I'm not a member of the Jesus fan club and I don't want to be

I'm not a member of the Jesus fan club.  I know lots of people that could be.  I know a few people who could run his fan club.  These are the people who can tell you every detail of the life of Jesus.  They can quote verses from memory and tell you how many times Jesus uses certain words in his speeches.  I used to be intimidated by these people.  I felt like I could never learn as much as they knew and couldn't possibly know all of the things about Jesus that they knew.  I thought I could never be as "Christian"or as righteous as them.

Then I realized something.

As I got to know some of these people I learned that some of them don't know Jesus at all.
They can tell you everything he did and said.  They can quote him inside out and backwards---but they have no relationship with him at all.  They don't KNOW him.  They don't speak to him.  They don't know his heart and his desires.  Upon this realization I was no longer intimidated.  I was saddened.  They have spent lifetimes and countless hours researching and learning about a man who is waiting to speak to them and they are too busy researching and learning to stop and let Him speak to them.

A friend of mine has a daughter who is a huge Justin Bieber fan.  She can probably quote me most of what he said last week.  She can probably tell me what he had for lunch today.  She knows his favorite color, his favorite food...all of his likes and dislikes.  She can tell me what he said on Twitter and what the press is saying about him.  She probably has more information memorized about Justin and can quote more quotes and lyric's of Justin's than his own mother or his girlfriend can.  I don't think that makes her closer to Justin than his mother is.  She isn't in a relationship with him because she know all of the things he said and did.  She KNOWS that. She considers herself Justin's biggest fan; but she isn't under a disillusion that she is Justin's best friend. She understands the difference.

I believe many people who study Jesus don't quite grasp the difference.   If Justin Bieber was sitting beside my friends daughter in a room; I can guarantee she wouldn't ignore his presence.  Sadly, many who proclaim Jesus do just that! He is sitting beside them waiting for them to speak to Him.  He wants to guide their hearts and their lives and they are too busy learning what He did for other people to take the time to speak to Him and allow His guidance in their own lives. Maybe His advice to them would be different then the advice He gave to others thousands of years ago.

I have three children.  My advice for each of them (if they listened to it) is different.  I take into account their own personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, their past successes and failures and even their fears into account when I offer them guidance.  Parenting would be so much easier if I could just look at a play book and quote them the proper words.  But it doesn't work that way.  Because every child is different. So we guide them differently.  Just as God guides us each differently.

Every family and every person has their own set of principles that they live their lives by.  I'm not saying the words Jesus's said is are a waste of time and aren't worth reading.  I know the principles He teaches and the lessons you learn from Him are valuable and serve a purpose. I know His principles are unchanging and still relevant today.  I love reading the New Testament stories.  I sometimes even travel into the Old Testament when I'm feeling adventurous.  Sometimes God speaks to me through those stories.  But those stories aren't a substitute for a relationship with God.  And knowing the stories doesn't mean I know Him.

I can't quote but one or two verses from the Bible by heart.  I can't tell you which Books you will find which stories in.  I can't even name all of the Books of the Bible for you.  I'm not a good at memorization. That not something I need to feel ashamed of.  God understands that isn't a strength of mine.  He is--after all--the one who made me this way.  If He thought it was important for the plan He has for me to know; He would have given me that ability. Instead, He has assured me that I don't need to spend hours frustrating myself and feeling like a failure trying to be someone I'm not.
And He has assured me that He doesn't think less of me for it so I should stop allowing others to make me feel that way.

I share this post for three audiences.  One is God.  He has continuously nudged me toward writing and sharing more.  I resist for a multitude of reasons that I won't get into now; but am trying to be more obedient.

The second audience is those who are "fans" of Gods who aren't building a  relationship with Him.
Allow Him in and let Him SPEAK to you!!!  And if you are one of those who judges others' closeness with God based on how much of Him they have memorized--please don't.  He made us all different for a reason.  His plan for you isn't any better or worse than mine and vice versa.   Lets each
celebrate the uniqueness of how He created us.

