Love Doesn't Envy

ENVY! Only 4 little letters of the alphabet, but a heavy weight to carry. - Anon

The Israelites had God as their loving leader, instead after looking at their neighbors they wanted a king like everyone else. It really cost them. Hmm!

Admittedly, we are imperfect human beings in nature. We know what God says to us in His Word, but yet we go against it anyway. For instance, we know that envy is sin, but sometimes in our human frailness when we see the blessings, gifts, and fellowships others are enjoying envy can rear its head. Thus, we must guard ourselves against that natural tendency to feel resentment and jealousy towards others because of their good fortune. As a believer, we have absolutely no right or reason to be envious of anyone, because we ourselves are already possessors of the greatest gift of all creation: God’s Grace through Christ. Nothing matches it, exceeds it, or compares with it, and it abounds more and more each day. So a simple suggestion guaranteed to keep us satisfied and content is to fill our hearts with God’s love, His promises, and His Son, and that will not leave any room for any bitter activity.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“…..therefore, laying aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy……desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” – I Peter 2:1-2

Forgiveness Required

To hold on to hate and resentment is to keep us standing still, while life marches on. – Anon

Joseph receiving his brothers, Job praying for his friends, great pictures of forgiveness in action. Hmm!

The blessings and favor of God beckon us. God himself, is calling us forward to redeem His promises and blessings in innumerable ways. But the truth is many of us will remain stuck, unable to go forward because of our refusal to let go of the past hurts, wrongs, and slights put upon us that we cannot seem to forgive and forget. In truth, this is an affront to Almighty God, for in His program forgiveness is not optional, it’s a requirement. True, sometimes the hurt may be deep and emotional, and we may find it hard to forgive certain people, but God is unequivocal and unwavering in this command that we must forgive those who have hurt or wronged us, just as He has forgiven us. The reason is it takes away any power they may have over us and allows us to move forward by God’s grace and strength. He works with us and through us in these matters. So we learn to forgive, and keep forgiving, so we ourselves are not weighed down and can move forward. Maybe we can get rid of some excess baggage today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….’Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times!’….” – Matthew 18:21-22