Rejected? Snubbed? Move On!

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44

Bible teacher Joyce Meyer has said "not everyone is going to like you". No matter how much a person may know the scripture about loving like Christ loves and should know better, in some cases, there will be those who turn ktheir back on you. They may unfriend you on Facebook, never acknowledge emails or texts, and you can't figure out what you have done to cause this immense separation. They simply refuse to be your friend. It could sadly be politics that does it, which has happened allot since 2009. Regardless we are commanded to love, forgive, and be kind, so why don't we? 

      Do we have a 'right' to dislike or hate someone? Not really according to the Bible. That includes murderers and rapists and a host of degenerates. We are to love, show kindness, pray, forgive. I once heard a story about a woman who witnessed in prison to her daughters killer. Now that would be a tall order. Most people I know who have dealt with tragedies are pretty angry at the person responsible for stealing away their loved one but true freedom comes in forgiveness. Remember what Jesus uttered as He was being crucified hanging between two thieves on their own crosses. In the account in Luke 23:33-34 it says "When  they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."

If you are dealing with anger, hate, and and a lack of love for someone Jesus can set you free from that if you truly want to be. You know deep down hate and dislike is not the solution. If you are on the receiving end of the dislike just let it go and forgive. 

PRAYER: Lord if I say I love you but then hate others I am lying. Help me not be two faced. Even those hard to love help me try to love them through you with your power inside of me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

They Deserve This!

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.1 Corinthians 13:5

The verse given above refers to love. Many times when we are hurt we feel  like getting back at  the one who hurt us. Perhaps you refuse to truly forgive and forget, holding  grudges against a friend or family member. This type of treatment is painful and it is mean. 

It hurts when you are shunned or treated poorly by someone.  Harboring hurts and un forgiveness can build up a wall of resentment. This is exactly the kind of stuff Satan loves, discord and anger among brothers and sisters in Christ and family members. God's recipe for a successful relationship  should include the ingredients of honor, peace, forgiveness, sacrifice, and forgetting wrongs.

Try something if you will. If you can not forget something someone did to you ask God to help you. There is nothing gained by trying to throw up a wrong in someone else's face. Let the Holy Spirit convict. Your job is to pray, love, and forgive.

PRAYER: Lord I want to be a representative of your type of love. Give me your strength to resist making lists of wrongs. Help me to remember to pray for those who may have hurt me, as your word tells me to. In Jesus' name. Amen.