The last group I write to are those who have allowed others to let them feel intimidated in any way about their own relationship with God.  People are people.  We are all flawed and messed up in our own way.  We aren't God---we make people feel bed sometimes.  Don't let God's  people affect your relationship with God. They are not one and the same.  He created you to be exactly who you are and He loves you and has loved you always.  He gave you all of your strengths and all off your weaknesses....perfectly equipping you to fill out what He has planned for you life.  Talk to Him and let Him guide you in that plan instead of trying to live out someone else's.

Misconceptions about Grace

Have you ever gotten a gift completely unexpected--for no reason at all?

Not a birthday gift

Not a Christmas gift

Not a gift that is meant as an apology when your spouse messes up.

Not one that is given because your friend knows you’re down and hopes to cheer you up.

Not one given because someone wants something from you.

Not one given as a thank you or a get well.

Not for any other reason...

Really think about it.

Have you ever truly gotten a gift that wasn't directly related to anything you did...or to anything that happened to you.

Just an out-of-the-blue gift.

I'm lucky to have been blessed with an awesome family and amazing friends so I have been lucky enough to experience these unexpected blessings a few times in my life.

I have to say they are better than any other gift I've ever gotten.

Why?

--I know I haven't done anything special to earn them.

--I don't have to do anything in return for them.

--I had no expectations, so there is no way I can be disappointed by them

--I know they were given just to show love to me.

THIS IS WHAT GODS GRACE SHOULD LOOK LIKE TO US.

Unfortunately many of us have a tainted view of what the gift of God’s grace is.....

Some of us think we have earned it and are deserving of it.

Some of us think we have to earn it.

Some of us place great expectations on this gift.

Some of us want to compare the gift we’ve received to those around us and make sure no one else is getting a better one than ours.

(Matthew storie about workers in the field)

Have you experienced people like this?

The people who think they've earned this gift view it as a "paycheck" for all the great and wonderful things that they have done to further God's kingdom.

Two problems:

#1-- it's not a paycheck....it's a gift.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Ephesians 2:7-9

If God wanted it to be something we had to earn, it wouldn’t be called a gift. If your boss came up to you at the end of the week and said "Hey, I have a gift for you", and handed you your pay---wouldn't that make you mad? You worked hard for that money and now your boss is acting as though he is doing you a FAVOR by paying you?! No way!

This isn't how God wants you to view his grace. It is a gift, not a paycheck. When we start to view it as a paycheck we begin to feel it is something we are entitled to.

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18: 9-14

#2--God’s grace is not just a gift....it is a priceless one. Most of us wouldn't go into work and work day after day after day only to realize week after week after week that we didn't do enough work to earn a paycheck for that week.

You'd get tired of it and quit wouldn't you?

That's what happens to a lot of people who think that their actions, (or their lack of sin) earn them the grace of God. They work, work, work to be good to do right to follow the rules; and they never hear from God. They get frustrated and they begin to question His love for them.

None of us are free of sin while we are on this Earth. We could never work hard enough or long enough to earn the grace that God has given to us through His son, Jesus.

And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.
Romans 11:5-7

Then there are the people who think you get God’s grace and then you have to work the rest of your life to earn it. A lot of people I’ve talked to (in and outside church) have misconceptions on this. I have heard from many people who say they ran from God for years because they knew they couldn't be a “good Christian” and follow all the rules. They didn’t want to become one of the hypocrites who go to church and “live a sinful life”. They believe that once you received the gift of grace, it had to be repayed by living a perfect life and never sinning again. (News flash: no one on this Earth is free of sin!)

Sound crazy right? Cause we are all Christians and we know that's not how God works! We know that none of us is without sin.

