Photo Geek Girl
Love Covers all Transgressions - Week 32
"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12
The other day my daughter and I were taking a photo walk when we came upon a pond. In the middle of the pond was a sandbar and on that sandbar sat a Mama duck. She sat there looking off to the side of her into a section of the pond that we couldn't see. She didn't move but patiently sat there. A few minutes later we noticed three more ducks. They weren't babies but you could tell they weren't fully grown either. As soon as they swam by her she got into the pond and followed them. My daughter joked that they were teenager ducks and that is why the Mama duck was still watching over them . . . apparently teenage ducks can make poor choices and be stinkers. :-)
Over the summer I have been doing a little word study on 8 words that will tie into the first meeting of my cancer support group. This week I'm studying the word "love". I have enjoyed what I've learned but this morning I couldn't go further than the first verse that was in my bible concordance and what my bible commentary had to say about the verse. Here is what stopped me from moving forward:
"A hateful spirit isn't satisfied to forgive and forget; it insists on raking up old grudges and quarrels. A heart of love draws a curtain of secrecy over the faults and failures of others. These faults and failures must, of course, be confessed and forsaken, but love does not gossip about them or keep the pot boiling." (Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald)
My friends, I need to be honest with you when I say I struggle with this. I want to be that person who covers over the faults and failures of others but what do I do? I tend to get irritated and need to keep the pot boiling. It is a shameful stronghold of mine and one I don't want in my life. I am a stuffer and stew over many things. Instead of dealing with them properly I tend to stuff it deep down until I can stew over it. And unlike stew that tastes better when it has more time to stew, my stewing tastes bitter with time.
When I think of love I think about my children. I love them with a deep love that I can't explain. A love that comes from a Mama's heart the second I knew I was pregnant. A love that was overwhelming when my husband placed them into my arms after they were born. A love that continues to grow as they grow. A love that covers over the life lesson mistakes they make. They can make poor choices and yet my love for them NEVER diminishes. I believe being a parent really shows you what kind of love God has for us. I'm not saying that if you aren't a parent that you can't understand this. This is part of my journal entry so I'm making it personal and for me the love I have for my children has opened my eyes further to the love God has for me.
When I think about God's love I remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God loved us so much that He gave his only Son Jesus to us. Why? Because, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Do you get that? We are sinners in need of forgiveness. This forgiveness can only come from God and not from our own works. In Old Testament times God required the children of Israel to use animals as a temporary covering of their sins. This means that they were required to sacrifice these animals.
Alright, now don't get wigged out by animal sacrifice. I realize many of you are animal lovers and that's fine. But try to remember where animals are on the food chain of life. They are wonderful creatures and I personally love them but they are not equal to humans by any means. No, you shouldn't abuse them and need to care for the animals you own. But in biblical times people understood the role animals played in their lives so try to understand that instead of getting all bent out of shape at the thought of animal sacrifice.
Where was I . . . .
The sacrifice of an animal for their sins was a foreshadowing of the perfect and complete sacrifice Jesus would make for us. You see when God sent Jesus to us He did away with having to symbolically put our sins upon an animal every time we sinned. Instead Jesus because that sacrificial lamb for us. Once and for all and forever. He love us that much!
So if God can love me that much and I can love my children that much why is it that I get bent out of shape when I think I've been wronged? I wonder if it has to do with how much I trust someone? I tend to love those I trust the most because I'm secure in their love for me. I'm secure in knowing that if a tiff happens that it will be taken care of because we love each other enough to want to work through it.
But regardless of my trust the fact remains that God calls us to love. In fact, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Galatians 5:22). We also know that God calls us to love one another, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34). And "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God" (I John 4:7).
So if love comes from God, "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (I John 4:16), and it is one of the fruits of the Spirit and He calls us to love one another it should stand to reason that I shouldn't have a problem being loving towards those who irritate and/or hurt me. I know in a perfect world this could be possible but we live in a fallen world where hurt and pain is very much a part of. Lets face it, life is hard and loving those who are either unloving themselves or difficult to love is not easy.
Even though it isn't easy I don't think it is impossible because the Word says, "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). If all things are possible with God then it is possible for Him to work this stronghold out of my life. It is possible for Him to help me overcome my annoyance and hurt. It is possible through Him that pain can be changed into love.
God says not to take vengeance or bear a grudge, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:18). Why? Because "you shall love your neighbor as yourself". God says that perfect love casts out all fears, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (I John 4:18).
These verses make me pause and reflect upon how I've been treating others. Most of the time no one knows because I'm often struggling with this internally and often voice it to my hubby or best friend. Which in itself is not good. I don't want to think like this and have started to pray daily for God's guidance in overcoming my inability to be loving to all. How about you? Do you struggle with this subject like I do? I want to be like that Mama duck who sat patiently looking after her teenage ducks as she loves them to maturity. Isn't that what we are all trying to do? Be loved as we mature? We all make mistakes and screw up BIG time. And often we are forgiven and loved on regardless of what we have done.
Let us pray together about this and take steps towards learning that, "Love is patient and kind" (I Corinthians 13:4a).
