Why is it that those we love often hurt us more than others?
Oft heard quote of Mark Twain...."Familiarity breeds contempt". The following Bible verse says almost the same thing.... Matthew 13:54-58.. He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Loved ones often know us better than others and tend to see any little fault we may have.... additionally it hurts worse when those we love find fault with us for we have more invested in the relationship so feelings are magnified and so are sensibilities.
One thing that helps me when my family or close friends find fault with me... is to take it before the Lord letting Him bring conviction in my heart if any is needed and if so then repenting. If the fault finding is unfounded God has taught me to recognize that the person may have issues they are dealing with that I do not have knowledge of... so therefore I then give them grace, love and pray for them. In essence it is a form of turning the other cheek, for it goes against our natural nature and isn't that easy!!
God gave us love and grace, so we should also follow in His example. John 3:16
Hope this helps... blessings!!!
Pastor Sandy
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Why I voted FOR the Marriage Amendment
With the recent Marriage Amendment to the NC Constitution coming to pass, I was asked to explain why I voted "For" the Amendment. As I prayed about it, I realized the best way I could explain why I voted the way I did was to let God explain it through His Word, the Bible. This is written from the viewpoint that I believe that God is real, His Son, Jesus Christ is real, and His Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
Before I begin, let me say that God loves us all, enough for Him to send His Son to pay the price for our sins (John 3:16). We have all sinned, there is none righteous. The wages of sin is death. Death meaning eternal separation from God and all that is good by living in a place called hell when we die. If it was not for God loving us even while we were yet sinners, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, we would all be doomed. His love is eternal and His forgiveness is there for us to ask for. Time is short though... for we never know when we might depart this world, so today is the day to turn back to God and let Him bless us with His salvation through the price Christ paid on our behalf.
In Leviticus (18:22; 20:13), the Bible tells us that it is an abomination for a man to lie with a man as with a woman, or a woman to lie with a woman as with a man. Scripture also tells us that because of certain abominations such as homosexuality, a land will vomit out its inhabitants.
Apostle Paul called it "shameful", the result of being given up by God to "vile passions" (Romans 1:24-27). 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 tells us that those who practice homosexuality will not enter into the Kingdom of God. Paul further shows that homosexuality is a final order of rebellion against God. When people exchange the truth of God for a lie and begin to worship the creature instead of the Creator, they are given up to evil. When values disintegrate and moral anarchy appears, men burn with lust for men, and women for women, they will receive in their own bodies the punishment for their actions (Romans 1:22-27). From a Biblical view point, the rise of homosexuality is a sign that a society is in the final stages of decay.
Homosexuality is an abomination to God. God hates sin but loves the sinner... not condemning but offering a way out of the "hell" we have doomed our selves to, through Christ. The person who practices homosexuality or any other sin, is a valuable human being to God and to me. God's love, compassion and forgiveness is available to all who call on His name. For the reasons written above about how God views homosexuality, I voted "For" the Marriage Amendment. The Bible makes it clear that marriage is to be between one man and one woman not between people that are homosexuals.
22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
Before I begin, let me say that God loves us all, enough for Him to send His Son to pay the price for our sins (John 3:16). We have all sinned, there is none righteous. The wages of sin is death. Death meaning eternal separation from God and all that is good by living in a place called hell when we die. If it was not for God loving us even while we were yet sinners, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, we would all be doomed. His love is eternal and His forgiveness is there for us to ask for. Time is short though... for we never know when we might depart this world, so today is the day to turn back to God and let Him bless us with His salvation through the price Christ paid on our behalf.
In Leviticus (18:22; 20:13), the Bible tells us that it is an abomination for a man to lie with a man as with a woman, or a woman to lie with a woman as with a man. Scripture also tells us that because of certain abominations such as homosexuality, a land will vomit out its inhabitants.
Apostle Paul called it "shameful", the result of being given up by God to "vile passions" (Romans 1:24-27). 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 tells us that those who practice homosexuality will not enter into the Kingdom of God. Paul further shows that homosexuality is a final order of rebellion against God. When people exchange the truth of God for a lie and begin to worship the creature instead of the Creator, they are given up to evil. When values disintegrate and moral anarchy appears, men burn with lust for men, and women for women, they will receive in their own bodies the punishment for their actions (Romans 1:22-27). From a Biblical view point, the rise of homosexuality is a sign that a society is in the final stages of decay.
Homosexuality is an abomination to God. God hates sin but loves the sinner... not condemning but offering a way out of the "hell" we have doomed our selves to, through Christ. The person who practices homosexuality or any other sin, is a valuable human being to God and to me. God's love, compassion and forgiveness is available to all who call on His name. For the reasons written above about how God views homosexuality, I voted "For" the Marriage Amendment. The Bible makes it clear that marriage is to be between one man and one woman not between people that are homosexuals.
Leviticus 18:22-25
New International Version (NIV)
23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
Leviticus 20:13
New International Version (NIV)
Romans 1:22-27
New International Version (NIV)
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
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