by Carol Roberts | Jan 7, 2016 | Encouragement
It’s strange how picking up the phone to complain is second nature to a lot of people. Somebody wrongs a person or a company fails to keep a promise. It prompts a letter or call to express anger. A person is in a hurry and fails to see a crying friend who could really use a kind greeting or prayer.
What if the opposite happens.
Good service is given from a company so a call is made to compliment the employee. An elderly man is walking toward a door so a few seconds are taken to hold the door and wait for him to come in. A school principal shows respect for all students and makes a positive difference so a card is sent expressing the quality of life he gave by his good job.
Encouragement is something to be passed along. Love is free. Give it away. It will brighten everyone’s day and it will draw attention to Jesus Christ who is love.
2 Corinthians 9:13
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
by Carol Roberts | Jan 6, 2016 | Encouragement
There is one thing that keeps coming to mind. The people who drive beat up Fords and live in worn out houses are the same people who are rich in love. It is those people who are there with prayers, compassion, hugs and a listening ear. They are rich in love because they understand what it’s like to do without.
There are people who drive a luxury automobile, have a house on a lake and a healthy good looking body. They are full of empty words and broken promises yet people flock to be their friends. There are occasional exceptions to these rules. For the most part many people rely on wealth which has no eternal value..
God’s love never deceives. God shows no favoritism. God loves us all the same and judges us all fairly. It is the breath of God that gives life to our spirit which is housed in our body. No person should ever be drawn to what is earthly appealing to the eye. All that goes away. Looking beyond material things people own and looking into a person’s heart is where we find the greatest riches in a person.
Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
by Carol Roberts | Jan 5, 2016 | Hope
Mark 4:22 New Living Translation tells us that for everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
Those are comforting words to hear but how do you get through those times in between the offense and the justice served?
In today’s time people are involved in self, material things, lust and apathy. For the most part people no longer care about the feelings of others. The Bible clearly refers to these times which have arrived in full force. However God’s children are still loyal spending time with God and staying obedient. When wrongs are done even the world will try to find justice by sending offenders to jail but these days punishments no longer fit the crime. A lawless world opens the door to a world out of control where nobody lives at peace. People forget one thing. God has not made His final statement. It’s coming.
There is a post going around on social media these days about people who hide their offenses. Their big cover up is to quit speaking to you and treat you like you are the offender. They will not face their own actions and they will not try to make things right by asking for your forgiveness. They keep going with their wrongs yet feel right about it because they blame you when you have no clue. You no longer have that person for a friend and you don’t know why. All you know is they are not on speaking terms. Occasionally they will get a comeuppance and want to make things right but they expect you to run back to them as though you are the offender and not them. Did they really make things right? No. It’s just one more cover up when they allow themselves to be open to you to run back. What an insult to you. You want that friend back but then what do you do? The trust is gone. The chance of being set up again is very real. You realize that all you will get is another temporary friendship until he needs to shift the blame one more time. What’s even worse is that nobody notices but you. It’s a shift of blame and accusation that only you would recognize. Is there any relief in sight? Yes. God has not made His final statement. It’s coming.
Many will rejoice when the comeuppance finally hits such a friend or a cruel enemy. However you must accept it as a gift from God to you and to the friend. Pray for that friend asking God to show him the error of his ways so he can grow into the likeness of Christ. Otherwise God may withdraw His punishment in order to not feed your gladness over the friend’s hurt. God is fair. God is just. Most important, God is on time.
Proverbs 24:17-18 New Living Translation
Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.
For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn His anger away from them.
by Carol Roberts | Jan 4, 2016 | Hope
A person purchases a used car. Even though this car has many flaws the owner sees potential. The papers are signed and the new owner brings the car home. The car does not sit in the garage unused just to have it to show. Instead, the owner starts working on it. Dings need to be hammered out. Scratches need to be sanded. Tires need to be removed and replaced. A lot of time is spent bringing this car up to specifications. It is evident this car is owned.
Jesus purchases us with payment on the cross. Once we accept Him as our personal Savior the paperwork is complete. Our name is in His book. It’s legal. We have been bought and paid for and we are officially His. Now the work begins. Old habits are hammered out. Selfish personalities are sanded to make us easier to get along with. People, possessions and vocations are refined or removed in order to polish us. This may not be fun but it is daily proof of our purchase that we belong to God. Only then can He truly work things out for us that bring Him glory and give us the peace that passes all understanding.
Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
by Carol Roberts | Jan 3, 2016 | Love
To walk a mile in another person’s shoes sounds simple enough, but it is not. Their shoes will either be too tight, too loose or rub in all the wrong places creating a discomfort. People’s shoes always wear differently as each person puts pressure on different parts of their feet as they walk.
The growing experiences in life are dealt with differently by each person. Challenges may be similar but when personality, pasts, disappointments and hardships are taken into consideration, each person handles things slightly different. We can understand and pray for our brothers and sisters through challenges but we can never know fully the impact those challenges have on others.
Comparing them to us or us to them opens a door of judgment that only creates conflict. We have no idea what their journey consists of. What we do know is Jesus loves us. He understands us and forgives us. Jesus does the same for them. We are not expected to know why a person responds the way they do but we are expected to love and accept people just as Jesus accepts us. A little love and compassion goes a long way.
Matthew 7:1-3
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?