Unfortunately, I've heard many Christians who help to spread this myth. (Those people outside the church get their messed-up perspectives from somewhere, you know.) Usually it sounds like this:

"If he (or she) was a good Christian he (or she) wouldn’t........fill this in with whatever!!" (have tattoos, drink, smoke, swear, be in debt, wear those clothes….etc.)

When you make comments like these, you are continuing the myth that people have to look a certain way and act a certain way if they love God. Not true! God loves everyone exactly the way they are right now. Nothing there is no dress requirement or behavior contract that people have to agree to in order to experience that love.

God changes people in His own time, if it is His desire to do so. But he doesn’t expect any of us to do anything to earn His love. The problem with thinking you need to do (or not do) certain things to earn Gods grace is that it leads to resentment.

It's like the husband who brings home gifts to his wife every time he wants permission to go away on a golfing trip. Eventually, she learns that those aren't “free” gifts…there is actually an expectation (I can go golfing now, because I was so good to you) that goes along with them. If he does this enough, she is eventually going to be resentful and angry every time he shows up with a gift in his hands. She knows he is going to expect her to stay home with the kids while he goes away.

God doesn’t give his grace expecting something from us.

God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted.
John 3:15-17

He gives us his grace because he loves us. He’s the husband who comes home and gives his wife a gift just to show her he loves her. Sometimes that gift results in change in us. When we feel truly feel loved and appreciated; often we want to find ways to honor that gift.

Some of us have expectations of God’s grace. We think that because God has forgiven us and loves us; we no longer have to deal with the problems in our lives. When we discover that our problems are still there; we feel like God has let us down.

God doesn’t promise anywhere that his grace will make our troubles here on Earth disappear. Actually, he warns us of the struggles we will have ahead of us:

There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.
Philippians 1:26-28

If you have an expectation of a worry-free life because of God’s grace, you ARE going to be disappointed. He doesn’t take your problems away. Once you have accepted Christ as your Saviour, you become Satan’s enemy and he will try very hard to turn you away from God. You can expect problems ahead. But you can also expect His grace and love to help you through them all:

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Philippians 4:5-7

The other problem with expectation is that it leads to comparisons. Especially here in America, we always want to make sure we are getting as much as everyone else. Siblings compare Christmas and birthday gifts to make sure they aren’t getting the short end of the deal. We compare our salaries and bonuses with that of other in our people in our profession. We want to make sure we get all that is coming to us. God’s grace doesn’t work this way. We see an example of this in Matthew:

An estate manager went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went. He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?' They said, 'Because no one hired us.' He told them to go to work in his vineyard. When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'

Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.' He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'

Most of us, I think, can identify with the men who went to work earliest and got paid the same as those who started later. They were angry. We can relate to that. We cannot comprehend the generosity of God.

I had a friend argue with me and insist that people who live good lives here on Earth and obey all God’s commands will have special rewards in heaven. Maybe she’s right (neither of us will really know for sure until we get there)...but I think this story contradicts that. Jesus is saying we all get the same reward…even if we come in the last hour.

Some people are very offended by that. We see this played out in Luke 15, while his father is celebrating the return of the Prodigal Son, his brother is angry:

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'

We need to celebrate and be glad when people find God; and stop comparing our own actions and deeds to one another.

Grace is not a reward.

It's not a bribe.

It's not something you deserve.

It's not something any of us could earn or fathom.

It is given by God as a gift just because we love Him and that makes Him glad.

Unneccesary Promises

I have often found myself trying to make deals with God: "If you do this for me, Lord, I will...."

Do you do this?

In my journey (and journaling) of the Old Testament, I have come to realize how silly and prideful these promises are. The Maker of the Universe and everything in it needs to cut a deal with YOU? Really? He has creates the entire universe and everything in it…but you have a “great deal” for Him? I don’t think so.

I do believe He sometimes gives us these desires to either prove His existence or teach us another lesson. And if we strike a “deal” with Him, I am sure He expects us to follow through on our promises to Him.

But if we have faith in Him and His plans for the future---why do we feel the need to bargain with Him?? We certainly aren't going to get the better part of the deal when we gamble against the One who not only SEES the future but CREATES it!

I was struck by the story of Jephthah in my recent reading. The story is found in Judges 11.

Background: (Judges 11: 1-11)

Jephthah was a tough warrior—an Israelite, the son of Gilead and a prostitute. His step-brothers threw him out of the house and he fled and joined up with some “riffraff”. Time passed and the Ammonites began fighting Israel. The elders of Gilead called for Jephthah
and asked him to lead them in their battles.

Jephthah says to them, “Why now? You hate me, but now you need me and want me to help you now that you are in trouble?”

Certainly NOT the picture of grace and forgiveness, is he? He is ANGRY.

The elders tell him that they will make him the leader of all the Gileadites if he comes to help them. He makes them repeat this promise before God and then agrees.

Now that there is something in it for HIM, he will help them.

JEPHTHAH talks to the Ammonites: (Judges 11 12-28)

Jephthah sends messages to the Ammonite leaders asking them why they are attacking his people. The king responds that the Israelites stole the land from his people when they came out of Eygpt 300 years before. Jephthah tell him “it was GOD, the God of Israel who pushed out the Amorites in favor of Israel; so who do you think you are to try to take it over?” “It is an evil thing you are doing by starting a fight.”

Jephthah KNOWS that God gave the Israelites the land.
He KNOWS God is on his side in this battle.
That should be all he needs to enter this battle confidently.

JEPHTHAH makes a deal with God: (Judges 11 29-33)

God’s spirit came upon Jephthah and he went across the land to battle the Ammonites. He made a vow before God, “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I will give to God whatever comes out the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites. I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering”

Why did Jephthah feel this deal was necessary?
God didn’t ASK him to make this sacrifice.
Jephthah knew that it was God’s will that Israel keep their land.
Was he worried that the “glory” of the victory would go to someone else?
Was it so important to Jephthah that he show his relatives who had disowned him
how strong and powerful he was that he was willing to sacrifice anything to prove it?

Jephthah went off to fight the Ammonites and beat the soundly. The Ammonites were “brought to their knees by the people of Israel”

JEPHTHAH comes home: (Judges 11: 34-40)

Jephthah came home. His daughter (his only child) ran out of the house to welcome him home, dancing to tambourines. Jephthah remembered his promised, saying “I am despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow before God and I can’t take it back”

His daughter said “You made a vow. You must keep it. God did His part”

Jephthah fulfilled the vow he had made.

Do you think God used Jephthah’s promise to teach a lesson to him?
Are you as amazed as I at the acceptance of his daughter to fulfill that promise?
Would Jephthah have made this “bargain” with God if he had known ahead of time
what sacrifice he would be making?


When we make deals with God, we don’t ever know what the end result will be. If we truly trust God and we have offered control of our lives over to Him, there is no need to strike a bargain. HIS will be done….not our own. How arrogant is it of any of us to presume that we know better than God what is best for us?

When we try to strike a deal, we are saying that WE KNOW BETTER THAN HIM and/or that our own desires are more important than the furthering of God’s kingdom.

You would never sign a sales agreement without looking it over and seeing what it the final cost will be; but that is exactly what you are doing when you make these deals with God. He may give you your desires….but it may be at a cost that you cannot even begin to fathom.

I would rather have faith and live out His plan for my future.
I am going to stop “bargaining” away the plans He has for me and my life and live out the life He has designed for me.

His plan is better than any idea I could have ever dreamed up for myself. I give my future, my desires, my life over to the Lord. I am certain He will do a much better job managing it than I.

Through GOOD times and bad

I'm making my way slowly through the Old Testament these days. I must admit that I had written off most of the Old Testament as unimportant and irrelevant because when Jesus came he proclaimed that the "old ways" did not apply anymore. My thinking was that if I knew Jesus and I knew what He stood for...well, then I didn't really need the rest.

