Romans 12:15-17
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil,
but give thought to do
what is honorable
in the sight of all.
If possible, so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
JRR Tolkien begins with the Shire. How beautiful, how peaceable. Amusing with preferences. Joy in the day. Gratitude.
Fear of change.
And then... old grudges, firm opinions. Hurt feelings. Insecurity. Reasons to find fault. And who is pleased? Insidious of generations, plotting
with dislike - evil.
Conversations become with honest openness are not encouraged. Blame - blame them. Change a sentence to make an innuendo. Never find encouraging remarks. Find sides. Protect the flank, cover the rear. Give false news. Change the facts. Delete necessary information. Make fun of efforts to be helpful. Use the divide to dig in deeper to evil intent. Make a conversation look like this is healing, but leads to the abyss covered by the reeds. It looks like jam, but no, it's more like tar. Why? To create controversy. Avoid mercy and love. When it looks like muck, it probably is.
Why would anyone want to take a conversation, look innocent and lead into the ditch? Not for the way, the truth or the life. To avoid love. To avoid mercy. And if so - then the means explain the narrator.
I've seen this recently with social media. Talk about amazing and wonderful, hopeful news. Then vere to helpful comments. Then complaints. Become stories of hurt and bewilderment. Then add in how to help. More complaints. If you comment, you are in - a side. This is the division.
The Good News. God is a God of Love. The Gates of Heaven never close. This is Our God. This is the warmth of Healing, Love of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received
to serve others,
as faithful stewards of
God's grace
in its various forms.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Concern for others, empathy, sincerity and interest. Love! Finding whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
I know of a Church that has given 40 Million Dollars to Missions. I know of so many Baptisms. We know Churches where people pray God will make the Path. We could rejoice in the Majority to pray and believe God hears them. We can, will, go and worship the Lord and be glad for what He is doing. Left, now, out of the parking lot, seeing the Mission Field, our everyday hearing of problems - here, there or the other. But we can go again to see part of what is good, loving, hopeful and be nourished each visit.
Keeping the Love of God first and pushing out the doldrums. One of my favorite Sermons was saying, we are so pushed to remember this, solve that, have a running list of repeat situations. The Sermon declared - come back to the Sermon, rest, don't take up wandering guilt and clouds of dissatisfaction. Come back to the message, the sermon, God's open Gates.
Where we put our Hope is God.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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