circumstances are mushroomed into mountains of accusations simply by their eye-view of vain imaginations. Pride has exposed itself by the wounds left unhealed. Many times, the very things they accuse are a shadowed expression of themselves.
I hesitated to send this because I realize these are harsh words.
The biggest offense in any marriage or relationship is the lack of humbleness that refuses to forgive. Every time we make a decision not to forgive opens the door for other strongholds that lead to roots of bitterness. This becomes a far stretch from the love explained in the above verse.
Planting one small seed of discord can produce a harvest of unwanted strife that divides relationships and opens the gate for much worse in our lives. Even if you are right, ask yourself; is keeping a hard heart worth it?. Not when you are the one tormented and placed in bondage.
Christians have no option but to forgive.
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14, 15 niv
We learn how to love by growing in God’s word. We also learn to love by failing, so we can hopefully succeed the next time our love is tested. I can personally always tell when I’ve failed or passed a test.
Prayer:
Precious Father,
We are so thankful we can come to you anytime of the day or night and you always listen to us. Our desire is to give you glory by the love we give to others. We ask that you would pull us back if we begin to behave in a dishonorable way. Remind us to always check the motives of our heart, as why we said or did something. Erase anything inside of us, any seed of rebellion that does not belong inside of us. Give us that extra measure of discernment and love that will make it easier for us to overlook another’s words that agitate or offend us. Your word continues to say “love thinks no evil.” We need help Lord. Right now, we purposely take 3 steps backward and continue to transform our minds into the mind of Christ. We dedicate our lives fully and completely to you Father. In Jesus we pray, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment