Author: debo

Romans 15:7 says to receive one another as Christ received us to the glory of God. We are admonished in this scripture to accept one another. Christ accepts us, we should accept others. Case closed! We love like Jesus does. He loves us flaws and all, we love others flaws and all! When we accept people as they are, we can trust God to work in your life. When we accept them, we don’t condone their behavior or their beliefs. We accept them, because we want to be like Jesus. You have probably noticed this in your relationships, that if you are trying to change a person, you will meet resistance. I noticed that too! Lesson learned! When we accept and receive people as they are, we not only obey the Word, we sow seed that can be reaped in our own life. We are grateful for the people in our own life who overlook our short comings and love us anyway So if we want our story to be to God’s glory, we can love, forgive and accept one another. Just as this verse in Romans 15:7 says, when we receive others it brings God glory! You can put this verse into operation in your life today!

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, forgiving one another even as God in Christ has forgiven you. If we want to have healthy relationships, we need to swim in the river of forgiveness frequently. We give ourselves lots of grace, let’s do that with others too. The better we know one another, the more we potentially have to over look in each other. That’s where kindness comes in. We can choose kindness, just like we choose forgiveness. The rewards are great when we live this way. Have as much grace for others as we have for ourselves! Forgiveness can seem like a huge mountain to climb, but what I have discovered is that if the mountain is enormous, stone by stone, each shovelful of the mountain that gets removed brings more and more freedom. Before we know it the thing that seemed unovercomeable is overcome! So whether you are the one forgiving, or the one asking for forgiveness, lets do both graciously. Day by day, hour by hour, as we choose forgiveness, even moment by moment, we can improve our relationships, and improve our life. So, everyday, in every way, be kinder than necessary.

How soft is too soft? When it comes to blankets and pillows, softer is always better! When we are talking about grace, can you have too much? Our church is named Amazing Grace Fellowship, and you could imagine that as pastors, we want to be known for an abundance of grace. It is because of the grace of God that we are saved. It is by grace that we are loved and accepted into the family of God. The grace of God truly is amazing. We should be grace full, grace filled people. But as gracious believers, we do not become a doormat for everyone who wants to walk over us, not do we ignore people’s actions. Abuse, neglect, or other evil deeds do not get brushed under the rug. As gracious as God is, sin has its own retribution. And sin is not tolerated in the presence of God. So we can be like Jesus. He hates sin, but loves people. He is a soft place to fall as He loves people through their failures and pain. We can do the same. Psalms 9:9,10 in the Message Bible says this: God’s a safe house for the battered, and a sanctuary in bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax, and you are never sorry you knocked. We can be a safe haven to people in our life, by being forgiving, accepting, and walking with them on their journey.

Our family is very competitive. We all like to win, and be better than someone else in the family. Because of that, everything is a competition. From board games, to who can clean their room the fastest, to who is the best wake or snow boarder, even to musical ability. It can be fun and healthy, but it can be a relationship killer. If everything is always a competition, we can thwart what God wants to be a blessing in our lives. We have to look at our relationships as if we were on a team. Each team mate cheers for the others. We want each to do well, but we do best when we work together. As Christians, we are on a team. We should be cheering for our team mates who are doing a work for God in their vineyard. We aren’t in competition, we are here to complete a task that God put us on the earth for. Relationships work the same way. Let’s be fellow travelers. Let our competition be against ourselves. Can we do better? Can we love more? Can we make a difference? Can our lives count for the cause of Christ. When we do that individually, collectively as the body of Christ, we will accomplish more! And in the midst of enlarging the kingdom of God, we will build healthy, thriving relationships.

You have probably noticed that relationships can be messy. They can bring tremendous joy, and tremendous pain. All of us have experienced a messy relationship of some kind. Perhaps it started in grade school, being bullied. Or maybe you were made fun of for some physical trait, or speech disorder, or disability. Perhaps you were betrayed by a friend, or had a messy breakup or divorce. The list of relationship messes can go on and on. Relationships can be hard. Being hurt can make us build walls. The messes leave us with baggage that will affect future relationships. If we want them to be better in the future, we have to deal with the past. If we keep carrying it around with us, our future relationships will suffer. So what do we do with the past? We can learn from it, and then leave it there. Start with a clean slate. Just like each new year in a classroom, you get a fresh start. Make good choices, keep your heart full of love, and offer acceptance and love to those around you. Our ability and choice to forgive others, directly affects our relationship with God. He forgave, so we do the same. If we don’t forgive, as it says in Mark 11, God wont forgive us. Sounds like we know what to do. Be a forgiver!
Forgiveness and acceptance are like soap for the soul, they help us wash out the past, and live clean in the future.