Krista Jones - 7.29.14
Taken from Stillness of the Morning Blog
Love Covers all Transgressions - Week 32
"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12
The other day my daughter and I were taking a photo walk when we came upon a pond. In the middle of the pond was a sandbar and on that sandbar sat a Mama duck. She sat there looking off to the side of her into a section of the pond that we couldn't see. She didn't move but patiently sat there. A few minutes later we noticed three more ducks. They weren't babies but you could tell they weren't fully grown either. As soon as they swam by her she got into the pond and followed them. My daughter joked that they were teenager ducks and that is why the Mama duck was still watching over them . . . apparently teenage ducks can make poor choices and be stinkers. :-)
Over the summer I have been doing a little word study on 8 words that will tie into the first meeting of my cancer support group. This week I'm studying the word "love". I have enjoyed what I've learned but this morning I couldn't go further than the first verse that was in my bible concordance and what my bible commentary had to say about the verse. Here is what stopped me from moving forward:
"A hateful spirit isn't satisfied to forgive and forget; it insists on raking up old grudges and quarrels. A heart of love draws a curtain of secrecy over the faults and failures of others. These faults and failures must, of course, be confessed and forsaken, but love does not gossip about them or keep the pot boiling." (Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald)
My friends, I need to be honest with you when I say I struggle with this. I want to be that person who covers over the faults and failures of others but what do I do? I tend to get irritated and need to keep the pot boiling. It is a shameful stronghold of mine and one I don't want in my life. I am a stuffer and stew over many things. Instead of dealing with them properly I tend to stuff it deep down until I can stew over it. And unlike stew that tastes better when it has more time to stew, my stewing tastes bitter with time.
When I think of love I think about my children. I love them with a deep love that I can't explain. A love that comes from a Mama's heart the second I knew I was pregnant. A love that was overwhelming when my husband placed them into my arms after they were born. A love that continues to grow as they grow. A love that covers over the life lesson mistakes they make. They can make poor choices and yet my love for them NEVER diminishes. I believe being a parent really shows you what kind of love God has for us. I'm not saying that if you aren't a parent that you can't understand this. This is part of my journal entry so I'm making it personal and for me the love I have for my children has opened my eyes further to the love God has for me.
When I think about God's love I remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God loved us so much that He gave his only Son Jesus to us. Why? Because, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Do you get that? We are sinners in need of forgiveness. This forgiveness can only come from God and not from our own works. In Old Testament times God required the children of Israel to use animals as a temporary covering of their sins. This means that they were required to sacrifice these animals.
Alright, now don't get wigged out by animal sacrifice. I realize many of you are animal lovers and that's fine. But try to remember where animals are on the food chain of life. They are wonderful creatures and I personally love them but they are not equal to humans by any means. No, you shouldn't abuse them and need to care for the animals you own. But in biblical times people understood the role animals played in their lives so try to understand that instead of getting all bent out of shape at the thought of animal sacrifice.
Where was I . . . .
The sacrifice of an animal for their sins was a foreshadowing of the perfect and complete sacrifice Jesus would make for us. You see when God sent Jesus to us He did away with having to symbolically put our sins upon an animal every time we sinned. Instead Jesus because that sacrificial lamb for us. Once and for all and forever. He love us that much!
So if God can love me that much and I can love my children that much why is it that I get bent out of shape when I think I've been wronged? I wonder if it has to do with how much I trust someone? I tend to love those I trust the most because I'm secure in their love for me. I'm secure in knowing that if a tiff happens that it will be taken care of because we love each other enough to want to work through it.
But regardless of my trust the fact remains that God calls us to love. In fact, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Galatians 5:22). We also know that God calls us to love one another, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34). And "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God" (I John 4:7).
So if love comes from God, "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (I John 4:16), and it is one of the fruits of the Spirit and He calls us to love one another it should stand to reason that I shouldn't have a problem being loving towards those who irritate and/or hurt me. I know in a perfect world this could be possible but we live in a fallen world where hurt and pain is very much a part of. Lets face it, life is hard and loving those who are either unloving themselves or difficult to love is not easy.
Even though it isn't easy I don't think it is impossible because the Word says, "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). If all things are possible with God then it is possible for Him to work this stronghold out of my life. It is possible for Him to help me overcome my annoyance and hurt. It is possible through Him that pain can be changed into love.
God says not to take vengeance or bear a grudge, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:18). Why? Because "you shall love your neighbor as yourself". God says that perfect love casts out all fears, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (I John 4:18).
These verses make me pause and reflect upon how I've been treating others. Most of the time no one knows because I'm often struggling with this internally and often voice it to my hubby or best friend. Which in itself is not good. I don't want to think like this and have started to pray daily for God's guidance in overcoming my inability to be loving to all. How about you? Do you struggle with this subject like I do? I want to be like that Mama duck who sat patiently looking after her teenage ducks as she loves them to maturity. Isn't that what we are all trying to do? Be loved as we mature? We all make mistakes and screw up BIG time. And often we are forgiven and loved on regardless of what we have done.
Let us pray together about this and take steps towards learning that, "Love is patient and kind" (I Corinthians 13:4a).
Krista Jones - 7.29.14
Taken from Stillness of the Morning Blog