Colossians 3:13-14 (NLT) 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

I was thinking about the idea of forgiveness this morning. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days. If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time – it is an issue that will have be dealt with time and again. Here’s the irony… I will never learn about forgiveness unless I actually have someone to forgive. So, God knowing the lessons I need to learn places me in situations with people that just rub me the wrong way – that get my “goat” as the might say. I have to deal with misunderstandings, untruths, personality differences and even my own character flaws that can become so apparent in my life. Jesus teaches that when we forgive and forgiven all that we can that we need to do it again. When I do that – I begin to have the heart of God in my life. Paul also teaches about “clothing” ourselves with love. This is a deliberate action. When I get up in the morning I put on the appropriate clothing for the day. Spiritually speaking, we need to consciously “put on” this suit of love before we even leave the house. It’s much easier to do it before you leave the house then to have to do it while you’re in a tense situation. I’m learning ever so slowly and haven’t fully arrived. I thank God for His grace that teaches me and leads me along the way.

Ephesians 5:6 (NLT) 6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.

I do a lot of counseling – especially this time of the year. People seek my advice on relationships, jobs, family, finances, health, and personal difficulties of all kinds. It just amazes me at the excuses people come into my office with. They justify their sin and turn it around as if God Himself had given them the permission to participate in this particular sin. Don’t get me wrong – there are those who respond to Biblical counseling. They repent and move forward with their lives. They know that they have done wrong and they want to do what is right. I praise God for those opportunities to help people “see the light.” Yet it grieves my heart very much for those who “just don’t get it.” They have bought into the lie. They have made up their mind. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or says – not even God. The scriptures make a promise here that God’s anger will fall on those who disobey him – without fail. It also promises that we will “reap what we sow.” Sin is a serious matter with God. He is waiting so patiently for all of us to turn around and come to Him. It is then that He will open up His arms to us and receive us with much joy.

Romans 15:13 (NLT) 13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t mean to be selfish – but I want this prayer in my life. To have joy and peace and hope – wow! What is happening on the outside of a person isn’t always reflective of what’s happening on the inside. Oftentimes we are torn up inside, dealing with depression, condemnation, negativity, etc. Paul knows that because he dealt with the same things. The enemy is always messing with our heads. We worry and fret. We sulk and stew. The list could go on and on. God’s plan for us is to have joy and peace. His plan is for us to have a confident hope that He is in control and is going to take care of things in my life. It comes down to Lordship. It comes down to trust. Who are we making Lord in our lives and do we really trust God? I have failed many times in this area but I’m so thankful for the mercy and grace of God for leading and helping through every day. Yes… I do trust God and I know He has good plans for me and not for evil. Yes… I have confident hope in God today and know He has a great plan for my life.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Contrary to the worlds thinking, as Christians we’re taught to rejoice when we have troubles. That is so opposite of our human nature and the way many people think. You might ask – “Why do we rejoice?” The answer is simple – we know the end result. We know that God promises to use these things to help us be strong spiritually and even mentally and physically. We would never learn characteristics like endurance and strength of character and hope if we didn’t go through difficulties and troubles. I never like trials in my life. In fact, I still struggle about the rejoicing part. I would much rather be grumpy, grouchy, angry and – well… you know what I’m talking about. I’m learning in this area. However, I can say after being on this earth for 55 years – I do see these principles working in my life. I am stronger. I am more trusting. I know God has His hand on me. I still don’t look forward to any trial but I do know that God’s promises are true and that if we allow Him – He will fill our hearts with much peace and much love.

Romans 3:23-25 (NLT) 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

There are a lot of ideas out there about how to “get” to God. Some people feel that you need to work extra hard and others think you need to chant a certain prayer. Getting to God is as simple as accepting what God has done for us by sending Jesus Christ as the payment for our sins. His blood was shed as the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. Man is very empty and is looking everywhere to fill that emptiness. The only thing they find is more emptiness. God made a way – through Jesus. He fills the void in our life. We didn’t deserve His love but He gave it anyway. He made a way for all of us to be right with God. He paid the penalty of our sins. It is available for us right now – God’s underserved kindness because He loves us.

Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT) 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

The foundation of our faith rests on this principle – Love God and love people. Jesus was asked about what was the most important commandment in the law and this was His answer. When these two principles are activated in my life – I am most peaceful and contented with my life. When I love God I will want to do everything that He wants me to do including loving those that are around me. I like what John Piper says, “God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him.” My life should be consumed in being satisfied in the presence of God. God’s arms are always open to us. He is just waiting for us to run to Him and trust in Him. It is then that we will be able to reach out and love others in the way that God has received us unto Himself.

Matthew 14:27 (NLT) 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

The disciples were trying to get to the other side of the lake when a sudden storm blew in on them. As hard as they tried – they we’re out of control and weren’t able to make any headway. Jesus, knowing this, comes out on the water toward them. Seeing Him, they thought He was a ghost. Jesus speaks to them telling them to not be afraid, to take courage because He was there. This physical storm is not unlike the storms we face. Things are going well and all of a sudden a storm will blow into our lives. Thankfully, Jesus is never far from us. He sees what we’re going through and He knows the fears we all face. He speaks to us at just the right time and He knows just what to say. All of us need to take note of this story because we all face fears in our lives. We need to trust in our Almighty savior and believe for God to step into our darkness and bring deliverance our way.

Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT) 43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus raises the bar by telling us that we need to love our enemies as well as our neighbor. It’s an easy thing to love those who don’t love us. Jesus says that even non-believers can do that. As believers – we have a higher standard. We are to rise above what is normal and go the distance when it comes to love. As I read this passage this morning I was struck by the fact that I would rather do what is easy rather then what is hard. It’s easy to love my friends and my family. It’s hard to love the unlovable at times. Or is it? On my own – I would never be able to do that. But with God’s power I not only can but I take pleasure in loving everyone. I really enjoy reaching out to those who don’t feel loved or haven’t experienced the love of God. In fact, a lot of what I do in life is measured by the fact that I’ve become a loving person in spite of those who are unlovable around me. My prayer is that I would be able to grow in my capacity to love people – even those that don’t love me in return.

Matthew 3:16-17 (NLT) 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Two of man’s greatest needs are to love and to be loved. What God the Father spoke over Jesus is what every son and daughter wishes to be heard in their own lives – “You are my dearly loved Son/daughter, who brings me great joy.” Sadly, so many have never felt that blessing from their father and spend a lifetime searching for that blessing in their own lives. They search for validation, significance, value, etc. As a result – many look in the wrong places and end of making decisions that affect them for their lifetime. The great thing about God is that what He said over His son Jesus is what He wants to say over each and every one of us – “you bring me great joy.” Think about that – I BRING GOD JOY. I am His son. He loves me so much.

To wish you we’re someone else is a waste of the person you are – Anonymous

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NLT) 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Sometimes I wonder why I’m wired the way I’m wired or why I was made the way I was made. Given the opportunity – I think I would have put in a different order to the maker – taller, smarter, wiser and healthier. There are certain areas of my life that seem to boggle me up and set me back. There are certain parts of my personality that always get me into trouble with some people. The list could go on and on. This passage tells us that those things are here to keep me from having a pride issue. Paul recognizes that and says “that’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses… because it causes me to lean on and depend fully on the power of God – therefore I really am strong.” It’s a hard pill to swallow but its an important one. God knows me better then I know myself and He wants me to come to Him, trusting and believing that He will work all things out in my life.