Hello Friends.
Here is another blog about what God is teaching me. It is more about what love is and isn't. This comes from 1 Corinthians 13.
So, Love is Not Rude.
Rude: Impolite, offensive, lewd, unmannerly, disrespectful, obscene.
You know there are so many different ways that rudeness occurs among people. When people are with other people, things do get messy. We all have been rude at some point, I know I have. There are some example of rudeness that I have seen, experienced, and I am sure have done my self that some people may not understand as rudeness.
Like, as the term goes "trolling" social media sites. Believe it or not, you are going to encounter people with different views and beliefs, some of which you may not agree with. With social media these days, people post things that fit their views or what they like. If you do not like it, then move on, "trolling" others and whining about it is quite rude. Talk to the individuals about it, if it bothers you that much. If you "troll" people are constantly arguing with people over their posts on their site, that is immature and not loving. People do or should have freedom of speech, and we need to be mindful of that and what they and we post. We need to be respectful of others. Be mindful of what you post, if it is not uplifting, kind, encouraging, or speaking truth and it is just going to cause meaningless arguments, consider not posting it. Social media can be a tough thing to navigate, so show caution.
Other example, me being in my late 20's and single, I have had many couples stick their noses in my business ( place their noses should not be) and dictate that I need to be married to be complete and happy. I have been labeled "the single" on many occasions. And frankly, many of my married friends do not make much, if any effort to socialize with me. I get that is a busy stage of life. My point is, it is super rude to try to run someone else's life. I would like to find someone, that would be awesome, but I am pretty happy in being single right now. Why can't you celebrate with others in where they are and the victories they obtain, rather than telling their current stage is not good enough? That is rude! It is not just singles. Married couples get pressured about having kids, parents getting their kids into college, ect. How about stop being rude to each other and help encourage and guide rather than tear down?
I apologize for the rant, but these are things that have bothered me a great deal. Here is some great stuff: I know I have made mistakes too, if anyone reading this knows me and I have done anything that is rude to you, I am sorry.There is grace, forgiveness, and hope for all of us. Just know we all mess up, so do not get down.
So, lets dwell into the word:
Mark 7: 20-23 "He went on: What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man [and woman] unclean."
James 3:17 "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial, and sincere."
Solid verses for sure. James 3:17 sums up what love is in a nutshell. We should be considerate of other and their feelings. This can be and is tough, especially with others whom you do not see eye to eye on lots of things. But we are still people and we have feelings.
Here is a good one to follow up James 3:17.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
When you help out with things, do it in way that is helping. Not merely just so you can get something or a favor. Again, sometimes that can be tough.
Helping others can be tough. Give it to God and he will help you. I know he has helped me and still is helping with this area. There is always room to grow.
In the bible, it is said that followers of Christ will be seen and defined by their love for one another. Sadly, there are cases of believers getting caught up in popularity contests; cliques. They shun other believers and even new people to the church. That is not love.
1 Peter 2:17 "Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King."
We need to love each other. Believers need to love other believers. They are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Here is a goodie.
1 Thessalonians 5:11-15 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.Now we ask you, brothers to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone... but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else."
We should look to build others up and be kind. It can be hard sometimes and I have messed up in this area. Keeping going and keep trying to love each other and be nice. Being kind can make somebody's day. I know there have been times when I was not having a good day and a stranger showed me kindness and it made me feel better.
This next verse is a toe cruncher. It crunched my toes. It is important though, especially with the political stuff going on right now.
Titus 3:1-2 " Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men."
It is toe crunching because it is calling for us to respect those in authority and not to slander anyone. That can be hard. In particular, with the politics going on right now. I believe us as believers we need to watch what we do and say and not get into quarrels and slandering others, even politicians we do not like. God will deal with them. He will provide for us. We need to be educated and need to vote. But don't get into quarrels or slander as that can hurt relationships we are called to build. I am guilty of falling into the political thing and liking slander against politicians I do not like. That is wrong of me. I am sorry for that. I am sure I will fall into it again, it is so easy to fall in that, especially with social media.
My encouragement is keep loving others, Respect and hear what others have to say. Look to build up and be mindful of what you say, you go along with, you post and/or like on social media. Doing these things can make you really stand out.
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. People hanging around other people can get messy. Finding ways to be kind to one another and respectful, can go a long way and can even brighten somebody's day.
