Loving God, Loving People

[Pearl]

I don't think so farouk.

I so hear you here Rita,
I too am struggling to forgive a "Christian" whom I invited into my home, she had the whole upstairs and I charged her VERY little to stay here. She has moved out, a few weeks ago. She stole several things from me and one being an air conditioner! It is not easy to pray for other Christians who lie, steal and cheat, I am with you Rita, it is much easier to love and forgive the unsaved as, our brothers and sisters should and do know better. I am forgiving her yet, I do not want her to be in my life anymore, not that we were close anyhow. I have forgiven her but, I do not want to make myself available to her in any way as she has her hand out all the time and thinks lying is okay . So, I do not think forgiveness means we have to be around these people. JMO ♥ Helen said it well in Post # 18 ♥

Loving people doesn't mean we have to like them or even be friends with them but we do have to be kind to them.

 

[Nancy]

Loving people doesn't mean we have to like them or even be friends with them but we do have to be kind to them.

Amen. Seems reasonable to me. If they take your shirt, give them your cloak, forgive and move on.

 

[Butterfly]

Yes, but isn't that a form of rejection ?
Is that actually ' showing ' forgiveness ?
If I choose to not have contact, I am taking a step back and saying ' I don't like you enough to be around you '
With my ex , I forgave him completely - I didn't reject him and still have contact, even If the relationship has changed, but I choose not to communicate with many people who have done far less to me than he did !!

- just throwing that into the mix !!! Lol
Rita

 

[marks]

It is easy for me to love people who are easy to love, but very hard at times to love people who are not nice and who have treated me badly.

Hi hldude33,

Great post!

On this part above, I agree it's not easy to love the unloving, actually, I'd say it's impossible, in our flesh, but in our spirit, it's our "natural" state.

Knowing that God wants us to love others, and knowing that God enables us to love others, we can love others. If at any time we find ourselves not loving others, I think it's a good indicator that we are walking according to the flesh, that is, as if we had not been regenerated.

Once we realize we're not living according to our spirit life, then we can start, and return to loving others.

Feelings follow choices, and the choice to love another will find more kindly feelings following.

Much love!
Mark

 

[marks]

You see I then find myself asking another question, well what would that look like in action.

Hi Rita, That's a great question! I think it looks like us taking care of the needs of others because we want their needs to be met.

And I think it looks like us adding increase to others because we want their lives enriched. (not thinking just money).

Unloving thoughts are thoughts from the mind of the flesh and should be taken captive to the obedience of Christ. To me that means examining my thoughts, comparing them to Scripture, accepting and supporting those that are approved by God, and rejecting and reforming those that are not.

So even though in my mind I may find, Oh that so-and-so, I'm not going to . . .; but even if that is in my mind, I know that's not me, and I can say, I WILL such and such, because that is what is good for them as best I can tell, God give me wisdom!

Much love!

 

[marks]

I am with you all the way on this. I think we all find it hard at times to love certain people but if we can say we 'care' about them instead of using the word 'love', which we usually associate with close family and friends, I think it helps to see what Jesus was saying to us. Excellent post.

One of the reasons I like the KJV . . . "Charity".

 

[marks]

I find it way harder to 'love ' Christians sometimes, I make allowances for non believers I think, but I need to exercise forgiveness to a greater degree with fellow brothers and sisters -
Also, just a thought, I have walked away from many friendships with people due to stalemates with sorting things out, if people have hurt me in church and we have come together and sorted it through I find I do not want to share space with them afterwards - is that a defensive thing, unforgivenss, or wisdom because I know they will rub me up the wrong way.
Can you ' love ' someone , but not be in a close relationship with them by choice ?
Just pondering !!!!!!!!
Rita

I try to make it a point to give Christian love to whomever is in front of me at the moment. it has nothing to do with my relationship with them, only that they are to be loved by me according to God's command.

I define love as choosing to serve another towards their wellbeing. And that has nothing to do with how I feel about them.

Much love!
Mark

 

[Nancy]

Yes, but isn't that a form of rejection ?
Is that actually ' showing ' forgiveness ?
If I choose to not have contact, I am taking a step back and saying ' I don't like you enough to be around you '
With my ex , I forgave him completely - I didn't reject him and still have contact, even If the relationship has changed, but I choose not to communicate with many people who have done far less to me than he did !!

- just throwing that into the mix !!! Lol
Rita

I show her forgiveness (not that she has asked for it, as she has not, but to free myself from a growing resentment) by not asking her to give me back my belongings, in other words, giving her what she does not deserve? These things were not her's to take but, God say's, it's material and just pray for her.

 

[friend of]

Fully agreed.

 

[friend of]

What would our lives really look like if we simply focused on loving God and loving people? What if that became our sole mission every day?

Yes! AMEN

 

[tzcho2]

Amen. Seems reasonable to me. If they take your shirt, give them your cloak, forgive and move on.

Hi Nancy, scripture doesn't say if they steal your couch - give them the deed to your house" lol.. it doesn't say if they steal from you imo. It says if they 'ask' do that plus go the extra mile...."
Personally, I would gently with love, be asking that lady why she took the air conditioner & other items and I'd ask for them back, and I would let it go at that. Then I would be praying that God would do a mighty work in her heart & because no true born from above Christian who therefore has the indwelling Holy Spirit within them, walks around stealing from people. Just sayin...

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nancy, scripture doesn't say if they steal your couch - give them the deed to your house" lol.. it doesn't say if they steal from you imo. It says if they 'ask' do that plus go the extra mile...."
Personally, I would gently with love, be asking that lady why she took the air conditioner & other items and I'd ask for them back, and I would let it go at that. Then I would be praying that God would do a mighty work in her heart & because no true born from above Christian who therefore has the indwelling Holy Spirit within them, walks around stealing from people. Just sayin...

You are right...I did NOT give those things to her. She is only staying 5 blocks from me and one of my brothers still goes to that church. She has simply denied she took anything...I cannot put my own self into the situation as I see it going nowhere with her so, I say...leave it alone and pray for her, which I do...she does know better but...while she was staying in my home over the last 1.5 years, there have been several instances with her lying, when I (gently) called her on those things, she comes up with some whoppers! I let it go, of all of it as she is not going to just suddenly become a truth teller after having guys from her church do all the moving for her...she told them what was hers, and they just hauled it away. This is pretty new and am still trying to bind my anger and disappointment. I have certainly learned to not just believe someone when they say they are Christian. My brother was on his way over to drop off something to her at her new apt., he asked her if he could just take a picture of the Air Conditioner just so I could see it, and if it was not mine (which, of course it is!) she said no, and that I just don't want to be her friend anymore (we were never very close) so to just forget it. Hmmmm. Anyhow, it's all good...it gets easier to pray for her and forgive her each day.
Thanks for your input Tzcho, and she truly does need much prayer, i could not even get her to pray with me while living here...and that was the only thing I was excited about when offering her my upstairs, a prayer partner!!! Not even one time...she is stuck in the same place she was since day one, she is not growing. She's crazy about the pastor! I asked her one time, "what would happen if Pastor Lonnie was called to pastor a Church away from here, would you still attend services"? She actually said "I don't know"....told me allot right there. So, yes indeed...she needs much prayer.
His Blessings!
nancy