In some ways, I was correct. I don't NEED the rest. I'm saved by Jesus and His love. Salvation is mine and I will go to heaven.
But I've discovered that I want to know more...even if it isn't necessary for me to have that knowledge. I want to know more, more, more about Jesus. In order to truly understand Jesus; I need to know the events that led up to His story. I need to know our story from the beginning. So now I'm on this journey through the beginning of the Bible.

I have to say, that I am surprised by the similarities to our world today. I expected to read this drab history that was not at all relevant to our lives today.
Boy! Was I wrong! Here's what I find:

People who only call out to God when times are tough and then go back to worshiping their own gods and idols after He comes in and rescues them.

Don't we all still do this? We don't call them "gods" or "idols"; because our view of a "gods" and "idols" is too narrow.

Lets redefine and idol:

Anything you worship AHEAD of God
Anything you make more important than God in your life
Anything you put more time and resources toward than you do to God

What are the "idols" and "gods" in your life?

I think if we are all honest; most of us struggle with this.
We make excuses why we:
- don't have the time
- don't have the energy
- don't have the resources
... to put God first.
And in doing so-- we are worshiping gods of "money", "sex", "power"...whatever that is that you are putting first in your life over Him.

Apparently...this is what we as a people have been doing to God since the very beginning of time. The better things are going for us; the further down the priority list God goes. Some of us live out our entire lives without ever making Him the number one priority in our life.

We are "too busy" to make time for the creator of our universe.
We have "better", "more important" things to do.

When we don't need Him, we forget Him.

How sad.

How disrespectful.

How tragic.

We as a people, since the beginning of time--have struggled with this.

We can't change history and we can't change others.
But we can change ourselves. We can impact the future generation of our own families.
We can make a stand and say that WE WILL PLACE GOD FIRST.
Not just in the bad times.
Not just when we want something from Him.
But EVERY SINGLE DAY.

What changes do you need to make in your life to do this?

I know I need to go back and reprioritize MY life and figure out what this looks like for me.

How about you?

Are you fighting for the kingdom or hiding behind your fear?

Fear is the enemies favorite and most effective tool. When he plants the tiniest "seed" of fear into our minds-- so many of allow that seed to take over our lives to the extent that Satan doesn't even need to do anything more with us. He plants that fear and his job is done. We let it hold us back from any great works, any great ideas, any great deeds in our lives. Because we're too SCARED to try anything---even those things that God calls us to. Many of us are so scared, so afraid, so full of fear....that we can't even HEAR Gods voice because we don't ever allow Him the opportunity to be with us.

My awesome pastor, Ken Landis; said this so well today! I never it, bit once he pointed this out it was so blaringly obvious that I'm embarrassed I never realized it before. Here it is:

God steps in when you NEED Him.

It's that simple. He steps in, He takes over... when you need Him. If you allow your fears to keep you in your comfort zone and never step outside it; you won't ever need God. And He won't step into your life. So you won't feel His presence. And you will wonder where God is.
He is HERE...but if you have everything "under control", under your control, He won't take over. He won't MOVE in your life. You won't feel Him.

As Christians, we are promised Salvation. But God wants us to live while we are here on Earth, too. He has a plan for each and every one of us. We make it so easy for Satan to keep us from Gods plan for our life when we listen to the fear he plants. And what are most of us afraid of?

Fear of embarrassment.
Fear of being hurt (emotionally)
Fear of failure.
Fear of losing friends.
Fear people won't understand our decisions (will think we're nuts)
Fear we won't be "happy" with our choices
Fear of rejection
Fear we're not qualifed/not good enough
Fear. Fear. Fear.

Have ANY of those fears killed anybody?
Have any of them caused any bodily harm?

God called us to be warriors. Not sissies.
Our Biblical heroes faced huge life or death battles in Gods name.....and we aren't willing to grow in our own faith....why?
Because we're afraid of what? Embarrassment? Failure? Rejection?
How highly we must think of ourselves; that our own emotions are so important. So important, really, that we will not risk those precious emotions of ours so that we can allow God to take over our lives and MOVE us...and by moving in us...move those around us.

