Tag: Bible

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The Key Word

OCTOBER 20

MATTHEW 7:12_Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…

Matthew 18:15 (KJV), “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”

Someone has trespassed into your life. What is the key word in this verse to keep you from falling into the gossip pit? Did you say alone? You got it!  The verse does not say spread the news around the whole neighborhood, or church. Deal with it between the two of you. Tell how you’ve been offended.

If private conversation has not resolved the problem you may need to take a couple of people with you to serve as witnesses. If that doesn’t work, Jesus says for the two of you to take the matter before your church leaders. If the devil has a stronghold when you and the offender talk together, talk separately with the church leaders: same leaders – same conversations. In neither of these cases are you advised to spread the offense outside of Jesus’ set boundaries. (Matthew 18:16-17)

Hopefully, a private conversation, without involving others, can resolve a personal offense. Often offenses are unintentional. You don’t always know how others may perceive what you say. 

Besides self-sacrifice, another essential to true love is to give your loved one the benefit of the doubt.

Talk about it.

PRAYER

Holy Jesus, Help me learn to speak carefully and not offend others. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                 

Christ set boundaries for offenses – I will not cross them!

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Wrong!

OCTOBER 19

MATTHEW 7:12_Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…

What’s in your heart is seen in your actions and heard in your words. If you find any kind of pleasure in hurting people, your heart is showing. If you receive some kind of power surge in causing someone to cry, your heart is showing.

Let’s use the adulteress woman we previously studied as an example. Is it your duty to spread the news around as to what she had done—caught in the act, no less? After all, everyone needs to know. And it’s true, so it’s not gossip, right? Wrong! If it’s true keeps it from being slander, but does not keep it from being gossip.

Gossip spreads personal news, which may be factual and true, with someone who is not involved in the issue. Gossip spreads harmful information with the objective of exposing someone else’s failures.

If there is a situation which needs to be discussed, all involved should be present for the discussion. Behind the back discussions are never good. Regardless of truth or facts, motives and intentions are something the accused should be allowed to speak for themselves. 

As gossip spreads, generally the more it is exaggerated.  

PRAYER

Merciful Jesus, Help me know when to keep my mouth shut! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                 

Christ knows the true facts – I don’t need to tell others!

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A Destructive Weapon

OCTOBER 18

MATTHEW 7:12_Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…

Jesus leaves no room to pick and choose when it comes to how you should treat people. It’s just like Him to say all things. You can wiggle and squirm, but you can’t get past all things. This principle is like the judgment boomerang—only dish out what you would want dished to you.

For example, what is something most people do without thinking, and would never call it by its name? Yet, it is one of the most destructive weapons in any relationship, at any age, or stage of life: Gossip!

Stop and ask yourself would you want someone to gossip about you? Then ask yourself if you gossip about others. Take physical features for example. Do you talk about, criticize, or make fun of the physical features of others behind their back? Perhaps the one you are, let’s go ahead and say it, gossiping about has some kind of defect. For whatever reason, you just feel it is your duty to spread the news around. But then, maybe you were born beautiful. Somehow you feel that justifies your gossip.

Sounds like you do have a defect. It is not physical, but just as easily seen—time for a heart exam.   

PRAYER

God of Heaven and Earth, Help me treat others as I want to be treated. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                 

Christ treats me with compassion—He teaches me how!

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You Are Precious in God’s Sight

OCTOBER 17

MATTHEW 7:11_how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

You are precious in God’s sight. Never let the devil tell you otherwise. 

What Jesus is teaching in this verse is a kind of comparison lesson between earthly fathers and the heavenly Father. If you are blessed with a responsible and loving father, never cease to praise God for him. If you have an adoptive or foster father, as many people in the Bible had, praise God for bringing you together as family. 

Pray for your father. He faces tremendous responsibilities that you are not old enough to fully understand. Do everything in your power to support, help, and encourage him. Make your gratefulness known to him—don’t just assume he knows it. And more than anything love and respect him.

If an earthly father will meet your needs, because he hears you when you ask—what are the capabilities of your heavenly Father? He is the owner of the universe. His love and compassion are as big as His kingdom—which knows no end. 

If your earthly father experience did not go well—you have the opportunity for an even closer relationship with your heavenly Father.  

PRAYER

Owner of the Universe, Help me see the vastness of Your power and love. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                 

Christ’s abilities are boundless—He uses them for me!

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A Kinder Place

OCTOBER 16

MATTHEW 7:11_If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children…

If you are in the neglected, abused, abandoned, category—my heart breaks. I trust God to show Himself strong. I want to bring you to the place of understanding that God’s heart breaks for you. Even if you needed some type of corrective discipline, God would never design it through neglect, abuse, or abandonment. 

We are not in heaven. We live in a fallen, sinful world. Bad and evil things happen. God’s part is to pull us out of the pit. He wants to bring us to a kinder place (which will still have trials and troubles).

Praise God for Psalm 40:2 (KJV), “He [the LORD] brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

God promises to use all the circumstances of life for your good. Remember Romans 8:28 (KJV), “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

God promises never to abandon us. Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV), “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them [your enemies and God’s enemies]: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”  

You’ll be a stronger, wiser, and more compassionate person because of the pain you’ve known.

PRAYER

Great God, Only You can make my pain into something good. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                                 

Christ knows all my pain—He is right there with me!