Intro: July 27th
A great relationship can be one of the greatest joys of life. Jesus set such a godly example relationally for us by loving everyone he came in contact with. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. From the account of the woman caught in adultery in John 8, we see a picture of forgiveness and reconciliation even in front of religious rulers who were trying to trap Jesus. As fellow travelers on this authentic relationship journey, we can make it to the finish line, as teammates and not adversaries. Here is your daily eword.

Receiving forgiveness, feeling acceptance, and having someone who bears your burdens is like having a soft place to fall. When we receive forgive, we say we won’t let a situation have a hold on to us anymore. When we offer forgiveness, we are humbling ourselves to accept responsibility for the wrongs we have done. When we accept people as they are, we are agreeing with God who does the very same thing. What a wonderful thing Jesus did for the woman caught in adultery. He had the opportunity to cast a stone at her, and he chose not to. Instead he offered her forgiveness, acceptance and told her to go on her way, and sin no more. When she received that kind of love, even in the midst of moral failure, this woman was given hope. When we respond in grace and mercy instead of judgment, we do the same thing. We have the opportunity to love people through the broken places of their lives. If they are already broken, they don’t need more judgment, they need love. Remember that God is the healer of all things broken. We can do the same as we are his hands and feet to a broken hurting world. It may even start in your own home. What a great place to offer forgiveness and acceptance.

How old is your longest relationship? Your mom probably qualifies, she knew you first, and might even love you best. I love my mom so much. She turns 82 this week! She has known me all my 53 years. So maybe I should ask, whom besides your family have you had the longest relationship with? Is it friends from kindergarten, elementary school, or junior high or high school? You have probably seen that some friendships are life long, and others for a season. Of your lifelong relationships, you have probably noticed that keeping them Jesus centered, keeps them thriving. When selfishness erupts its ugly head, relationships suffer. So when we decide to love one another is any relationship whether long term or for a season, selflessness can make relationship flow more smoothly. When we decide to prefer one another, and forgive one another, relationships will become all that God intended. So start loving one another more fervently, and have thriving authentic relationships that bring you joy, and reveal the kingdom of God, here on earth.

I love this quote from the book called “Authentic Relationships”. “A self centered life is its own punishment.” When we expect and demand things from others, we miss out on the very best life we can experience in Christ. We miss out on the blessing of God when we live selfishly. Jesus taught us that a selfless life is its own reward! When we live selflessly, we experience the joy of showing God’s love authentically. We experience the best of God’s blessings in this life. His favor, His abundance naturally flows to those who give of themselves on a regular basis. So this is a pretty easy formula to follow.
Live selfishly, and miss out on the best of life, or live selflessly and receive the best life has to offer. It reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy 30:19 that says I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore, choose life, that you and your family can live. It’s like a duh, what are you going to choose? LIFE! So back to our topic of today, you have the choice, love others selflessly and you are choosing the very best life of all. Enjoy all the rewards this joy FULL life has to offer.

Today we are going to look at the second fruit of one anothering. Yesterday we looked at number one, which is that the world will know we are Jesus’ disciples. Today we are looking at the second fruit and it is joy! God has our best interest at heart, and He desires that we are fulfilled and live in joy. John 15:11 says these things I have spoken to you that My joy may remains in you, and that your joy may be full. Isn’t it wonderful that even in a fallen world, with a curse on the earth, Jesus wants us to overcome the world and to be full of joy? I love that! As Christians, we have the opportunity to be joy FULL. I know lots of Christians who don’t experience joy FULL ness. They complain, they whine, they look at everything negatively, they scowl, they frown, and they worry. We should be doing exactly the opposite. Instead of all that negativity, let’s be thankful, let’s look for blessings, let’s keep a positive outlook, let’s smile, let’s grin, and let’s trust God. For the believer, this is as close to hell as we will ever be. We have heaven to look forward to. That alone is like an ace in the hole. If this entire fallen world goes to hell, we have a wonderful eternity to look forward to. But let’s not be happy with just making it to heaven. Let’s let the evidence of love lead others to the foot of the cross, so they can enjoy heaven with us! And let’s let the fruit of joy help those around us realize that when we love God and one another, we get to experience life at it’s best, filled with joy!

Today and tomorrow we will look at two of the fruits of one anothering. There are two main fruit that result from sincerely and authentically loving one another, and today we will look at the first one. Here is number one. When we love one another, it demonstrates the reality of God’s kingdom to those who don’t know Him yet, and cannot see Him. John 13:35 tells us that by loving one another the whole world will all know that we are disciples of Jesus. Love is the evidence and proof that we love and serve Jesus. It is from love that all the other fruit of the Spirit flow, so love is number one. If we were on trial in a court of law to prove that we are God followers, our love for one another would be primary proof that we are! We really are a city set on a hill, with a light that shines brightly. Our actions speak louder than our words ever will! Let’s not put our light under a bushel. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. I hope you let yours shine too! Those around you will have evidence that you love God. In your bigger sphere of influence, your actions will prove that you are set apart from the world, and that you serve a Great, Big, Loving God.