I never realized how closely connected fear is with self-importance.
When you allow fear to keep you from following through on God's plan for you--you are absolutely putting yourself first instead of God. There is no act more selfish than that.

Loving People

God tells us loving people is His second greatest commandment. Loving Him is the only thing bigger than this.
So why is it so hard for us?
We want to put conditions on this love. We will only love those who are worthy, or those who are Christians, those who we like, those who love us back, those who don't offend us, those who respect us....
This IS NOT what God commanded!!

He doesn't place conditions on His love to each of us. So neither do we get to pick and chose who we are going to show love to. We need to love them all. The offensive, the rude, the judgmental, the proud, the snooty, the stinky, the mean....they all need love! The ones who we don't want to show love to are probably the ones who NEED to see that love more than anyone else. It is OUR job if we are truly followers of Christ to give it to them. If not us; then who?

It is easy to love our friends, our families (well-sometimes that can be hard, too), but we aren't called to love only them.

What keeps us from following this commandment?

I think this is the number one thing holding is back is other people. We wonder what others will think of is of we truly show love to people who don't fit inside the parameters of our own social circle.

Sure---we can DO for the poor. We can PRAY for the sinners.
But, many of us end it there.
That's not LOVE!! To love people you need to treat them as yourself. Treat them as you want to be treated. If I was struggling---I wouldn't just want a meal---I'd want someone to share it with. If I'm caught in a cycle of sin---I dont want someone to pray for me---I want someone to talk to. Are you opening your hearts as well as your wallets? Are you opening your arms or are you just paying lip service?
Why do you care if your neighbor sees you talking to the "outcast" of your development? Why do you care if your boss wonders about your "social circle" when he sees you stop and say hello? Are their opinions really more important to you than obeying the Word of God?

Love is an action word; but TO SHOW LOVE REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST ACTION---IT REQUIRES YOUR HEART.
You can't show love without actions, but you cannot love without opening your heart. I'm not saying that it's not a great deed to contribute money to an organization. There are lots of worthy causes out there that need the cash. But if that is all you are doing; you aren't following through on God's command. He didn't ask us to give to others, He asked us to LOVE others.
Don't just go through the motions of reaching out so you can pat yourself on the back
and feel good about your great deed. Love people--even the unlovable--as if they were YOU.

Another reason many of us don't love others because we are scared: we are scared we will be rejected, we are scared we will get hurt, we are scared we will hurt someone else, we are scared someone we reach out to will hurt our loved ones, we are scared it will be awkward...we are just Plain Old AFRAID.

I'm sorry if saying so offends you--but this isn't a ""fear issue"---this is a control issue!
You want YOU to pick and choose who you get to love.
You think you are ENTITLED to Choose who you love and who you don't. Basically; you think you and your fears are bigger and more important than God and His COMMANDment to love. That's right---He's not ASKING you to love he is commanding you! Your sense of entitlement is taking precedence over the words of our Almighty God.
If this resounds with you, or if it offends you...you've been letting the enemy whisper in your ear and you have been allowing Satan instead of God guide your choices.

You don't get to choose who to love and who not to. We are called to love one another. Period. You need to love, accept and forgive people as God loves, accepts and forgives you. If you aren't doing this out of fear of getting hurt, you are making a statement that you and your fears are more important than the God's kingdom.

I'm not saying you can't set boundaries. But unforgiveness is not a boundary. It is a prison. Fear is not a boundary. It is a roadblock.

Yes! You might get hurt....but God is bigger than that hurt and He will heal that hurt. The gains for His kingdom and for your heart will be expanded in ways you can't even imagine.


Remember:
1-Love God
2-Love others (all of them)
3-God takes care of the rest

These are the only things that really matter.